This is a wine you drink at Rusty Pelican in Miami at 11AM for brunch while watching Jeff Bezos's yacht gingerly sail by, you could smash these bottle after bottle all day long, so good. Still a little early, needs time in the bottle, got a bunch of salted popcorn still, probably a sign of the 50% new oak, but the mouthfeel is absolutely incredible, jumping but also a full mouth coating begging you to come back for more. I like this better than same vintage Ygrec. Snag some if you can
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An incredibly complex, complete and textured wine. It is difficult to know at which point through the life I prefer Bordeaux Whites, but even at this stage it is more than accessible and enjoyable.
Explosive aromas of ripe white nectarines, asian pear, topical notes, fresh white florals, fennel, lemon balm oil, vanilla and a little baking spice. The palate is so wonderfully layered, expressive and vibrant with notes of ripe orchard fruit, gooseberry, citrus peel, wet mineraltiy and florals. The mid-palate is alive yet with a wonderful texture and precision, the finish has mineral and saline nature, is long and lingers for what seems forever.
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Medium yellow. Nose of peach, Asian pear, with a hint of cream and oak. Its good freshness and a little sweetness make a perfectly balanced palate. Creamy aftertaste with stone fruits, dried pineapple, and mango provide a good ending. Approachable now.
2019 Bordeaux Tasting, MW tasting (Vintner's Hall, London): 90% SB 5% Sem 5% Sauv Gris, 14.50% A bit different than the other whites tasted before, more lime/lemon, tropical fruit notes, sweet vanilla notes, nutty, walnut, walnut liqueur, very oaky at this point. Palate is rounder, frutier, light even, but sill under buckets of oak, full palate, again tropical notes, citrus peel, some oxidative notes even, long finish
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Gabriel Weinreise, Sonntag, Verkostung mit Ehepaar Cathiard. Gab Mandeln als Grundlasyyssüüa 15.10.2023. reifer Weißer mit ausgiebiger malaktotischer G. Clementine, Citrus, Marakuja Will nach mehr, süffig. Wenig Säure.
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One of the best white Bordeaux out there; nose is very tropical with some white peaches, a little licorice and a hint of lemongrass; Body is medium + (but I would not describe it as full body), palate is all ripe fruit; it's missing the bright acidity of later vintages, so this is a very well balanced wine. Great long finish with some nutty notes, just to remind you that it was oak aged. It will be interesting to see how it develops in the next few years.
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Some real sophistication and quality on display here. Tropical fruits including pineapple and coconut. Cream hints and a touch of lemon and lime acidity - very well balanced and fresh.
To my mind sits somewhere between Domaine de Chevalier Blanc and Aile d'Argent in terms of how tropical this is!
Excellent potential and one of the highlights of the tasting for me. Drinking now but will benefit from further age in bottle. Anticipated range 92-95.
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Young, vibrant and energetic. Time will be kind to this one. Light straw colour and thin in the glass. The nose opens up with young fruit- lime, lemon zest, Granny Smith apple, green guava and passion fruit. The palate is acidic, fresh, slicing. Floral notes precede the fruit; jasmin, violet, magnolia. Green mango, unripe cherimoya, and hints of pineapple and vanilla on the finish. Beautiful wine now, but I am willing to bet time will reward the patient. My next bottle 2026.
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or it's much to young to drink or I had expected more, very floral but a lack of power in the nose, the acidity in the mouth was great , but a little unbalance between nose and mouth ! probably it wil develop itself in the next 5 years !
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The attention seeking perfume kicks in with flowers, white peaches, dried pineapple, and a touch of honeydew melon. Lush, creamy and with a dab of honey to sweeten all the yellow and orange citrus on the palate, the wine finishes creamy sweet and fresh. Drink from 2022-2035.
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90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris und 5% Semillon. Ljust gröngul färg. Expressiv doft av citrus, vita persikor, blodgrape, mandarin I smaken fräsch, frisk men avrundad syra, lite sältigt mineralitet, slank kropp kombinerad med en fet textur, lång finish med bra tryck och lager på lager känsla. Oerhört balanserad. Fantastiska fat. Kändes som mer än 5% Semillon i blenden.
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98 vvPunkte (90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris und 5% Semillon): Helles Gelb. Der Wein offenbart in der Nase eine wunderbare Komplexität, ist nicht aufdringlich, sondern äusserst distinguiert, subtil, nobel und dennoch verspielt, die Frucht schwankt zwischen grünem Apfel und reifer Salzzitrone hin und her, darüber findet man florale Noten, das Holz ist dezent im Hintergrund, Rauch und Stein, Exotik und Frische. Im Gaumen pure Präzision, wow, was für eine Eleganz, ungemein leichtfüssig tänzelt dieser Wein über die Zunge, baut am mittleren Gaumen dennoch viel Druck auf, die Frucht ist auf den Punkt gereift, die Textur cremig, eine messerscharfe Säure stützt. Wie schon der "kleine Haut Lafitte" zeigt dieser Grand Vin Kraft und Finesse, hinterlässt im Abgang ein fast nicht enden wollendes Aaromenbild, aus Frucht, Würze und Floralität. Endet salzig und lässt mich staunen. 2022-2035+ vvWine.ch
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Arvi Bordeaux 2019 Arrivage (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Tasting of 25 wines (2 whites, 3 sweet, no first growths) at a Bordeaux 2019 in the bottle event. My observations were: i/ the tannic structure was soft and well-integrated across the board, ii/ the fruit was generally fresh and light with no heavy-handed extractions, iii/ Top wines were Client (97), Léoville Barton (96) and Smith Haut Lafitte (96). More thoughts and list of wines included in the tasting story.
Tasting note: The fruit was fresh with Sauvignon Blanc dominant, showing lychee, a spicey overlay and salty minerality. Palate was very fresh with lots of acidity and much more citric in terms of fruit. This is in-line with the previous 4 years, coming across a bit simple and a touch less complex than the Domaine de Chevalier Blanc.
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Bordeaux 2019 - 15 red / 2 white / 4 sweet wines: UCG Arrivage Tasting. I’ve managed to taste only two white Bordeauxs which is not enough to assess the quality of the vintage for whites. Both wines showed quite expressive and intense but were obviously quite different animals: the Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (rated 95 pts) with 90%+ Sauvignon Blanc was its usual self with loads of spearmint and minerality and was carried by a high and round acidic backbone. Everytime I taste this wine I ask myself why I don’t have any bottle in my cellar. The Pape Clement Blanc (91 pts) with 40% Semillon showed much broader and especially sweeter which is not my favorite style. Clearly inferior to the Smith Haut Lafitte this year (and every year).
TN: Very intense and powerful on the nose and palate with intense fresh spearmint aromas, citrus aromas and a flora component and a beautiful minerality component. The wine is intense, with the right amount of creaminess and a high but very round and well-integrated acidity. Very well delineated, very fresh and light, not too much ripeness or sweetness, good length and overall this is a complete wine. This is easily worth 94 to 96 pts.
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Walk into a flower garden and squeeze lemons, grapefruit and white peach all over everything, with honeydew melon and you get an idea of the nose here. Great lift, vibrancy, elegance and mouth-feel, with length, purity and freshness. This is the best white wine from Smith Haut Lafitte in a few years! The wine was produced from a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon. 97 Pts
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3/13/2024 - chugwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a wine you drink at Rusty Pelican in Miami at 11AM for brunch while watching Jeff Bezos's yacht gingerly sail by, you could smash these bottle after bottle all day long, so good. Still a little early, needs time in the bottle, got a bunch of salted popcorn still, probably a sign of the 50% new oak, but the mouthfeel is absolutely incredible, jumping but also a full mouth coating begging you to come back for more. I like this better than same vintage Ygrec. Snag some if you can
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1/7/2024 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 97 Points
An incredibly complex, complete and textured wine. It is difficult to know at which point through the life I prefer Bordeaux Whites, but even at this stage it is more than accessible and enjoyable.
Explosive aromas of ripe white nectarines, asian pear, topical notes, fresh white florals, fennel, lemon balm oil, vanilla and a little baking spice. The palate is so wonderfully layered, expressive and vibrant with notes of ripe orchard fruit, gooseberry, citrus peel, wet mineraltiy and florals. The mid-palate is alive yet with a wonderful texture and precision, the finish has mineral and saline nature, is long and lingers for what seems forever.
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11/19/2023 - Ohlawuly wrote: 95 Points
Medium yellow. Nose of peach, Asian pear, with a hint of cream and oak. Its good freshness and a little sweetness make a perfectly balanced palate. Creamy aftertaste with stone fruits, dried pineapple, and mango provide a good ending. Approachable now.
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10/31/2023 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:
2019 Bordeaux Tasting, MW tasting (Vintner's Hall, London): 90% SB 5% Sem 5% Sauv Gris, 14.50%
A bit different than the other whites tasted before, more lime/lemon, tropical fruit notes, sweet vanilla notes, nutty, walnut, walnut liqueur, very oaky at this point.
Palate is rounder, frutier, light even, but sill under buckets of oak, full palate, again tropical notes, citrus peel, some oxidative notes even, long finish
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10/15/2023 - kfpwagner Likes this wine: 90 Points
Gabriel Weinreise, Sonntag, Verkostung mit Ehepaar Cathiard. Gab Mandeln als Grundlasyyssüüa
15.10.2023. reifer Weißer mit ausgiebiger malaktotischer G. Clementine, Citrus, Marakuja
Will nach mehr, süffig. Wenig Säure.
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7/30/2023 - Enricaccio Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the best white Bordeaux out there; nose is very tropical with some white peaches, a little licorice and a hint of lemongrass; Body is medium + (but I would not describe it as full body), palate is all ripe fruit; it's missing the bright acidity of later vintages, so this is a very well balanced wine. Great long finish with some nutty notes, just to remind you that it was oak aged. It will be interesting to see how it develops in the next few years.
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5/24/2023 - HeavyPourWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
A week in Bordeaux (Mouton, Pontet Canet, D'Issan, Langoa & Leoville Barton, SHL, Arbo, Pavie, Fleur de Bouard, Cheval Blanc, VCC, Figeac); 5/21/2023-5/26/2023 (Left and Right banks of Bordeaux): Tasted @ Chateau. Impressive bordeaux white!
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3/5/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Académie des Cinquante Tasting and Dinner with the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux (Restaurant Entrepot, Amsterdam, NL): Walkaround tasting, brief note. Ripe and fresh, beautifully pure expression, mild pyrazines and subtly tropical fruit, barely visible oak provides grip on the finish.
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12/3/2022 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 94 Points
UGC 2019 Singapore (Singapore): Fine texture, very good balance, good complexity and length. Best Graves white at the tasting.
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12/1/2022 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 93 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2019 Vintage Tasting, Singapore: Tasted at UGC Bordeaux 2019 tasting in Singapore.
Some real sophistication and quality on display here. Tropical fruits including pineapple and coconut. Cream hints and a touch of lemon and lime acidity - very well balanced and fresh.
To my mind sits somewhere between Domaine de Chevalier Blanc and Aile d'Argent in terms of how tropical this is!
Excellent potential and one of the highlights of the tasting for me. Drinking now but will benefit from further age in bottle. Anticipated range 92-95.
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9/25/2022 - Waël Likes this wine: 94 Points
Young, vibrant and energetic. Time will be kind to this one. Light straw colour and thin in the glass. The nose opens up with young fruit- lime, lemon zest, Granny Smith apple, green guava and passion fruit. The palate is acidic, fresh, slicing. Floral notes precede the fruit; jasmin, violet, magnolia. Green mango, unripe cherimoya, and hints of pineapple and vanilla on the finish. Beautiful wine now, but I am willing to bet time will reward the patient. My next bottle 2026.
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9/22/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Smoky, creamy, lemony nose, opening nicely with a little verbena. Pineapple with air. Good chew here ad a savory marine note on the back end.
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9/12/2022 - Beeck10 wrote: 93 Points
or it's much to young to drink or I had expected more, very floral but a lack of power in the nose, the acidity in the mouth was great , but a little unbalance between nose and mouth ! probably it wil develop itself in the next 5 years !
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6/30/2022 - Roger Patterson wrote: 92 Points
Floral, lifted, subdued grass, classic acidity. At LA UGC
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3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
The attention seeking perfume kicks in with flowers, white peaches, dried pineapple, and a touch of honeydew melon. Lush, creamy and with a dab of honey to sweeten all the yellow and orange citrus on the palate, the wine finishes creamy sweet and fresh. Drink from 2022-2035.
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3/15/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Amsterdam UGCB Tasting (Beurs van Berlage): Lovely fraicheur, marries Sémillon ripeness with crisp Sauvignon Blanc, elegant weight, grippy oak on the finish.
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3/4/2022 - merlotsmile Likes this wine: 94 Points
90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris und 5% Semillon.
Ljust gröngul färg.
Expressiv doft av citrus, vita persikor, blodgrape, mandarin
I smaken fräsch, frisk men avrundad syra, lite sältigt mineralitet, slank kropp kombinerad med en fet textur, lång finish med bra tryck och lager på lager känsla. Oerhört balanserad. Fantastiska fat. Kändes som mer än 5% Semillon i blenden.
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1/13/2022 - vvWine.ch wrote: 98 Points
98 vvPunkte (90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris und 5% Semillon): Helles Gelb. Der Wein offenbart in der Nase eine wunderbare Komplexität, ist nicht aufdringlich, sondern äusserst distinguiert, subtil, nobel und dennoch verspielt, die Frucht schwankt zwischen grünem Apfel und reifer Salzzitrone hin und her, darüber findet man florale Noten, das Holz ist dezent im Hintergrund, Rauch und Stein, Exotik und Frische. Im Gaumen pure Präzision, wow, was für eine Eleganz, ungemein leichtfüssig tänzelt dieser Wein über die Zunge, baut am mittleren Gaumen dennoch viel Druck auf, die Frucht ist auf den Punkt gereift, die Textur cremig, eine messerscharfe Säure stützt. Wie schon der "kleine Haut Lafitte" zeigt dieser Grand Vin Kraft und Finesse, hinterlässt im Abgang ein fast nicht enden wollendes Aaromenbild, aus Frucht, Würze und Floralität. Endet salzig und lässt mich staunen. 2022-2035+ vvWine.ch
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11/15/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points
Arvi Bordeaux 2019 Arrivage (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Tasting of 25 wines (2 whites, 3 sweet, no first growths) at a Bordeaux 2019 in the bottle event. My observations were: i/ the tannic structure was soft and well-integrated across the board, ii/ the fruit was generally fresh and light with no heavy-handed extractions, iii/ Top wines were Client (97), Léoville Barton (96) and Smith Haut Lafitte (96). More thoughts and list of wines included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
The fruit was fresh with Sauvignon Blanc dominant, showing lychee, a spicey overlay and salty minerality. Palate was very fresh with lots of acidity and much more citric in terms of fruit. This is in-line with the previous 4 years, coming across a bit simple and a touch less complex than the Domaine de Chevalier Blanc.
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11/15/2021 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2019 - 15 red / 2 white / 4 sweet wines: UCG Arrivage Tasting. I’ve managed to taste only two white Bordeauxs which is not enough to assess the quality of the vintage for whites. Both wines showed quite expressive and intense but were obviously quite different animals: the Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (rated 95 pts) with 90%+ Sauvignon Blanc was its usual self with loads of spearmint and minerality and was carried by a high and round acidic backbone. Everytime I taste this wine I ask myself why I don’t have any bottle in my cellar. The Pape Clement Blanc (91 pts) with 40% Semillon showed much broader and especially sweeter which is not my favorite style. Clearly inferior to the Smith Haut Lafitte this year (and every year).
TN: Very intense and powerful on the nose and palate with intense fresh spearmint aromas, citrus aromas and a flora component and a beautiful minerality component. The wine is intense, with the right amount of creaminess and a high but very round and well-integrated acidity. Very well delineated, very fresh and light, not too much ripeness or sweetness, good length and overall this is a complete wine. This is easily worth 94 to 96 pts.
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6/8/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Walk into a flower garden and squeeze lemons, grapefruit and white peach all over everything, with honeydew melon and you get an idea of the nose here. Great lift, vibrancy, elegance and mouth-feel, with length, purity and freshness. This is the best white wine from Smith Haut Lafitte in a few years! The wine was produced from a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon. 97 Pts
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6/5/2020 - schneesurfer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pineapple, elder, sweet and fruity. Great power with fine tannins. Long lingering finish. 94-96
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