Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac Leognan Rouge 2023 375ml

This shows currant, tobacco and hazelnut aromas that follow through to a medium body with crunchy character and open-grain tannins that are velvety and so attractive. Graceful, friendly, crunchy and beautiful. The highest percentage ever of cabernet sauvignon in this wine. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Best after 2028.

95-97 Barrel Sample. With a much higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, because of problems with Merlot during the growing season, this is a rich wine with spice and dark-fruit aromas. It has a ripe character with swathes of pure black fruits. The wine is structured with a fine potential.

Dark and fragrant nose, scented and intense but not too rich and ripe, more cool, crisp and fresh. Aromatics of roses, floral elements and pot pourri - very welcoming. Big boned, this has expansion and intensity from the get go, powdery tannins fill the mouth with a juicy core and layers of freshness, mint, graphite, wet stones, herbs, cocoa and liquorice. Not as immediately as suave, soft and caressing as SHL can be, this is more serious, more straight and streamlined. Still finessed but this has muscle to it, forward and direct. It’s a beauty but will need time to expand and soften some more. Still very much on the Cabernet aromatics and power. I do like its density though, there is richness here, it’s not all straight and the tannins are filling. This has lovely potential with chewy strawberry and cranberry flavours. You don’t have the feeling of overt warmth with a cool freshness and touching on austere acidity, but this offers freshness and tension as well as ripeness. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. 26hl/ha yield, more or the less the same as usual winemaker Fabien Teitgen said.

Blackcurrants, smoky tobacco, graphite, and hints of espresso all emerge from the 2023 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a gorgeous effort based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. This is the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever used in the blend, largely due to mildew, yet the team also loved the quality of the Cabernet in the vintage. Medium to full-bodied, it has a concentrated, focused mouthfeel, plenty of ripe tannins, and a chalky, mineral, fresh feel on the finish. I love the overall balance as well as the purity here. Hide bottles for just 4-5 years and it's going to blow you away over the following 30 years. Drink 2029-2055.

Confirming the impression it conveyed en primeur, the 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a superb effort, offering aromas of licorice, spices, dark berries, rose petals and clove. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and architecturally structured, it is built around a fleshy, concentrated core of fruit, supported by abundant, seamlessly integrated tannins, culminating in a long, mineral and penetrating finish. The decision to extend macerations—favoring gentle, prolonged extraction over short, forceful cuvaison—has endowed the wine with both textural refinement and the structural reserves to reward long cellaring.

The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is packed with sumptuous black cherry fruit, gravel, dried herbs, licorice and tobacco. Floral overtones appear with air, adding layers of dimension and complexity. There's a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon in this year's blend because Merlot suffered more through mildew episodes. That yields a Grand Vin that is a bit less sensual in the early going but also more explosive and powerful.

Decidedly not shy, with a warm, rolling wave of mocha and bittersweet cocoa leading the way, followed by generous notes of plum reduction, blackberry preserves and melted black licorice. Roasted vanilla, chestnut and sweet tobacco infuse the finish liberally, while a loamy element keeps it all steady. For fans of the power style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2027 through 2040.

94-94 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is ink dark in the colour and offers a nose of sweet cherries, peppery, spicy elements and precise and elegant fruit. It is a fresh and crunchy wine, massive, though still with an elegant and precise aftertaste. This is a well built, classic glass of wine that should age nicely.