France

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris, and 5% Semillon, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc soars from the glass with enticing scents of nectarines, lime leaves, and fresh grapefruit, giving way to notes of cedar, jasmine tea, and yuzu zest, with a touch of chalk dust. The light to medium-bodied palate has exhilarating tension, with loads of orchard fruit and citrusy layers, finishing with fantastic length.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

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.

Inside Bordeaux

Distinctive as ever, right at the top of what Pessac Léognan Blanc can deliver. Structured, fleshy white peach and pear, waves of salted cracker and sage, creamy texture, great length, just a brilliant wine. A buy.

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.

Flott duft av delikat eik, moden tropisk frukt, honningmelon, søt kandisert sitron, tropisk sitrus, sitrongress

Flott balansert fet frukt, utrolig konsentrasjon, delikat syre, med en lang og intens finish 

Expert

The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris, and 5% Semillon. On swirling, evocative notes of Bosc pears, ripe apples, and honeysuckle emerge, followed by wafts of yuzu and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is multi-layered and intense, with exciting tension and fantastic length.

The white 2018 Smith Haut Lafitte gives a waft of SO2 over a delicate core of lemonade, fresh pears, and green mango, plus hints of chalk dust and coriander seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut with soft acidity and an oily texture, finishing with great length. 

Kiwi, melon, lemon, mint, lime, pineapple, black currant, vanilla, oak, peach and honey

Bright and vivid pale gold in colour, still keeps its vibrancy at 10 years old. This is gorgeous, just so delicious and enticing, juicy, gripping, heads to tertiary white pepper and truffle but maintains tension and forward motion, just deepening through through the mlid palate. Love it.

Even better than a recent tasting at Fête de la Fleur, this is balanced and luscious, showcasing the complexity of 12 years ageing, without losing the grip and tension of a young white wine. Lashings of citrus, oyster shell, rich and round through the mid palate. Out of magnum. 50% new oak.

Some new oak, rather ripe tropical fruit, pineapple, mango notes, the palate is rich, warm with high ripeness, glycerol, viscous structure, layers of yellow fruit, some roasted oak, long warm finish. Ripe, bold, muscular, will develop complexity over time, serious structure, superb length, powerful, balanced.

Sommelier

A successful, exuberant vintage that produced rich, dense wines in both colours. There is some evident evolution in the white at this point, with touches of honeysuckle alongside lemon curd, pink grapefruit and saline oyster shell. Great quality, very much in the window for drinking. Harvest from September 7 for the whites, Fabien Teitgen technical director.

Evolution evident in the colour, and on the palate you find bitter orange zest, smoke, candied ginger, waves of tertiary but flavoursome candied citrus and lemongrass. 1995 was the first year at the estate for technical director Fabien Teitgen, so this was his fourth vintage. Harvest began September 1 for the whites.

A hot early vintage, not classic for the whites, and this is from the pre-Cathiard era. Colour has softened and evolved into a tawny yellow, and this is full of oxidative notes, beeswax, walnut, lemon curd, rich, full of flavour, rather lovely but fully at its plateau, beginning to sink. Harvest began August 29 for the whites.

2023	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2022	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2021	kr 1 741,10Not available	Extraordinary
2020	kr 1 516,40Not available	Outstanding
2019	kr 1 251,30Available	Extraordinary

Category	White wine
Vinmonopolet no.	18763401
Producer	Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
Vintages	2021
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	14 %
Acid	%
Sugar	3 g/l

Packaging	Glass
Cork type
Selection	Spesialutvalg
Wholesaler	Hans A. Flaaten
Carrier	Skanlog AS