- Carruades de Lafite 2023 has been released at £1,860 per 12×75.
- Neal Martin awarded it 91-93 points, calling it ‘one of the best he has tasted’.
- This release offers good value for those who can secure an allocation.
Carruades de Lafite 2023, the second wine of Château Lafite Rothschild, has been released at €145 per bottle ex-négociant, a decrease of 19.4% on the 2022 release (€180).
It is being offered by the international trade for £1,860 per 12×75, a decrease of 17.6% on the 2022’s opening price (£2,256 a case).
Today’s release price matches that of 2019, which has since increased in value by 20.3%.
Critical Response
Neal Martin (Vinous) said the wine was ‘surely one of the best Carruades [he has] tasted at this stage’, awarding it a barrel range of 91-93 points.
William Kelley (The Wine Advocate) also awarded the wine 91-93 points, describing it as ‘lovely, bursting with aromas of minty blackberries, cassis and cigar box’.
Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux) commented that ‘this is well paced, unrolls slowly, a serious and concentrated Carruades that has its eye on the future’, highlighting how, unusually, there is only ‘Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend’. The critic gave the wine 94 points.
Antonio Galloni (Vinous) ‘admires its purity’, giving it a range score of 92-94.
We will be adding all scores to the critics grid as they are released – you can access the full grid here. Or, sign up for release alerts to get updates direct to your inbox.
Pricing Analysis
According to the Liv-ex ‘Fair Value’ methodology, Carruades de Lafite’s best correlation is with age (84.2%) rather than score.
This means that vintages of Carruades de Lafite rise in value with age, making younger vintages a good buying opportunity.
Based on today’s release price, the 2023 vintage is the best value Carruades de Lafite on the market. It might, therefore, offer an exciting opportunity for those able to secure an allocation.
Those looking for other opportunities might want to consider the 2018 vintage. Although it comes at a premium to today’s release, it falls below the ‘Fair Value’ line, and boasts a 94-point score from Neal Martin – the highest in the past decade. It is currently available at £2,400 per case, up 7.1% since its release.
To explore trading opportunities in back-vintages of Carruades de Lafite and other similar wines, consult our ready-made list of second wines.
Our Bordeaux En Primeur 2023 page contains everything you need to know about this year’s campaign. You can also sign up for our daily En Primeur email alerts using the form below.
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real time activity of Liv-ex’s 620+ merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 20,000 wines.
