Wine Advisor
Smith Haut Lafitte 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The brilliant succession of red and white wines that has emerged from Smith-Haut-Lafitte since the early 1990s is attributable to the passion and hard work of perfectionist proprietors Florence and Daniel Cathiard. The beautiful 2006 exhibits aromas and flavors of earth, graphite, sweet cassis, cherries, smoke, and spice. Medium-bodied with admirable concentration, soft tannin, and impressive purity, texture, and length, this powerful wine is built on an elegant framework. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A very fine, rather introverted nose but with good definition and intensity: blackberry, damson, cedar, forest floor. Gaining lift in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced with good acidity, excellent definition. Clean, pure black fruit, touched with bilberry and a touch of cassis and espresso towards the finish. Good breeding, classically lined. Lovely wine. Tasted February 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
An attractive nose of blackberry, sloes and damson with great definition and lift. The palate if full-bodied and has resemblances to Pape-Clement its extravagance. Spicy black fruit, just a touch of earthiness with soft, approachable tannins. It builds nicely in the mouth, very harmonious with a touch of espresso on the finish. Very fine. Great potential.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A top-notch success, the dense ruby/purple-colored 2006 Smith-Haut-Lafitte offers aromas of smoky, juicy black currants, graphite, earth, truffles, and forest floor. Full-bodied with superb purity, noticeable but sweet tannins, this round, generous, long wine should drink nicely for 15-20+ years. One can’t say enough about the work proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard have done at Smith-Haut-Lafitte since 1990
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau. Bottled in late June. This is closed on the nose, probably because of its recent bottling. Macerated black cherries, a touch of black plum and tobacco coming through. Good definition. The palate has a very polished, sensuous entry, good acidity and harmony with great purity. A modern style of wine, it caresses the palate with layers of sweet blackberry, bilberry and burnt toast on the finish. This is the ‘younger brother’ of the 2005 that continues to run of outstanding wines from this estate. Drink 2012-2025+ Tasted September 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Smith Haut-Lafitte has an intriguing bouquet with surprising mineral intensity coming through the pure blackberry and cassis fruit. The oak here is beautifully assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a keen line of acidity, quite structured in the mouth, but that mineralité continues right to the finish that attenuates ever such a little. This is a thoroughbred Pessac-Léognan for the vintage. Tasted January 2016.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full red-ruby. Expressive nose offers plum, black raspberry, tobacco, mocha, truffle, licorice and herbs. Suave, fine-grained and vibrant; generous and plush yet light on its feet. Finishes very long and classy, with sweet tannins, terrific energy and palate-coating persistence and perfume. Not as fat or full as the 2005, but just a step behind that wine.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium red-ruby. Subdued but lively aromas of black cherry, mocha, tobacco and nutty oak. The palate begins with a restrained sweetness to the flavors of currant, raspberry and hot rocks but gains expressiveness with aeration, with nicely integrated acidity contributing definition. Builds impressively on the back end, which features substantial broad, dusty tannins.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% cabernet franc) Ripe, complex aromas of dark raspberry, tobacco and woodsmoke, complicated by a leesy component. Suave, sweet and fine-grained; in a distinctly plush, gentle style, suggesting a rather soft extraction. Finishes with very smooth, horizontal tannins and subtle persistence. As suave as this is, there's no shortage of underlying power.
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.
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