Château SMITH HAUT LAFITTE
Grand cru classé

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The 2022 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2025): 96/100 "The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is superb. What a wine. Rich, ample and creamy, with striking balance, the 2022 dazzles from start to finish. Ripe pear, tangerine peel, chamomile, mint and a kiss of spice all meld together in a stunning Blanc that belies the warm, dry year. Plush, generous contours wrap it all togaether in style. The blance here is magnificent."

J-M Quarin (February 2025): 97/100 "Pale yellow colour. Very aromatic nose, fine, with ripe fruit, developing superbly when the glass is shaken. Floral and buttery nuances. Hints of liquorice and even chardonnay. Once again, the tactile grace of this wine sweeps the palate away and shatters any attempt to describe it, as it melts, perfumes and stretches out long, delicate, powerful and airy all at once. Enjoy it now!"

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The 2022 vintage in the press:

Vinous (A. Galloni - January 2025): 97+/100 "The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte is silky, elegant and nuanced. It's all there. A wine of precision and class, the 2022 is so impressive. Refined, supple tannins wrap around a core of blue/purplish fruit, lavender, espresso and mocha. I find the 2022 a bit buttoned up today, but that is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects. I look forward to seeing it age."

J-M Quarin (February 2025): 97/100 "Very intense colour. Very aromatic nose, fine, pure and rich. A hint of sunshine, followed by black fruit enhanced by spice and fine oak. Delicate on the palate, with a classy feel, the wine rises slowly on the finish. The finish is powerful, a little firm but also very tasty and long."

The 2021 vintage in the press:

J-M Quarin (February 2024): 95/100 “Ample on the attack, full on the mid-palate, the wine moves forward on a melting body with a little more nuance if tasted just decanted. Good length, with light tannins”.

Vinous (A. Galloni - December 2023): 96/100 “The 2021 Smith haut Lafitte is an engaging, dynamic wine. Gravel, menthol, licorice, mocha and spice are all beautifully delineated. A wine of energy and focus, the 2021 is absolutely enthralling-medium in body, refined and super-impressive.”

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The 2018 vintage in the press:

En Magnum (April 2021): 96/100 “Harmonious whole, splendid finish and noble integration of tannin that augurs an aging that will do it justice and where it will express all the splendor of its terroir.”

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2021): 95/100 "The 2018 Smith Haut Lafitte was very impressive in barrel, and now in bottle, it delivers. Wonderful precison on the nose, subtle at first but unfurling with each swirl of the glass, revealing scents of blackberry and crushed stone, iris petals like before, and maybe a touche more violet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tension and good structure. This is a very tight Smith Haut Lafitte, and even affording it 3-4 hours of decanting, it remains more reserved vis-à-vis recent vintages. It eventually offers plenty of black fruit, black olives, a light marine influence and a pinch of cracked black pepper on the sturdy finish. An outstanding Smith Haut Lafitte. given the vintage"

J-M Quarin (March 2019): 95/100 “Minutious on the attack, melting on development, very aromatic and juicy, the wine glides on the palate, fragrant and tasty, long, with chic and aroma. Very good.”

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The 2016 vintage in the press:

La Revue du Vin de France (Guide 2024): 94/100 “In 2016 the great wine imposes a presence that is still tight on itself, intense and with great staying power. It's a promising, resourceful wine, less extroverted and explosive than the 2015 but perhaps more suited to long ageing.”

Vinous (N. Martin - January 2020): 95+/100 "The 2016 Smith Haut Lafitte has an opulent, lavish bouquet with layers of black cherry, Christmas cake, dark chocolate and vanilla. This wants to make an impression. The palate is very seductive, featuring lush red berry fruit, brown spices and saturated tannins. Some new oak is evident on the finish, but that will be subsumed with bottle age. I can see this aging well."

J-M Quarin (January 2019): 96/100 “Intense, fine nose of ripe, pure, slightly toasty fruit. Fat on the attack, suave in development, very fruity, powerful and caressing, but also tender, the wine moves forward savory, toward a long, sappy finish, tasting of black fruits and violets, with a tannic touch to melt away. Note that decanting is very favorable”.

The 2008 vintage in the press:

Vinous (N. Martin - February 2018): 92/100 "The 2008 Smith Haut Lafitte is a lovely wine for the vintage, still quite polished on the nose with scents of blackcurrant and raspberry coulis, a touch of melted tar and tobacco; youthful for its age and showing fine vigor. With aeration there is suddenly a strong scent of liquorice. The palate is soft and rounded on the entry however, there is great depth on the mid-palate with layers of slightly toasted black fruit laced with tobacco, black pepper and smoke. I just felt there is a little dryness creeping in towards the finish, nevertheless this is a fine Pessac-Léognan."