Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2022

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Inky dark in color, the wine requests a bit of effort before jumping into its nose of spice, cigar wrapper, blackberries, black currants, flowers, wet earth, and smoke. On your palate, the purity in the fruit, elegance, and lift is there. But what stands out is the width in your mouth as the wine caresses every part of your palate with its silky textures, and richness. The finish seals the deal as the wine has real staying power, staying with you for over 50 seconds! Harvesting took place from September 5 - September 30. Yields were low at 28 hectoliters per hectare. The wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is aging in 60% New, French oak barrels for 18 months. 14.5% ABV. pH 3.55. Is this the best vintage of Smith Haut Lafitte ever produced? Maybe. Let's revisit when the wine is in the bottle. Drink from 2027-2055."

JAMES SUCKLING: "The polish, texture, complexity and patina are very impressive and fascinating. So spicy and interesting with so much going on. Medium body with wonderfully integrated tannins that are cut and nicely chiselled already. Lemon and violet. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot."

DECANTER: "A real success of the vintage that manages to deliver a bold, structured, concentrated and powerful wine with real terroir signature. You get the impression it’s from a warm vintage, but I love the fact you have texture, volume and weight but keeping the finesse. Fragranced black fruit and purple floral notes with soft medicinal herbal touches on the nose. Sleek and supple, tannins make the impression with juicy blackcurrants, black cherries and strawberries. Excellent tannin definition, they’re filling, massy and round, almost plush but accented by acidity and freshness. Strong signature, you know you're in gravel with Cabernet. Juicy, clean, pure, but with bite and intensity. I love the dark savoury notes too, the cough syrup, liquorice, clove, tobacco and cigar box elements, complex and captivating. 4% press. 3.65pH 30% whole bunch Petit Verdot in the blend. Potential upsore in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak barrels."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This ripe, powerful, concentrated wine reminds me of the 2010 with its structure, concentrated mid-palate, and just sheer density and regal, full-bodied style on the palate. Despite its size, it stays balanced, has a beautiful perfume of sweet black fruits, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers, building tannins, and a great, great finish."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Edelholznuancen, ein Hauch von Cassis, reife Zwetschken, Nugat, facettenreiches Bukett. Kraftvoll, straff, reife dunkle Waldbeerfrucht, integrierte Tannine, mineralisch und lange anhaftend, würziger Nachhall, langes Finale, sicheres Reifepotenzial, wird einige Zeit benötigen, um sich voll zu entfalten."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: „The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 29 hl/ha and aging in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of shaking to wake up notes of blackcurrant jelly, redcurrant preserves, boysenberries, and pencil lead, followed by suggestions of lilacs, Sichuan pepper, and cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is built like a skyscraper, delivering mouth-coating black fruits with red berry sparks supported by rock-solid, firm tannins, finishing very long and with a refreshing mineral lift. pH 3.70."

WEINWISSER: "64 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot, 29 hl/ha. 60 % neue Barriques. Bezauberndes Bouquet, frisch gepflückte Wildkirsche, Alpenheidelbeergelee, feines Baccarat-Parfüm und Schokopastillen. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, körnigem Extrakt, muskelbepacktem Körper und engmaschigem Tanningerüst. Im konzentrierten langanhaltenden Finale wird der Grand Vin immer länger, grandiose schwarzbeerige Konturen, gepaart mit viel Würze. Fabien Teitgen ist von der unglaublichen Balance und Tiefe beeindruckt. 2029 – 2054."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, spices, tobacco, graphite and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that is deep and layered, with good depth and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot will require some patience, given its somewhat extracted style."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Dark, glossy blackish purple. Glossy, glamorous impression on the nose. Very juicy and extremely sweet. Very flattering with masses of fruit almost covering the very ripe tannins. This should be drinkable very early but should also last well. Notably long. Velvety texture but with the freshness of Graves. Lovely wine."