Château Smith Haut Lafitte rouge - Subskription -

98-99/100 Jamessuckling.com Probably one of the most structured and stony SHLs I have ever had. Full yet very tight and compact palate with tannins that are like a tightly wound ball of silk. It goes on for a very long time. The cab berries were very small and they delivered a fantastic backbone of tannins, but at the same time intensity of vivid and reserved fruit. This is really long and classic in structure. The elevage in barrel will polish the fantastic, pure tannins. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. - James Suckling // 97/100 Decanter.com Dark and fragrant nose, scented and intense but not too rich and ripe, more cool, crisp and fresh. Aromatics of roses, floral elements and pot pourri - very welcoming. Big boned, this has expansion and intensity from the get go, powdery tannins fill the mouth with a juicy core and layers of freshness, mint, graphite, wet stones, herbs, cocoa and liquorice. Not as immediately as suave, soft and caressing as SHL can be, this is more serious, more straight and streamlined. Still finessed but this has muscle to it, forward and direct. It’s a beauty but will need time to expand and soften some more. Still very much on the Cabernet aromatics and power. I do like its density though, there is richness here, it’s not all straight and the tannins are filling. This has lovely potential with chewy strawberry and cranberry flavours. You don’t have the feeling of overt warmth with a cool freshness and touching on austere acidity, but this offers freshness and tension as well as ripeness. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. 26hl/ha yield, more or the less the same as usual winemaker Fabien Teitgen said. - Georgina Hindle // 96-98/100 Jeb Dunnuck The 2023 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, resting in 60% new oak. It sports a deep ruby/plum hue as well as awesome aromatics of smoky red and black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and hints of violets. It's gorgeously textured, full-bodied, has a deep, unctuous mid-palate, and building tannins. It's unquestionably one of the gems in the vintage and should be snatched up by savvy readers. It's worth pointing out that this estate harvested very late, going to October 4, and it certainly appears to have paid off. - Jeb Dunnuck // 96-98/100 The Wine Cellar Insider The nose shoots out its tobacco, smoke, camphor, spice, floral, and black, with red fruits with only a swirl or two. The palate is even better with its fresh, energetic, black, with red fruit profile, along with its array of spices, chewy tannins, blue fruits, smoke, and dark chocolate. The wine is long, intense, focused, and complex, with a nice aromatic display in the mouth in the finish, which sticks with you for almost 50 seconds. The key to the vintage was finding the right dates to harvest coupled with a soft, gentle extraction. Picking took place from September 22 - October 5. The wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is aging in 60% New, French oak barrels for 18 months. 14% ABV. pH 3.65. Drink from 2028-2055. 96-98 Pts. - Jeff Leve // 96/100 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Cabernet dominant in terms of aromatics and weight through the palate, opening with fennel, sage, violets, peonies, squid ink, cocoa bean, espresso, with the texture softening and becoming creamier through the mid palate. The hidden depths and slow build that elevates the always-seductive character of Smith Haut-Lafitte into one of the truly exceptional wines of Bordeaux are fully on display. Wine director Fabien Teitgen on his 28th vintage at the estate - and this is the vintage where King Charles and Camilla visited the property, so it comes with a commemorative label. 26hl/h yield, harvest September 8 to October 5. - Jane Anson // 96/100 Falstaff Dark ruby, deep core, brightening on the edge. Fine dark wild berryish notes, fine oak, ripe cherries, some cassis, inviting bouquet. Complex, spicy, juicy blackberry- ish fruit, ripe tannins, vanilla in the finish, some caramel and roasted aromas in the aftertaste, full-bodied, shows length and certain ageing potential. - Peter Moser // 95-97/100 Vinous The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a powerhouse. In recent years, the Grand Vin has shifted toward a bit more nuance than in the past, but in 2023, small yields and thick skins yielded a somber, explosive Grand Vin. It will need many years to be at its most expressive. Blackberry, gravel, licorice, spice, plum and chocolate are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass. Readers will find a wine of real substance and textural intensity, framed by vibrant acids. A touch of air works wonders here. - Antonio Galloni // 94-96/100 The Wine Independent A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is aging in 60% new oak and it is opaque purple-black in color. It needs a bit of shaking to brink forth an eruption of blackcurrant preserves, ripe plums, and baked black cherries, leading to hints of chocolate mint, violets, and unsmoked cigars, with a waft of pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruits, delivering a solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and earthy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown // 94-96/100 Vinous The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte comes with a label celebrating the visit of King Charles III that year, though I presume it was not his advice to include more Cabernet Sauvignon (70%). It was cropped at 26hL/ha. Matured in 60% new oak, it has a lovely bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, crushed violet and light oyster shell scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, gentle grip, fine depth and a sapid, classically lined finish. One of the more structured Smith Haut Lafittes in recent years, it deserves four or five years in bottle. Excellent. - Neal Martin // 94-96/100 Wine Advocate The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a brilliant wine, revealing a complex, elegantly oaky bouquet of dark wild berries, mulberries, blueberries, flowers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and rich, it has a fleshy core of fruit with good concentration and refined, structured tannins that segues into a long, penetrating and mineral finish. Crafted with an unprecedented majority of Cabernet Sauvignon—due to mildew affecting the Merlot—this Smith Haut Lafitte highlights a distinctly Cabernet-driven texture that authentically reflects its terroir despite a slightly more structured character. This blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, matured in 60% new oak barrels, represents one-third of the entire crop. - Yohan Castaing // 92-93/100 Yvesbeck.wine Viel Frische in diesem Wein mit fruchtigen und blumigen Nuancen gefolgt von Kräuter-Noten. Dieser im Auftakt köstliche und saftige Wein wird von bestens eingebundenen Tanninen unterstützt. Ein erfrischender und tonischer Wein mit leicht salzigem und saftigem Finale. - Yves Beck