2019 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc
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Tasting notes
Lots of lifted Indian dried spice, lime oil. Fantastic freshness, there is real texture on the palate – layered texture giving fantastic breadth in the mouth. Hints of tropical mango and pineapple but the dominating fruit is citrus – lemon, lime, stone fruit and ripe melon notes. The tensile nervy natue of the wine gives breadth and energy to the wine. Oily, sinewy textue is wonderful. Sustained finish, lovely purity.
Critic scores
Average Score
Decanter
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
One of my favorite whites from the region is the 2019 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, which is mostly Sauvignon Blanc blended with a splash of Sauvignon Gris and Semillon. Textbook notes of honeyed lemon, melon, caramelized grapefruit, and orange blossom give way to a medium to full-bodied, ripe, seamless white that brings solid richness as well as a lively, racy quality that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this beautiful white over the coming 15-20 years.
The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc has turned out very well in bottle, reflecting the estate's volition to craft more structured, age-worthy whites. Offering up aromas of gooseberry, nectarine, mint and lemongrass mingled with hints of pastry cream, almond paste and smoke, it's full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with a textural attack that segues into a fleshy but promisingly tightly wound mid-palate, concluding with a saline finish. As usual, the blend features a small percentage of Sauvignon Gris, which brings more dry extract to the ensemble.
Always a dry white that showcases the possibilities of this style in Bordeaux, this is an excellent wine with grip and power, savoury white pear and liqourice on the opening beats, taut yet balanced, widens out in the palate to show creamy saffron-laced nectarine and peach. Fabien Teitgen technical director. In organic conversion. Harvest from August 27 for the whites.
About the producer
Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the leading lights of Pessac-Léognan today – all thanks to Daniel and Florence Cathiard, who took over the property in 1990 and have since transformed the estate, converting to biodynamics and crafting wines of increasing finesse.