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Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2010

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourWhite
TypeStill
Grape VarietySauvignon Blanc/Semillon

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Label

Tasting Notes

A stunning wine with hints of pineapple, caramelized citrus, mandarin oranges, smoky figs and hazelnuts, this is a full-bodied, rich, superb white Graves from the Cathiard family. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035.

95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, March 2013

Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. The nose is very refined with scents of apple-blossom, grapefruit, lanolin and orange sorbet. Fine delineation but very composed. The palate is well balanced with good acidity, quite taut at the moment with a precise, mineral-rich finish. Excellent. Tasted October 2011.

93
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, December 2011

Wonderfully complex nose in this white with ripe lemon, green papaya, lime peel and lots of ripe yellow peach. Full and focused, it offers a beautiful ripe acidity and silky texture on the palate. Long and precise finish with lots of flowers and mineral. What a wonderful white wine! Drink or hold.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2013

Exotically rich on the nose. Vibrant and a bit loose. Easy to appreciate and then chewy. Should give early pleasure. Bone-dry finish. Very Graves. Tingly and exciting.

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2011

11 hectares at Smith Haut Lafitte are planted with white varieties - 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon. Elevage of the white wine is in 50% new oak. Lovely grapefruit flavours with a rounded, lanolin texture. Sexy and plump but a great cut of acidity keeps it fresh and balanced.

93
Farr Vintners, April 2011

The 2010 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is drinking brilliantly, with a mature yet still fresh and vibrant style. Crushed citrus, mint, honeyed lime, and mandarin orange zest all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated, layered dry white Bordeaux. It blossoms with time in the glass, has beautiful mid-palate depth and concentration, and a remarkable sense of freshness and precision. Readers looking to understand what truly great, mature Bordeaux Blanc is all about should seek this beauty out. I love it today, yet suspect it will evolve for another 10-15 years.

97
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, October 2023

The nose is packed with pineapple underpinned by fresh grapefruit lots of complexity. The richness at the start of the palate gives way to gooseberry crispness lovely racy and mineral fresh. The finish is lovely and long.

90/93
Derek Smedley MW, April 2011
93
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2011

Exuberant expression of citrus fruits, spicy and quite exotic, full and fleshy with the acidity and minerality adding depth and structure, probably the best SHL white, combining as usual robustness and finesse. Drink 2013-20.

18
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2011
Read more tasting notes...

Another phenomenal wine from the Cathiards, this rich 2010 exhibits lemon custard, melon, tropical fruit and a touch of smoky oak. It should last 20+ years.

92/95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

The Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2010 is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon picked from 2nd September. At the Château it has a rather understated, almost earthy nose at first with dried white flowers and a mote of chalk dust, but at the UGC it is much more vivacious with a silver thread of citrus peel. The palate is well-balanced on the entry, fine citrus lemon, grapefruit and just a hint of spice, good weight and quite linear towards the finish but great persistency. Very fine, but showing much better under the sunshine. Tasted April 2011.

92/94
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2011
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.

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