Appellations

Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2021

Pessac-Leognan, Grand Cru Classé

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Tasting Notes

Inky ruby in colour, with vivid reflections, this successfully walks the line of the vintage, delivering quality and a sense of drama, campfire smoke, crushed rocks, sage, cassis, bilberry, blueberry and damson fruits. Silky tannins, stands out for its quality, one to look out for, and will age to at least 15 year, but deliver pleasure far earlier. Harvest September 22 to October 14. 60% new oak (for a little less time than usual). 23hl/h yield.

Score: 95 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2026-2041 Date: 02 April 2024

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.

Score: 96 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2031-2046 Date: 27 February 2024

Bottled last June, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte has a ripe bouquet for the vintage: black cherries, licorice, Provençal herbs and a touch of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a deft touch of black pepper and graphite, building toward a finish that exerts a gentle grip. It is slightly less marine-influenced than the barrel sample, but it is still a very decent Smith Haut-Lafite. This year, it must accept that the white has the upper hand.

Score: 93 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2050 Date: 22 February 2024

Dark crimson. Some ripe red fruit on the nose. Polished tannins and there is energy here. This sample seems to have a more convincing core than yesterday’s sample tasted at the château. Good level of interest and detail here. Even if the level of acidity is higher than usual and the tannins obviously took some taming. Sweeter than some.

Score: 16+ Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2042 Date: 06 May 2022

Lots of clove, black-licorice and cigar-box character. Already perfumed. Medium body with fine, chalky and precise tannins. Lead-pencil shavings. Well framed and structured with a fresh, lengthy and spicy finish. Extremely long and intense. 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes.

Score: 96 - 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 01 May 2022

A brilliant wine, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte offers up aromas of blackberries, violets, coniferous forest floor and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it's deep and impressively multidimensional, with good concentration, beautifully refined tannins and notable purity of fruit, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. The fruit of a severe selection, this blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot is testament to the Cathiard family's unwavering commitment to quality.

Score: 93 - 95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 29 April 2022

The flagship 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Petit Verdot. It's a rich, powerful wine, delivering lots of ripe black fruits (currants, some cassis), notes of scorched earth and graphite, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great mid-palate. It shows the straight, focused style of the vintage yet brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, building tannins, and outstanding length.

Score: 93 - 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 06 February 2022