Wine Advisor
Smith Haut Lafitte 2008
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has improved during its elevage as I suspected. It has impressive ripeness and concentration on the nose. Black plum, damson, dates and a touch of bilberry. The palate is bold and chewy, good concentation, firm tannins, masculine, a touch of shellfish, great concentration on the assertive finish with layers of blackberry, tar and spice. Very fine. Tasted September 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the stars of the vintage, this elegant, smoky wine has hints of barbecue pit intermixed with sweet black currants and cherries. Dark purple and medium to full-bodied, its impressive finesse and wonderful purity make for a surprisingly forward style of Smith-Haut-Lafitte to drink over the next 15 or so years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2008 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, which is somewhat reminiscent of the brilliant 1998, exhibits sweet cassis, tobacco leaf, earth, and barbecue characteristics in its complex aromatics. The wine reveals ripe, supple tannin, medium to full body, gorgeous fruit, impeccable purity, and a luscious texture. It should be relatively approachable in its youth, and last for 25+ years. The final composition was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc. As I have noted so many times in the past, since the early nineties, Daniel and Florence Cathiard have done a remarkable job resurrecting this once insipidly run estate.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the UGC 2008 tasting in London. This has a gorgeous, ripe, seductive bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, black plum and a touch of vanilla. There is still some oak to be subsumed here, but it will be worth the wait. The palate is very polished with smooth supple tannins, very focused and harmonious, the structure just showing its firmness towards the finish. This is a multi-layered Pessac of the top order. Drink 2013-2030. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This is very ripe and plumy on the nose with touches of cassis, raisin and liquorice. Just a little over the top for me. The palate is very ripe and supple, a Margaux-like texture, silky tannins, very focused and sensuous on the finish. As usual, this is a polished wine, not as complex as others but texturally it is wonderful. It will be interesting to see whether this gains nuances during elevage, although it cuts away abruptly. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Medium-deep ruby. Slightly low-toned nose begins a bit swampy but clears somewhat with air, revealing ripe blackberry and balsamic plum notes. Then creamy and nicely balanced on the palate, with flavors of blueberry syrup, graphite and wet underbrush. Finishes smooth and long. I tasted this wine four times: the two bottles I tried at the primeurs blind tasting had been decanted many hours earlier and lacked freshness, so my projected score may be low.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2008 Smith Haut Lafitte is a lovely wine for the vintage, still quite polished on the nose with scents of blackcurrant and raspberry coulis, a touch of melted tar and tobacco; youthful for its age and showing fine vigor. With aeration there is suddenly a strong scent of liquorice. The palate is soft and rounded on the entry however, there is great depth on the mid-palate with layers of slightly toasted black fruit laced with tobacco, black pepper and smoke. I just felt there is a little dryness creeping in towards the finish, nevertheless this is a fine Pessac-Léognan. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual vertical tasting.)
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium ruby. Black cherry, dark berries and licorice on the nose. Sweet but firm, with excellent concentration and medicinal reserve to the dark berry flavors. An elegant, ripe, smooth wine with a lovely mounting finish featuring suave tannins. No rough edges or austerity here--in fact this is downright creamy in the mid-palate--but this has plenty of structure for a graceful evolution in bottle.
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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