Wine Advisor
Smith Haut Lafitte 1997
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This dark ruby-colored wine exhibits medium body, excellent ripeness, and loads of charm and finesse. The black fruit character is well-displayed along with toasty oak and low acidity. Its hallmark is elegance and finesse as opposed to power and structure. Nevertheless, it possesses such good balance that I suspect it will drink well for 12-15 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This winery continues to move from strength to strength under the committed leadership of Florence and Daniel Cathiard. Never a heavyweight or blockbuster, Smith-Haut-Lafitte tends to produce the quintessentially elegant style of Bordeaux, offering an impressive marriage of intense flavors, finesse and complexity. The 1997 is a forward, beautifully made wine that may merit an outstanding score by the time it is bottled. The color is deep ruby/purple, and the wine is expressive aromatically. Chocolate, mineral, creme de cassis, and subtle pain grille notes soar from this wine. Sexy, with low acidity, medium body, and beautifully etched flavors that linger on the palate, this is a totally captivating Smith-Haut-Lafitte that should drink well young, yet last for 15 or more years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted three times. This has always seemed early maturing with overly tannic palate. Sweet cherry with a pleasant cedar-infused finish. But this lacks complexity and depth. Disappointing from this esteemed chateau. Tasted May 2004.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Splendid aromatics of tobacco, ripe black currant fruit, minerals, and toasty oak emerge from this dark ruby-colored effort. Quintessentially elegant, with sweet fruit on the attack, medium body, and no hard edges, this smoothly-textured wine can be drunk now as well as over the next 10-12 years.
About the Producer
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is located in the village of Martillac in the Pessac-Leognan appellation, south of Bordeaux, France, and is a Grand Cru of the Graves appellation. The Château Smith Haut Lafitte complex is quite large, with a château, winery and large underground cellars, as well as a sizeable resort hotel (Les Sources de Caudalie), the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, the Caudalie restaurant, and the gardens, water and wine garden. The courtyard also features gardens, flowing water and a number of artistic sculptures, including a sculpture by Barry Flanagan called "The Flying Rabbit", as well as wonderful works by Chinese sculptor Huang Yongping and Italian artist Mimmo Paladino, among others. The Smith Haut Lafitte winery Smithers Lafitte has 78 hectares of vineyards planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, while the white varieties include 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Petit Verdot. Sauvignon Blanc, 5% of Sauvignon Gris and 5% of Semillon. The average age of the red vines is 38 years and the average age of the white vines is 40 years. The wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks or in large oak barrels, depending on the variety and the plot. After fermentation, the red wines are aged for 18 months in 60% new barrels and the white wines for 12 months in 50% new barrels. The wines are not filtered before bottling and have a unique, slightly smoky aroma that fully reflects the true nature of the Graves origin. The winery is currently being upgraded and will be 100% gravity-fed when the renovation is complete. The grapes are harvested at perfect ripeness, gently broken and fermented to extract the smoothest and softest tannins and flavours, and the wine is then aged for several years to reveal its qualities: crisp and complex aromas, balanced and full-bodied, elegant and firm on the palate. Currently, Château Smith Lafitte produces six wines: one red and one white, one red and one white, two secondary wines called Le Petit Haut Lafitte, and one red and one white, two tertiary wines called "Les Hauts de Smith". Château Smith Lafitte has stabilised in recent years, receiving high ratings from critics and the press in several vintages, and has been well received by the market. The top vintages of the winery into the 20th century are 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
1996(1)
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