Wine Advisor
Smith Haut Lafitte 2010
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. Upon initial pouring, the Smith Haut Lafitte 2010 appears a little unsettled, perhaps just getting used to its surroundings. However, it rapidly gains harmony and clarity, developing seductive scents of luscious raspberry and wild strawberry, hints of incense and dried violets, the new oak still a little conspicuous and needing further bottle age to fully integrated. The palate is rounded and pleasurable from the start: fine acidity, gentle tannins, quite caressing on the finish. This is a consummate Smith Haut-Lafitte that will repay long-term ageing. Tasted January 2014.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A qualitative home run, right up there with the profound 2005 and more opulent 2009, Smith-Haut-Lafitte has turned in a remarkable performance in this vintage, but then again, so have many other chateaux. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the wine has an inky/purple color and an extraordinary nose of graphite, blackberries, cassis, licorice, smoke, and camphor. The unbelievable skyscraper-like texture, stunning purity, and formidable intensity make for a remarkably rich, long, full-bodied wine that is classic Graves, but at the same time a staggering 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
With a pH of 3.62, the Grand Vin is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the bouquet is very intense and focused, stricter than the 2009 last year with blackberry, a touch of cassis and a hint of boysenberry. Fine delineation, the mineralite beginning to emerge after one minute in the glass. One is immediately struck by the almost citrus-like freshness on the entry, tight at first but then fanning out beautifully across the mouth towards the wonderfully structured finish that has more tension than it knows what to do with. Very persistent, very long. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Tasted April 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Union de Grand Cru in London. The 2010 Smith Haut-Lafitte has very fine delineation on the nose with intense black cherry, raspberry and slightly meaty aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy, edgy tannins. It has a lovely spicy, almost peppery seam running from start to finish. It is quite compact, much more reserved than I recall out of barrel, but the oak is seamlessly integrated and it is incredibly long. Tasted November 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This is an extraordinary performance once again from the Cathiard family, the proprietors of Smith-Haut-Lafitte. They think the 2010 is even better than the 2009. (I disagree, but only slightly.) This wine has laser-like definition in its an remarkable nose of a subtle charcoal fire interwoven with spring flowers, creme de cassis, blueberry liqueur and spicy wood. Full-bodied, stunningly concentrated, long, rich and moderately tannic, this wine is set for an exceptionally long life of 30-40 years but can be drunk in 5-7.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Smith Haut Lafitte delivers notes of baked plums, boysenberries and dried mulberries with an undercurrent of cigar box, new leather and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, the palate has firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the maturing fruit, finishing on a stewed tea note.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(a blend of 64% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot) Dark ruby-red with purple highlights. Slightly reduced, musky aromas of red berries, fresh herbs and lavender come across as rather cool. Then delicately smoky and fresh on the palate but the black fruit, mineral and underbrush flavors are still youthfully tight and stony. The long finish features mounting tannins and a lingering cassis note. This wine is still a bit folded in on itself and may yet blossom in the coming months, but at present it seems to be a little less concentrated than some recent vintages of Smith Haut Lafitte and perhaps a bit too tannic for its own good. Tasted four times, with some sample variability that made it harder to judge the wine.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2010 Smith Haut Lafitte has a tertiary, tobacco-tinged bouquet that opens nicely with aeration, though remains resolutely classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine depth, very focused with a precise and very intense finish that is very persistent. There is real quality here, a 2010 that will age with style. Superb. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2010 Smith Haut-Lafitte has one of the most backward bouquets among its peers and required more coaxing from the glass. It eventually offers well defined blackberry, wild strawberry, sous-bois and tobacco notes, quite serious but very engaging. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins. There is good body and density here, but it loosens up towards the finish with a lovely touch of sea salt and liquorice on the aftertaste. Superb. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full ruby-red. Very ripe yet precise nose offers blueberry, black raspberry, violet, spices and sexy dried herbs; still a bit youthfully medicinal but already showing a lot of personality. Rich, pliant and hugely deep, with near-chocolatey ripeness to the highly concentrated dark berry, tobacco and spice flavors. This wonderfully broad, seamless, layered wine dusts the palate with ripe tannins and leaves the mouth perfumed. Built for a long life in bottle but balanced from day one: it's more bound-up today than the silkier and more voluptuous 2009 but I would not be surprised if this one eventually surpassed its younger sibling.
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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