Description
Château Smith Haut Lafitte has a long and prestigious history and, since it was acquired by the Cathiard family in 1990, has garnered a reputation as one of the finest producers in Pessac-Léognan. Certified organic since 2019, the estate produces both red and white wines, in addition to a second wine, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte.
With an estate spanning 80ha, seven red and white grape varieties are planted, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc for reds and Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris for whites. The red wines are generous and juicy, boasting wonderful ageability (and with less oak-dominance from 2010 onwards), whilst the whites offer both superb value and impeccable quality.
Tasting Notes
“Crisp green apple, lemon rind, peach, apricot, lovely white stone fruit. Bright, crisp and clean, a good shot of lemon at the beginning, then a creamy, vanilla, orange, bitter grapefruit element comes in but still with a cool mineral edge keeping things straight. Gentle, nice weight on the palate, not super bright but calm and collected. Wet stone salinity at the end, almost a creaminess. Young vines. Does have the structure, definitely that lingering bitterness giving some nuance and width. not a simple wine, definitely more serious. a bit of heat on the finish, you feel it grow in seriousness. Heady. 40% new oak, 10 months, 5 in vats.”[92/100 Points, Georgina Hindle – February 2023, decanter.com]
