Wine Advisor
Smith Haut Lafitte 2013
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Smith Haut Lafitte is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is bestowed with a fragrant bouquet, floral and quasi-Margaux in style, with a hint of seaweed developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and lifted acidity. It feels a little pinched towards the finish at the moment, although that will soften by the time of bottling. This is a more classic Smith Haut Lafitte, but there is nothing wrong with that. Tasted April 2014.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The Cathiard family has fashioned a medium-bodied, light-styled 2013 Smith Haut Lafitte exhibiting a medium dark ruby color, attractive red and black currant fruit, a hint of graphite, and a one-dimensional mouthfeel. If it puts on weight and depth, it may merit a higher score. Based on this estate’s perfect wines in 2009, 2010 and great 2008, the so-so 2013 is somewhat disappointing. It should drink well for 6-10 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Smith-Haut-Lafitte has a composed and quite refined bouquet, certainly one of the best that I have encountered on the Left Bank, with wild strawberry mixed with cedar and a touch of graphite. The palate is smooth on the entry, the oak nicely integrated, almost Pinot-like in texture with a prickle of spice on the finish. Recommended for the vintage, this constitutes a very respectable Pessac-Léognan from the Cathiard family in what was a difficult vintage.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Bright red fruit, dried flowers, smoke and spices all flesh out in the 2013 Les Hauts de Smith. Surprisingly dense for a second wine, the 2013 graces the palate with plenty of depth and resonance, all in an early drinking style with plenty of near-term appeal. Sweet floral notes reappear on the finish, adding an attractive element of lift. The 2013 is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, which is to say less Merlot than typical owing to the problems with the crop during flowering.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
One of the most exciting wines of the year, the 2013 Smith Haut Lafitte graces the palate with an exotic melange of dark red/black fruit, violets, menthol, new leather, crushed rocks and dried herbs. The 2013 doesn't have the grip or structure of the very best years, but it is nevertheless striking and will drink well pretty much right out of the gate. This is an especially tender, young Smith Haut Lafitte. The 2013 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot; 60% new oak): Bright red. Aromatic herbs complicate minty strawberry and cinnamon aromas; this seems quite backward still. Juicy acidity lifts the simple but smooth red cherry, clove and licorice flavors. Much less green and tannic than most other 2013 reds. Stephane Derenoncourt, the consulting enologist here, told me he thought the merlot planted on clay-limestone plots at Smith Haut Lafitte gave the wine a sexy minty violet note that was especially obvious this year.
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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