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Smith Haut Lafitte 1996

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

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

Label

Tasting Notes

90
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003

Quite light crimson without much development. Firm quite intense, ripe nose. Meaty, savoury notes with just a hint of oak, which became more obvious as it sat in the glass. Sweet, intense, neat and concentrated. No great subtlety but lots of force! Not for those who seek superripeness above all else. Drink 2007-17

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, September 2006
91+
Farr Vintners, 1996 Bordeaux Blind Tasting 8/9/2006, September 2006
90
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (122), April 1999

A saturated deep ruby/purple color precedes a bouquet of smoke, vanillin, sweet cherry, and black currant aromas. Built along the line of the 1995, but more tannic and less forward, this medium-bodied wine possesses outstanding concentration, purity, and equilibrium. It is a beautifully made, potentially complex, perfumed, harmonious claret that should age gracefully.

90/92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (115), February 1998
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.