2021 Carruades de Lafite

“It was a year in which we had to make strong decisions,” Technical Director Eric Kohler told me. “Flowering was a bit more challenging at Duhart than at Lafite. Ripeness was not the issue, but mildew pressure was high, especially now that we farm biodynamically. The most challenging period was July 15 to August 15. Yields were 30 and 33 hectoliters per hectare respectively,” he added. As for the wines, they are brooding and quite intense. At times I felt I was tasting wines from the 1990s, but with an added dimension of purity in the fruit.

“It was easy until flowering,” quipped Eric Kohler when I visited the First Growth, Saskia de Rothschild occupied by visiting royalty. “We were not concerned by frost. There was a long and wet period that began in mid-June until mid-August. We had 250mm of rain in June and July. If the rain had fallen over just three or four days, then it would not have been a big problem, but it was always wet and humid. This meant the fight against mildew was difficult. Also, we are in conversion, our first year in 2021 (L’Evangile began in 2018). We were ready though, as we took enough time to prepare. After the fight [with the inclement weather] there was one month of excellent conditions until 10 September when we really saw the vintage and maturity changing. The first analysis of sugar level was not as high as it had been in 2018, 2019 or 2020, but it was impressive for the conditions we had faced, and after that, the progress in maturity was excellent and restored a lot of hope. We saw some light rain, and this added a bit of pressure and persuaded us not to wait, especially on precocious terroirs. So, we started picking on 22 September, though the heart of the picking was really from 27 September and finished on 8 October. We had been successful in terms of protecting the crop and picked at 33hL/ha at Lafite-Rothschild and 30hL/ha at Duhart-Milon. Maturity was satisfying considering the summer, though we never lost hope. During the vinification, we found good colour and density, the extraction went well, and rapidly we became more confident in 2012. On the Left Bank, we felt it was more difficult for the Merlot as it was more sensitive during the summer, the berries gorged with water and the véraison more spun out compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. So, there is less Merlot in Duhart-Milon and Lafite-Rothschild. When we know that the maturity is not perfect, we reduce the pumping over and wait to impart concentration through adding the vin de presse (14.5% for Duhart-Milon and 15% Lafite-Rothschild.) This year, it was clear which plots and tanks were designated for the Grand Vin and the Carruades de Lafite, with just one parcel of Merlot from the Plateau de Carruades in the former.”