2023, Château Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, PESSAC-LÉOGNAN

Last Year EP $248.00-

Daniel and Florence Cathiard transformed this property in the early 1990s and have been making excellent, very individual wines, which combine flavours of classic earthy Graves with silky and seductive new oak from barrels produced by their in-house cooper.

The 2023 is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and features a label commemorating the visit of King Charles III in Sept. 2023.

The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte comes with a label celebrating the visit of King Charles III that year. It has a lovely bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, crushed violet and light oyster shell scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, gentle grip, fine depth and a sapid, classically lined finish. One of the more structured Smith Haut Lafittes in recent years, it deserves four or five years in bottle. Excellent. 94-96 Neal Martin.

The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a brilliant wine, revealing a complex, elegantly oaky bouquet of dark wild berries, mulberries, blueberries, flowers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and rich, it has a fleshy core of fruit with good concentration and refined, structured tannins that segues into a long, penetrating and mineral finish. 94-96 Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate.

Probably one of the most structured and stony SHLs I have ever had. Full yet very tight and compact palate with tannins that are like a tightly wound ball of silk. It goes on for a very long time. The cab berries were very small and they delivered a fantastic backbone of tannins, but at the same time intensity of vivid and reserved fruit. 98-99 James Suckling.

Cabernet dominant in terms of aromatics and weight through the palate, opening with fennel, sage, violets, peonies, squid ink, cocoa bean, espresso, with the texture softening and becoming creamier through the mid palate. The hidden depths and slow build that elevates the always-seductive character of Smith Haut-Lafitte into one of the truly exceptional wines of Bordeaux are fully on display. 96 Jane Anson.

The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a powerhouse. In recent years, the Grand Vin has shifted toward a bit more nuance than in the past, but in 2023, small yields and thick skins yielded a somber, explosive Grand Vin. A wine of real substance and textural intensity, framed by vibrant acids. 2030-2053 95-97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.