2002 Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac 12x750ml

Vinous 87

Dark ruby-red. Withdrawn aromas of currant and herbs. Dry and quite closed, with limited sweetness. Flavors of plum, leather and currant leaf show only modest ripeness. Firm acids give this wine a slight sour edge. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/05/2005]

Robert Parker 88

This is just a little sullen on the tightly coiled on the nose, though it opens up a little in the glass revealing cool scents of limestone and black plums. Very sweet on the entry, it seems to have more Merlot than other vintages, fleshy and ripe, blackberries, figs, and damson with a very svelte finish. Flavours linger with black cherries, mulberry and loganberry. Very easy to swallow, very approachable although it does not have the structure of the ’99 Carruades. Drink now-2013. Tasted September 2008. [Neal Martin, 09/01/2008]

Anticipated maturity: 2009-2013

JancisRobinson.com 16.0

Very deep crimson and lots of acidity. Great suppleness (good) but a bit hollow (bad). The least impressive of the top-growth second wines. I suspect acidity will always plague this blend of 51 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 46 per cent Merlot which represents almost a third of the total crop at Lafite. [04/02/2003]

Anticipated maturity: 2005-2010