Smith Haut Lafitte 2019

The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge comes from terroir composed of 60% gravel and 40% clay and is a blend of around 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/3 Merlot with a splash of Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling to unlock notes of blackcurrant preserves, stewed plums, and juicy blackberries, with hints of candied violets, licorice, espresso, and tapenade, plus wafts of crushed rocks and wood smoke. Full-bodied, rich, and opulent in the mouth, it has very firm, super-ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the voluptuous, mineral-accented fruit, finishing very long and achingly perfumed.

Intense blackberry and graphite character coming out of the glass, together with dried violets, ink and some asphalt. Full-bodied with wonderfully integrated tannins that spread across the palate and then draw you deep into the wine. Lead-pencil and blackcurrant aftertaste. Tightly wound with a cashmere-like texture. A whole and thought-provoking wine. Try after 2028 and beyond.

The 2019 Smith Haut-Lafitte blossoms immediately on the nose of seductive blackberry, black olive and Bing cherries, perhaps a little more floral than when I tasted it from barrel, and there is a nearly Burgundy-like purity. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth, almost creamy entry. This is very harmonious, elegant and poised, leading to a mineral-driven finish. A gorgeous, seductive Smith Haut Lafitte that will give three or four decades of drinking pleasure. 2025 - 2055

The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte has turned out very well indeed, unwinding in the glass with a complex bouquet of dark berries, cassis, forest floor, pencil shavings, licorice and spices. Full-bodied, broad and velvety, it's layered and elegantly muscular, underpinned by rich structuring tannins and lively acids, and it concludes with a long, expansive finish. This is another estate where the viticultural and stylistic evolutions of the last decade have delivered a beautifully balanced, harmonious 2019. Drink Date
2026 - 2055

Certified organic in 2019. 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The 2019 is quintessential Smith Haut Lafitte that followers should buy with confidence. Deep ruby in colour with highly refined and enticing nose of polished black fruit and a little sweet red cherry. The fragrant aromatics are laced with sweet but well measured spice. The palate is glossy, with silky black fruit at the core. Super fleshy but highly refined, the spice and succulence is perfectly judged. There is enough bite and savoury depth to leave a moreish, harmonious impression of fruit despite the opulent vanilla and sweet wood smoke on show. The tannins are perfectly judged, ripe and fine but ample for long-term ageing. Precise and moreish in equal measure, an excellent effort.

Sink into this concentrated, textured, creamy wine, full of liqourice, blueberry, cassis and black cherry fruits, then let the pencil lead, cigar box and campfire notes spiral upwards out of the glass as it opens. Clearly shows why the signature acidity of Bordeaux, even in the best vintages, is just so welcome - it gives focus and a taut, confident feel through the core of the wine, and clearly suggests how well it will age. 60% new oak. Tasted in September last year, same impression of an exceptional wine. In organic conversion, Fabien Teitgen technical director, harvest from September 17 for the reds.

59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
Black almost to the rim. Smells dark, rich and inviting. Intense, pure cassis. Just a touch of oaky sweetness and char. Deep, dense, full and yet fresh. The tannins are quite thick at the moment but they are smooth and polished for a long life. Notable freshness even with all this depth of fruit and firm structure. Great balance already. Long, too. (JH) 14.5%
Drink 2030 – 2045

Smith Haut Lafitte was certified organic in 2019 and are also practicing biodynamically. The harvest of red grapes took place from 17th September to 10th October. The 2019 is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine will be aged in 60% new French oak. Deep ruby in colour with a sappy, smoky nose of cedar, incense and dark cherries. The palate is opulent and glossy, with generous levels of sweet vanilla, wood char and tobacco interlaced with fleshy black fruits and milk chocolate. The tannins are bold and build on the finish, tempering the sweet wood and ripe fruit. Long and heady.

Reminding me a little of the 2009, the 2019 Château Smith Haut Lafitte has a rich, powerful style in its cassis, blueberry, and black raspberry fruit as well as its chalky minerality, smoked earth, tobacco, and lead pencil shaving-like aromas and flavors. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, this rich, unctuously textured beauty has terrific concentration, sweet tannins, and the vintage's hallmark elegance and finesse. One of the most concentrated, powerful wines in the vintage, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age (or a healthy decant) and will evolve for 30+ years if stored properly. Not enough can be said about what proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard, as well as winemaker Fabien Teitgen, continue to achieve at this estate.