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.

95 Vinous

The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is almost identical to the sample bottle that I received last year. On the nose, mirabelle, orange blossom, jasmine and wild peach scents burst from the glass, then gain more refinement with air. The palate is very well balanced, with superb acidity that cuts through the concentrated flavors of pineapple, tangerine, white peach, and just the right amount of bitterness on the finish to bring you back for another sip. This is an excellent Smith Haut Lafitte that should age well over the next 20+ years.

93 Wine Spectator

Compact but with solid range, as the salted butter, verbena and talc notes work well with lemon pith and curd, white peach and gooseberry flavors. Offers a talc hint that works underneath to extend the finish. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2028. —J.M. <br/>

Producer

Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Graves’ most characteristic estate, Château Smith Haut Lafitte sits along the most renowned gravelly ridge of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. After years under the ownership of the Bordeaux négociant Eschenauer, a former Olympic skiing champion, Daniel Cathiard and his wife, Florence bought the château in 1990. Since then, the Grand Cru Classé estate has made several improvements that continue to accrue. The Cathiards opted for a more organic viticulture method, and modernized their vinification technologies. With 78-hectares under vine, the vineyards devote 67-hectares to red varieties, and the remaining 11-hectares are planted to white. Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge remains at the pinnacle of their production. It is a lighter style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that still packs an impressive depth. The white, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is also unfiltered and barrel fermented, however this wine stays true to the floral, and herbal core found at the base of this unique terroir’s production.

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Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2019 150cl

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