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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2012 and 2018 (based on 46 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.5 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Mr Coone on 7/15/2017 & rated 90 points: A round and complex wine.
Hints of citrus with a greasy touch and a small bitter. (1671 views) | | | Tasted by slywka7 on 6/21/2015 & rated 90 points: Aromas of macadamia nut, lemon, grass and tangerine. Starting to get darker yellow in color, this has flavors of nut, tangerine, a splash of lime and ends with a mineral driven finish. Almost like a premier Cru burgundy. (2915 views) | | | Tasted by Miceri on 1/24/2015 & rated 93 points: Light hazy straw yellow; nice exotic fruit and fresh apples; very nice and rounded, buttery; very nice, balanced and refreshing (3177 views) | | | Tasted by Mathijs81 on 10/7/2014 & rated 90 points: I opened my second bottle this evening, and was proven wrong against my previous tasting.
Having now drank this bottle at 14-15°C the nose and flavour was completely different ( extremely nice !!! )
Sadly my last bottle, but have the 2011/2012 vintage in my cellar waiting :-) (3489 views) | | | Tasted by Dasplayer on 7/27/2014 & rated 91 points: Very nice and balanced white bx. Freshness and perfectly integrated oak.
I need to buy more of this wine.
Drinkable now and at least next ten years as this was getting better and better during the one hour we enjoyed it. (3461 views) | | | Tasted by Mathijs81 on 4/23/2014 & rated 82 points: My first taste of this wine ... and therefore quite objective :-).
Not something I'm used to, but some taste of mineral, salt and indeed wet stone.
A pleasant surprise to the pallet, goes down well .....
Have another couple of bottles, will wait it out and see how it develops. (2570 views) | | | Tasted by Miceri on 3/9/2014 & rated 91 points: Light yellow; expressive peach and pear, some leanness and wet stone; nice, agreeable, very tasty, no complexity or layers, but simply plain good and well-tasting (1532 views) | | | Tasted by slywka7 on 3/1/2013 & rated 90 points: This is a very nice bottle of White Bordeaux. Got some flowers, mineral and lemon on the nose. More of the same on the palate with a lot of minerality. I find that the regular bottling has more of that big fruit and the second bottling has more mineral and slate. (2227 views) | | | Tasted by Miceri on 12/18/2012 & rated 91 points: Light yellow; lovely nose, lichen, peach; nicely balanced wine to the lean side, long aftertaste including some petrol (2158 views) | | | Tasted by Paul S on 5/24/2011 & rated 91 points: CT Bordeaux Trip, Day 2 (Graves & Sauternes): Very impressive for a 2nd wine. Lovely nose. Musky flowers, grapefruit, green apples and then some lemony notes, sweet stone fruit scents, a touch of sweet oak, a curl of smoke - really attractive, with lots of stuff going on. The palate had a lovely balance, with lots of lovely peachy flavours on the attack, opening up into apples and sweet lemons and pineapples. A mouthfull of fruit. Really pleasant stuff. I thought it lacked just a bit of the focus, precision and maybe the length of the Chateau's 1st wine, but this was excellent for what it is. (4249 views) | | | Tasted by grafstrb on 5/24/2011 & rated 89 points: -- tasted a single glass non-blind over one hour --
NOSE: crisp tight Nose; perfumy; slightly spicy.
TASTE: fruity; straightforward; short clipped finish, although it did open a bit with time in the glass; 13.5% alc.
B: 50, 5, 12, 15, 7 = 89 (3305 views) | | | Tasted by MattTM on 5/24/2011: CellarTracker Bordeaux Trip; 5/23/2011-5/26/2011 (Bordeaux, France): Beautiful nose, exhibiting lots of smoky charred oak, along with some melon, pear, a touch of spice, and a floral component. More charred oak follow through on the palate, as well as some sweet pear, red apple, a bit of mandarin orange peel, and some minerality. Medium acidity, with a long finish, showing sweet pear at the end. Not a ton of complexity, but was thoroughly enjoyable. Good. (5201 views) | | | Tasted by vespasian on 5/4/2011 & rated 88 points: Smoky, mineral nose. Very charming and expressive; nice texture with good fruit - a delicious early drinking wine. 87-89 (2403 views) |
| Château Smith Haut Lafitte Producer website – Read more about Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
Producers > Château Smith Haut Lafitte See map
Château Smith-Haut-Lafite has been transformed during the last decade from being a perennial underachiever to being one of the leading estates in the Graves region.
For many years it was owned by the Bordeaux négociant Eschenauer - in 1990 it was bought by former Olympic skiing champion, Daniel Cathiard. He cut down on the amount of chemicals and herbicides used in the vineyards, and fully modernised the winemaking facilities. The proportion of new oak barrels used in the maturation process was increased and a trio of eminent oenologists (including the ubiquitous Michel Rolland) were hired as consultants.
The 55 hectares of vineyards are located on a gravel ridge to the east of Château Haut-Bailly. The red wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (35%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats and the wine is then matured in oak barrels (50% new) for 15-18 months. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
BACKGROUND: The noble Bosq family started growing grapes as early as 1365. The property was purchased in the 18th century by Scotsman George Smith, who gave the estate its present name. He also built the manor house and exported his – by now famous – wine to England on his own ships. In 1842, Mr. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux and an enthusiastic winegrower, inherited Château Smith Haut Lafitte from his mother and brought the wine up to great growth status. Impressed by Smith Haut Lafitte's excellent quality, the Louis Eschenauer company distributed the wine all over the world starting in the early 20th century, deciding to buy the estate in 1958. After the Eschenaueur period came to an end, a great deal of money has been invested in the estate, particularly on the construction of a superb underground cellar holding over 1,000 barrels. In 1990, Daniel Cathiard fell in love with the property and joined the list of prestigious owners, firmly intending to further enhance Smith Haut Lafitte's tradition of excellence. He combined the most modern winemaking techniques and age-old methods: organic compost, small wooden vats, ageing on the lees in barrel, etc. Sauvignon Blanc Varietal CharacterFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanGraves Vins de Graves (Conseil des Vins de Graves) - Read more about Pessac Leogan Graves and its winesPessac-Léognan Pessac-Leognan reds:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Soil: Predominantly gravel and sandy rock, with varying proportions of clay and sandstone
Surface Area: 1,491 ha
Pessac-Leognan whites:
Grape Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon
Soil: Gravel and rocks covered with sand, sandstone, and clay
Surface Area: 275 ha |
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