2018 | Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte | Pessac-Leognan 9L

Raspberries, cherries and strawberries on the nose with spicy, herbal complexity. On the palate, well-balanced with good concentration. A long and complex finish with fresh red fruit, liquorice and cinnamon, smoky and flinty notes.

Reviews:

• James Suckling: Purity of fruit here with plum and cherry aromas, as well as wet earth and spice. Light stone. Very floral and vivid. Full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins that are balanced and polished. Savory finish. Incredibly polished and refined. Goes on for minutes.

• Jeb Dunnuck: Its dense purple color is followed by an incredible perfume of blackcurrants, blueberries, camphor, scorched earth, chocolate, and tobacco. It's young and unevolved, yet the purity is off the charts, and it slowly gives up more spice and floral notes with time in the glass. Hitting the palate with full-bodied richness, it's an incredibly concentrated, powerful wine that has plenty of baby fat covering serious amounts of underlying structure and tannins.

Producer Information

Château Smith Haut Lafitte is located in Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank of the Garonne River. During the 1959 Classification of the Graves it was rated as Grand Cru Classé for its red wine. Nowadays the estate is also considered to produce one of the foremost examples of white Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon usually accounts for 60-65 percent of the red grand vin. Merlot contributes around 30 percent, and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot round out a typical blend. The wine is aged in barrel for around 18 months, with 60-65 percent new wood. The vineyard is farmed organically and produces its own compost. A horse is used to plow the more fragile soils of the white wine vineyard. Biodiversity efforts include the siting of beehives around the estate. Smith Haut Lafitte has its own vine nursery, situated on Ile de Lalande in the middle of the Garonne. All grapes are harvested by hand by a team of more than 100 pickers. Picking dates and various other viticultural practices are influenced by row-by-row imaging from the Oenoview satellite system. A Vistalysis optical system scans each berry, identifying and removing lesser-quality fruit.

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