Community Tasting Note

• Old Doug wrote: 94 points

  September 2, 2014 - 2011 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc - refined pale gold color in the glass reflecting an overall beautiful dry white wine.
  
  If there is such a thing as "Graves minerality," then here it is. Quite floral, white flowers, lots of citrus, some toasted yeast/fresh bread aspect, nose and palate, interwoven with crushed shells, slate, or is it flint and oysters?
  
  Few of us go around actually licking or chewing on seashells or hard rocks, and the "mineral" taste is hard to pin down. Perhaps there is a little sea salt in there, and the acidity is always playing hide-and-seek with it. Here, I think that "complexity" means that it's hard to focus on everything at once; you find yourself lost for a few seconds, smelling/tasting/feeling one thing and then another. A fun wine experience.
  
  There is a tension set up between the lightness - the floral nature, and the "rocky" stuff. It may be bridged by the citrus aspects, which are strong and fresh, and which certainly feed well into the acidity, and a background smooth vanilla and a hint of butter.
  
  If I have a complaint, it is a muted desire for the citrus to be a little less powerful. I think this wine will change a lot in the coming years, and probably be very good, although potentially almost "another wine."
  
  Some "big reds" will come out of the gate and just take hold of you; it almost doesn't matter what you are doing. With this one, though I'm sure it sounds presumptuous for me to say, I think you want peace and quiet while you drink it.

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