External search Google (images) Wine Advocate Wine Spectator Burghound Wine-Searcher
Vintages 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Show more
From this producer Show all wines All tasting notes
|
Drinking Windows and Values |
Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 19 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | Tasted by parkersdad on 3/2/2014: Classic Bordeaux. Good nose abd depth. Held almost a week after opening . All together a very nice drink (3077 views) | | Tasted by jorivesud on 5/31/2013 & rated 90 points: Au Gazellig, nez sur les fruit rouge et un peu de cuire. En bouche, encore beaucoup de fruits, tanins fondus. Belle longueur. Excellent. (3248 views) | | Tasted by hitechnomad on 4/13/2013 & rated 93 points: delicious! drinking perfectly now at 13 years. the fruit and tannins balance beautifully with the mineral and lead pencil in proportion. When Bordeaux is like this, why would I drink anything else? (3223 views) | | Tasted by gdisanto on 7/12/2008: Vigorous, purple red core with a little fade on the rim. Vibrant cassis, but not a typical Pessac nose - the wine lacks the gravelly minerality of its youth. Good fruit on the palate with fine tannins but not very complex. Chalky on the finish. (4255 views) | | Tasted by vespasian on 7/12/2008: Ruby core with a slight brick fade. Powerful cassis on the nose. Mineral, earthy character. A hint of black olive? Light and elegant on the palate with a chalkiness to the mouthfeel. Quite linear really. Medocain rather than Pessac style. Little complexity. Competent. (4283 views) | | Tasted by gdisanto on 6/24/2007: Baked, concentrated nose. Pronounced minerality over the top of the blackcurrant. Tight-knit and well-built on the palate, with good integration of tannins and balanced acidity. Typical minerality and gravel; dry and savoury but a little hollow. (1868 views) | | Tasted by swirl on 4/5/2006: Big fighting tannins in this young one, definitley needs some aging to mellow out the tannins and let it unfold some of the other flavors and aroma that it is holding on to. tannin and acid were balanced with dark fruit and oak on the palate. Nose was tight and had oak with light vanilla and dark fruit, did not get the chocolate others have detected I will have to have it again to see if I find it. :) Medium finish. (2389 views) | | Tasted by alshoh01 on 9/11/2005: Flavorful wine, opened up quite nicely after about 1 hour. Probably needs another 1-2yrs of cellaring. (2614 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. Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France 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 |
|