Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
Colour | White |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Smith Haut Lafitte
This is truly great Smith white, with electrifying fruit and structure. It sends shivers down my back. Complex aromas of sliced lemon, minerals, stone, candied fruit and cream. It's full-bodied, with bright acidity and a lively finish. It goes on for minutes. A wine for the future - but who can wait? Drink or hold.
A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% each of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris, this has a lifted mineral-rich bouquet scents of oyster shell, yuzu and apricot with fine delineation (the Sauvignon Blanc not particularly evident.) It is very attractive and very well defined. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, showing more weight and structure than the Les Haut de Smith but has a similar flavour profile. It has a satisfying citric kick on the finish. Excellent. Tasted April 2012.
Maybe I was a little hard on this when I tasted it in Bordeaux, because a subsequent sighting in London was more satisfactory. Not as good as the red, by any means, but the oak has settled into the wine over the last month, allowing its grapefruit and fresh herb flavours to express themselves. 3 + years.
Pale lemon-gold, richly aromatic for a Sauvignon-dominated wine that shows perfect ripeness of fruit. It has both breadth and depth of flavour and an exciting future.
Wow. This shows a beautiful density of fruit for this white with mango, papaya, mineral and light honey character. Long and subtle with plenty of gorgeous fruit. Grand cru Burgundy quality. Salty and mineraly. Lively.