Appellations

Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2021

Dry Whites

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Tasting Notes

Delivers intensity and slow build. This stretches out and is a wine to savour, showing quince, white pear, fresh yet creamy white peach and citrus, edges of sage, lemongrass, tea. Great balance, and a mouthwatering salty lick finish. Clarity and vivid, can clearly age. One of the wines of the vintage. Harvest September 2 to 20.

Score: 96 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2024-2032 Date: 21 February 2024

Reductive and a little green on the nose – less opulent than more-mature vintages on the nose but then it’s very broad and mouth-filling with some lanolin notes. Quite complex, combining many different elements. Still unformed.

Score: 17 James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2024-2036 Date: 06 May 2022

This has so much depth and power, with complex notes of flint, oyster shell, white pepper, dried mango, lemon, papaya, apricot stone and chalk. Medium-to full-bodied. Bright, yet creamy. It’s so long and concentrated. Wait and see. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon, 5% sauvignon gris. From organically grown grapes.

Score: 98 - 99 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc was picked September 2–20 and raised in 50% new oak. It needs some time to really cohere in the glass and certainly is not as immediate as the Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte. Eventually, it reveals fresh lime, pineapple, honeysuckle and touches of curry leaf. The taut, fresh palate is well balanced and intense, with a fine bead of acidity. Complex with plenty of salinity, this is a cerebral Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc that will benefit from three or four years in the cellar.

Score: 94 - 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2050 Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is one of the great white wines of the vintage. Soaring in its aromatic intensity and sheer volume, the 2021 saturates every corner of the palate with its unctuousness and richness. Even with all of that volume, the 2021 remains bright and sculpted. Crushed rocks, lemon confit, orchard fruit, white pepper and mint build into the memorable finish. The 2021 is positively stunning, that's pretty much all there is to it.

Score: 96 - 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2036 Date: 01 May 2022

At this early stage, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc appears set to number among the best white wines this estate has produced to date. Wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, nectarine, grapefruit, pastry cream and smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, racy acids and a taut, chiseled profile, concluding with a saline finish. Balancing texture and tension to compelling effect, this beautifully integrated, characterful white is going to be thrilling to revisit in bottle.

Score: 94 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 29 April 2022

The Grand Vin 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc checks in as the usual blend of 90% Sauvignon and 5% each of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. It has a kiss of green in its gold hue as well as brilliant aromatics of melon, stone fruits, minty herbs, chalky mineral, and flowers. Complex, nuanced, and medium to full-bodied, with both richness and elegance, it's a brilliant white in the making.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 06 February 2022