Appellations

Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2022

Dry Whites

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Tasting Notes

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc—which Fabien Teitgen told me was not picked too early like other châteaux—has a very fine bouquet of mainly yellow fruit, Anjou pear and beeswax scents, as a fennel tincture gradually surfaces in the glass. The palate is well balanced with lemon curd, white peach and a hint of mango. It shows fine delineation and a little more tension than its peers, representing one of the best examples in a vintage that did not really favor dry whites.

Score: 94 Neal Martin, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2027-2050 Date: 12 February 2025

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 together in style. The balance here is magnificent.

Score: 96 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2025-2037 Date: 28 January 2025

This has structure and depth, serious tension, with slate, vibrant citrus, graphite, white pear, apricot, aniseed, liquorice, star anise, creamy but with a slice of steel that cuts through it. Brilliant quality, this is a standout white. Harvest August 18 to September 2. 50% new oak. Technical director Fabien Teitgen.

Score: 96 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2023-2032 Date: 11 May 2023

The flagship 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a normal blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon. Aged in 55% new French oak, it shines in the vintage and brings plenty of classic richness and depth while at the same time staying pure, clean, and balanced. Honeyed lemon, orange blossom, white flowers, and crushed stone all define the aromatics, and it has a beautiful mouthfeel that certainly brings the richness and depth of the vintage. This is another gem of a white from this incredible château.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 10 May 2023

It appears likely that the 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc will overtake its 2019 counterpart as one of the most successful white wines this estate has produced to date, something that's especially impressive in the context of the vintage. Exhibiting aromas of linden, menthol, crisp orchard fruit and smoke, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and crystalline, with racy acids and an unctuos mid-palate. Chalky structuring dry extract makes its presence felt on the long, mineral finish. This is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris. YC

Score: 93 - 95 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 28 April 2023

This zooms over the palate from the minute you taste it with energetic acidity, grapefruit, pear, lemon and white peach character. Dried, candied lemon. Crushed stone, too. Medium-bodied with polish and class. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon and 5% sauvignon gris.

Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 14 April 2023