2020 Smith Haut Lafitte
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Tasting notes
This is plump, dark and a little brooding on the nose, with a mineral note and something a little animal. On the palate, it’s similarly dark-fruited but with savoury depths to complement the quite plush blackberry and black plum fruit. It’s fulsome and round – but with a saline freshness. There is real purity and concentration to the waves of dark, fresh fruit – ripe and plump blackberries and dark plum. The tannins are really ripe and beautifully melded, yet present, providing the necessary structure. This is delicious, and quite moreish with that salinity complementing the otherwise dark-fruited profile.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Love the powerful and beautifully judged deep ruby colour. We are in full stride of great Smith Haut Lafitte once again, very much in primary fruit phase, and I would suggest putting it away for at least another three to four years to really soften up - look instead to the 2017 or 2019 of recent vintages. Intense, concentrated, chocolate drops, blackcurrant pastille, totally delicious and full of character and lift. Really does lift off through the palate from beginning to end, a totally class wine, fennel and dried mint leaf. Black and gold label celebrating 30 years of the Cathiards at Smith Haut Lafitte. 80% new oak, Fabien Teitgen technical director.
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Very deep, blackish purple. Rich, almost soupy nose with lots of sweetness. Then the tannins cut in underneath. They are pretty rasping. May well preserve the wine for a usefully long time but they are very obvious now. Subtle perfume – and it’s the first time at this tasting I have used the S-word. But it’s still very dry on the end. (JR)
The Cathiards' 30th vintage. My saviour wine. Just when a bitter taste post-antibiotic for double pneumonia seemed to blight my impressions of all wines, this was the first wine that seemed free of it and gave me hope that my palate would be restored. I first tasted it on 22 Feb (last dose of antibiotic was 12 Feb) and kept retasting over subsequent days to check that I wasn’t kidding myself (high-acid whites generally seemed worse affected than full-bodied reds). Smoky-oaky nose and lots of fruit impact on the palate with masses of refreshing acidity too. Flatteringly satin texture with real pungency and interest on the end. Great balance. Just the right side of the oiliness that can dog some white wines from this appellation. (JR)
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.