France

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris, the white 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is aging in 50% new oak. After a swirl or two, it prances out with gregarious notes of white peaches, fresh pineapple, and green mangoes, opening out to underlying hints of lime blossoms, wet slate, and fresh ginger. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and vivacious, with a racy backbone and a long, exotic fruit-laced finish. Yum!

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

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.

Inside Bordeaux

Expert

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.

WSET 1

Smith Haut Lafitte sets the pace with dry whites in Pessac Léognan, one of the handful of truly brilliant examples of this style that is sure to age well, and deepen in character as it does so. Expect gunsmoke and flint on the opening beats, along with vibrant green apple, citrus and white peach fruits. Structured, succulent, excellent quality. Same score as the last time I tasted it, but I am extending the drinking window, because this have all you need for ageing. 50% new oak. 55% of overall production.

I've tasted this a number of times over the past few months, and it never fails to impress. Yes, it's still young, and you can easily leave it longer, but with a good hour or so in a carafe this is pure drinking pleasure. The fruits are heading towards apricot, fleshy ripe pear and peach pit, reflective of the warm summer, but they are balanced by a slate texture and mouthwatering saline minerality on the finish. 50% new oak. Harvest August 24 to September 17, 28hl/h yield.

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

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.
Producer	Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
Vintages	2023
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle	75 cl

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Sugar	g/l

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