CHÂTEAU SMITH HAUT LAFITTE

The vivid fruit character here is so impressive for this hot and dry vintage. It's medium- to full-bodied, showing gorgeous crushed grapes and dark berries. With density, clarity and beauty, it really speaks of great cabernet sauvignon. The tannins are integrated and go long, taking you deep and complete on the palate. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Seems almost drinkable now but needs at least five years of bottle age. Drink after 2029. Rating: 98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2025)

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte is silky, elegant and nuanced. It's all there. A wine of precision and class, the 2022 is so impressive. Refined, supple tannins wrap around a core of blue/purplish fruit, lavender, espresso and mocha. I find the 2022 a bit buttoned up today, but that is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects. I look forward to seeing it age. Drinking range: 2027 - 2047 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2025)

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Deep crimson. Ripe but not overly sweet black fruit with an attractive suggestion of minerally stone dust. Pure, dark, rich, the tannins chalky but firm. A powerful yet elegant wine with a very long finish. Chewy, deep and ageworthy. (JH) 14.5% Drinking range: 2029 - 2040 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Dec 2024)

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 60% new oak 14.5% alc 24 hl/ha I enjoyed every second of my visit at Smith Haut Lafitte because all six wines are tremendous. I feel that Pessac-Léognan had a tough time of it in 2022, yet a handful of Château, all listed in this Report, have made stellar wines. Cellarmaster Yann Laudheo was at pains to explain that no extraction was used at SHL in 2022, just ‘infusion’, which is vital to these wines’ success. In fact, he ‘tastes the juice and eats the cap every day’ to precisely monitor how his wines gather shape and style. The Grand Vin at Smith Haut Lafitte is incredibly luxurious, velvety and buoyant, with glossy layers and tremendous freshness along its minutes-long finish. The tannins are profound and firm, but they are also smooth, cultured and vibrant. This is a fantastic wine, full of opposites, with layers and layers of graphite, black fruit, chocolate and woodsmoke. It is indulgent, staggeringly long and beautifully balanced. I have not tasted red wine with these dimensions from SHL before and cannot recommend it enough. Rating: 19+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. This represents just a third of the estate’s output; Florence Cathiard is extremely keen to increase this proportion. Mainly Merlot and a tiny proportion of Petit Verdot stems went into the fermentation vat for freshness. They will probably bottle this in June as usual but may keep it in barrel a bit longer for texture. Cask sample. 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. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 Rating: 18 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)

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. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)

Lovely perfumed notes, floral, intensely fruity with vanilla, elderflower, green apple, pear, peach and white blossom, expressive and aromatic. Succulent and juicy straight away, a real hit of citrus juice, sharp and intense, so lively and yet the texture is quite filling giving a well balanced mouthfeel. Calm but layered, you feel the precision of each aspect, the soft toasted notes, bitter grapefruit and lemon peel, crisp green apple and mineral salinity - each is carefully presented. It’s rich and has concentration but keeps the focus delivering a supremely drinkable and nuanced wine. I love the mineral tang and long length. You get the feeling of a large, warm vintage but the acidity and focus is there, so it doesn't end heavy. Lots to like here and one of the best whites of 2022. 3.2pH Rating: 96 Georgie Hindle - Decanter (May 2023)

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. Rating: 94-95 Yohan Castaing, www.robertparker.com (Apr 2023)

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte is a regal, elegant wine. Succulent inky fruit, licorice, spice, lavender and mocha open in a gracious, sublime Grand Vin. Here, too, the wine’s persistence and energy are notable. The Cabernet is especially evident this year, in both the wine’s flavor profile and overall structural feel. In many vintages, the Grand Vin is more immediate and alluring. The 2022 is quite reticent. Drinking range: 2030 - 2042 Rating: 95-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2023)