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Smith Haut Lafitte 2017

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

Daniel and Florence Cathiard transformed this property in the early 1990s and have been making very individual, sexy wines since then which combine flavours of classic earthy Graves with silky and seductive new oak from barrels produced by their in-house cooper. The 67 hectare vineyard is planted with 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and the remainder Cabernet Franc.

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

Label

Tasting Notes

Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Seductive and spicy nose, full of leather, black fruit and cedar. Some oomph on the palate here, finding ripe red fruit together with baking spice and star anise. The acid is still high, but the fruit copes with its cutting nature. Earthy but long and matched by fruit that adds real elegance.
Drink 2025 – 2038

17
Thomas Parker MW, JancisRobinson.com, October 2021

Wonderful depth of fruit here with blackberries, wet earth, mushrooms, dark chocolate and violets. Full-bodied, tight and poised with polished and compressed tannins. Consistent finish. Linear and focused. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but better in 2022.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2020

The red 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It bursts with bold notes of crushed blackberries, black cherry preserves, and warm cassis, plus hints of Indian spices, mossy tree bark, and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers impressive concentration, framed by firm, grainy tannins and fantastically balanced freshness, finishing long and minerally.

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2022

This sits a long way above the second wines this year, and here they are very close to recent successes, with excellent juice running right through the cassis, bilberry, liquorice, dark chocolate and charcoal notes. It's an extremely classical, sculpted vintage with a lovely grilled edge that gives a gourmet, confident feel. It has a velvety texture and finely-placed, flexible tannins that are clearly going to age well. This is a real success, and a testament to their attention to detail - for example, they had 105 pickers in 2016 but 160 pickers in 2017, because with the September rain they wanted to go more quickly. Half of the vineyard is now farmed biodynamically, with full conversion expected for 2020. 60% new oak. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend given.
Drinking Window 2025 - 2040

94
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2018

Very intense blueish crimson. Mild and fairly neutral on the nose. Extraordinarily soft! Perhaps this is the answer for 2017? Make a Nouveau! Easy-peasy, but don’t pay top whack for it. Very light tannins.
Drink 2022-2030

16
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, May 2018

Smells sweet-fruited and sweetly oaky. Lovely fruit flavour on the palate – dark-red fruit – could perhaps do with just a little more fruit stuffing in the middle but this may just need a bit longer in barrel. Finishes fresh and the tannins are dry and refined. A sleeping beauty perhaps?
Drink 2024-2037

17
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2018

The nose is light fragrant with citrus freshness the start of the palate bright with a mix of fresh fruits. Pear and pineapple in the middle gives a richer feel depth of fruit at the back with citrus and apple giving a lovely crisp finish. Drink 2021-2036.

93/95
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, May 2018

Made from the ‘classic blend’ because there was no frost here to force their hand, the balance from the start is exciting with dramatic tones of slightly exotic fruit tempered with steely acidity. The tension and the quality of the fruit is stunning. The mid-palate is not rich or fat and yet the depth of flavour is lovely. They didn’t over-extract here and this was key to the soft core of fruit which lends this wine some serious class.

18+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2018
Read more tasting notes...

This is a solid Smith for the vintage with blackberry and blackcurrant character. Full to medium body, firm and silky tannins and a lingering finish. Excellent potential here.

95/96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2018

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a waft of candied violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic core of densely packed red and black fruits, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. 2024 - 2057

97+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (March 2020), March 2020

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte opens slowly to reveal complex notes of crushed black cherries, black currants and wild blueberries with touches of lavender, pencil lead, cast iron pan and a waft of aniseed. Medium-bodied and elegant with great freshness and quiet intensity, it has firm, grainy tannins and a sustained yet ethereal mid-palate, with a long, energetic, mineral-laced finish.

94/96
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (236), April 2018
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.