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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2024 and 2030 (based on 46 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.8 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 5 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 3/9/2024 & rated 92 points: Honeysuckle, pineapples, white peach, tangerine, and grapefruit with a dab of honey i what you will experience in the nose and on the vibrant, crisp, racy, bright, chalky palate. The wine is produced from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Drink from 2024-2029. (893 views) | | | Tasted by MattMauldin on 11/28/2023: Bordeaux Visits - November 2023: Aromas of gooseberry, lemon, fresh herbs, white florals and stone. Fresh citrus on the palate, zesty and floral with notes of oak spice and hints of slate. Nicely framed acidity, smoothly textured, with good finishing length. (423 views) | | | Tasted by vvWine.ch on 6/22/2022 & rated 92 points: (91-92 vvPunkte) (100% Sauvignon Blanc). Expressiv, sehr sortentypisch, exotische Früchte, Holunderblüten, Zitrusaromen, auch ein Hauch Mineralik schwingt mit. Im Gaumen saftig, frisch, knackige Frucht, super Säure, elegant und mit sehr guter Länge, endet auf Zitrusfrüchte und lässt kein bisschen Holz spüren, obwohl 50% Neuholz mit im Spiel sind) (Verkostet "En Primeur" im April 2022. Château Smith Haut Lafitte) (565 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 5/20/2022 & rated 93 points: Honeysuckle, white peach, orange rind, lemon peel and tangerine with a dab of honey, the wine balances its creaminess with its vibrant, freshness. The wine is produced from 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon. Drink from 2023-2028. 93-93 (2124 views) |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2021 Bordeaux: L’Enfant Terrible (Feb 2024) (2/1/2024)
(Smith Haut Lafitte Les Hauts de Smith Blanc White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Georgina Hindle
Decanter, Bordeaux 2021: In-bottle report (12/1/2023)
(Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, 2021 Bordeaux: A Challenging Yet Good Vintage (6/2/2022)
(Les Hauts De Smith Blanc) Login and sign up and see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (5/16/2022)
(Les Hauts de Smith Pessac-Léognan Blanc, France) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2021 Bordeaux En Primeur: Back to Classicism (May 2022) (5/1/2022)
(Smith Haut Lafitte Les Hauts De Smith Blanc White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Enticingly Fallible: Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur (May 2022) (5/1/2022)
(Smith Haut Lafitte Les Hauts De Smith Blanc White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Georgina Hindle
Decanter, Bordeaux En Primeur 2021 (4/1/2022)
(Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith, Sauvignon Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, April 2022 (4/1/2022)
(Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Les Hauts de Smith Pessac-Léognan White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, 2+2=5: Bordeaux 2021 In Bottle (Feb 2024)
(Smith Haut Lafitte Les Hauts de Smith Blanc White) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Decanter and JebDunnuck.com and JamesSuckling.com and Winedoctor. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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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