Currants and blackberries on the nose. Spicy and intense undertones. Full body, with juicy fruit and a soft, very silky texture and a long, long finish. Polished and very pretty. Best Carraudes ever. Try in 2018.

Of course, the wine to buy in order to get a look at the Lafite Rothschild style and personality is their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, which has become very fashionable in Asia, causing the prices to soar. A very strong effort, the 2009 Carruades de Lafite may be the finest Carruades since the 2003. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it reveals lots of sweet cassis intermixed with subtle smoke and forest floor, undeniable lusciousness and full-bodied hedonism. The wood component is pushed to the background, and the wine is extremely viscous, round and delicious. Additional complexity should continue to emerge over the next decade and this 2009 should keep for 20-30 years.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #199, Feb 2012)

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. This is a great performance for a Second wine that, let us be honest, 15 years ago was looked down upon and sold cheaply. Here, the 2009 has a very ripe bouquet with breezy dark black plum and boysenberry fruit mingling with orange rind, a touch of bacon fat and even a hint of mango sorbet. The palate is full-bodied with succulent, grippy tannins. There is great weight and volume to this wine, although the acidity keeps everything in check. Smooth and harmonious, turning chalkier in texture towards the finish, this is a complex 2009 Pauillac that should age well. Tasted January 2013.

– eRobertParker.com, Jul 2013

This has a lightly firm coating of cocoa powder and roasted cedar, with the core of red and black currant and fig paste held at bay for now. Stays taut through the finish, but good cut and weight and an alluring tobacco note make this worth waiting out. Best from 2014 through 2024.

Medium-bodied, elegant, fresh, soft and forward, this energetic, polished, silky, floral and, spicy red berry dominated wine, with its tobacco nuances is in its prime time drinking window. The wine was made from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Tasted Sept 2019

Bright ruby-red. Open-knit, fruity nose offers plenty of charm to its strawberry, blackcurrant and floral aromas. Fresh and juicy on the palate, with red cherry and fresh blackcurrant flavors complicated by flinty and floral nuances. This easygoing, fragrant Carruades is hard to resist drinking up right now.

Quality 861 | Brand 890 | Economics 914 | buzz brand, investment staple
Quality: Above the average quality score of its peer group for the 2009 vintage, 788 Brand: One of the most talked-about wines by the fine wine trade, with mention frequency in the top 20% in Wine Lister's proprietary Founding Member survey Economics: Above its peer group average price of £116 for the 2009 vintage Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017