Smith Haut Lafitte blanc - Pessac-Léognan 2022

Wine Advocate

95

byYohan Castaingthe3/6/2025

The 2022 Blanc from Smith Haut Lafitte is an impressive effort this year, evoking aromas of white fruits, pear, white peach, spices and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, it's rich and concentrated with ripe acids enhanced by beautiful, chalky dry extracts, culminating in a long, saline and lovely oaky finish. This white wine always rewards patience and marries tension and charm to pleasing effect.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

Smith Haut Lafitte, Château Blanc

Jeb DUNNUCK

98

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

Simply stunning and undeniably one of the whites of the vintage, the 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc has a light gold hue as well as a brilliant perfume of honeyed grapefruit, crushed stone, and lemon zest. Rich, full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and concentrated on the palate, it’s one of those rare whites that brings a red wine-like sense of structure and mouthfeel while staying vibrant, juicy, and incredibly precise. Give it 2-3 years and enjoy through 2042.

Vinous

94

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc—which Fabien Teitgen told me was not picked too early like other châteaux—has a very fine bouquet of mainly yellow fruit, Anjou pear and beeswax scents, as a fennel tincture gradually surfaces in the glass. The palate is well balanced with lemon curd, white peach and a hint of mango. It shows fine delineation and a little more tension than its peers, representing one of the best examples in a vintage that did not really favor dry whites.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe2/6/2025

From the first nose you are right here in signature Smith Haut Lafitte, white flowers, apricot pit, mango, creamy peach and apricot with lime zest and fennel. There is the richness of the vintage but balanced by tension, steel and salinity, texture and lift. Full of energy, luscious today but clearly will age. Love it. Harvest August 18 to September 2. 50% new oak. Technical director Fabien Teitgen.

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

The sliced apples and pears with lemon blossoms and hints of dried pineapple and flint follow through to a medium body with brightness and energy. The finish is impressive with white pepper, crushed sea salt and spice. Really great finish here. All about energy. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon and 5% sauvignon gris. Better after 2028 but already a joy to taste.

Vinous

96

byAntonio Gallonithe1/28/2025

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is superb. What a wine. Rich, ample and creamy, with striking balance, the 2022 dazzles from start to finish. Ripe pear, tangerine peel, chamomile, mint and a kiss of spice all meld together in a stunning Blanc that belies the warm, dry year. Plush, generous contours wrap it all together in style. The balance here is magnificent.

Wine Maniacs

96-97

byLin Liuthe5/30/2023

Decanter.com

96

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

Lovely perfumed notes, floral, intensely fruity with vanilla, elderflower, green apple, pear, peach and white blossom, expressive and aromatic. Succulent and juicy straight away, a real hit of citrus juice, sharp and intense, so lively and yet the texture is quite filling giving a well balanced mouthfeel. Calm but layered, you feel the precision of each aspect, the soft toasted notes, bitter grapefruit and lemon peel, crisp green apple and mineral salinity - each is carefully presented. It’s rich and has concentration but keeps the focus delivering a supremely drinkable and nuanced wine. I love the mineral tang and long length. You get the feeling of a large, warm vintage but the acidity and focus is there, so it doesn't end heavy. Lots to like here and one of the best whites of 2022. 3.2pH

Vinous

94-96

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is matured in 50% new oak for a planned 12 months, removed from barrel after 9 months with three months in vat after blending. It has a very perfumed nose with yellow plums, jasmine, walnut and touches of fennel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine depth and acidity. Waxy in texture, with hazelnut and white pepper toward the saline, almost creamy finish.

Alexandre Ma

95-96

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

Few white wines achieve the delicate dance between flair and refinement quite as SHL does. It stands out like a talented superstar, whose presence you can detect at a glance, yet engages with a remarkable ease and grace. Encased within its freshness is an endless vitality, akin to a piece of historical Hetian jade, narrating the intricacies of the vintage of 2022. Its slightly bitter aftertaste extends the sweet return for miles, leaving a hint of sweetness upon reflection. The ability to craft such an outstanding white wine in the arid and hot conditions of 2022 is remarkable, and well-worth the attention of Bordeaux white wine enthusiasts.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe5/16/2023

This has structure and depth, serious tension, with slate, vibrant citrus, graphite, white pear, apricot, aniseed, liquorice, star anise, creamy but with a slice of steel that cuts through it. Brilliant quality, this is a standout white. Harvest August 18 to September 2. 50% new oak. Technical director Fabien Teitgen.

matthewjukes.com

19,5

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

Yvesbeck.wine

96-97

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

Complexe et profond, le bouquet signale clairement sa pluralité. D'un côté il révèle des nuances florales, de la verveine ainsi que des parfums de citronnelle, de pêches blanches, de maracuja et de menthe poivrée. Le vin a de l'ampleur, du crémeux. Ce dernier point est néanmoins contrecarré par de la tension, ce qui a pour effet de booster la fin de bouche et d'offrir un peu de pep. Le vin s'en retrouve parfaitement équilibré et bien soutenu par la fraîcheur de la tension et par de fins amers. Un vin salin, salivant et persistant qui a de quoi passer un moment en cave… si l'on a suffisamment de patience.

Bettane & Desseauve

95

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Nez expressif, élégant, complexe (citrus, pêche blanche, mangue, épices, fleurs blanches, minéralité), bouche savoureuse, large, avec une grande palette aromatique, du gras, de la fraîcheur, de la tension et beaucoup de salinité.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

The flagship 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a normal blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon. Aged in 55% new French oak, it shines in the vintage and brings plenty of classic richness and depth while at the same time staying pure, clean, and balanced. Honeyed lemon, orange blossom, white flowers, and crushed stone all define the aromatics, and it has a beautiful mouthfeel that certainly brings the richness and depth of the vintage. This is another gem of a white from this incredible château.

Vinous

94-96

byAntonio Gallonithe5/9/2023

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is airy, weightless and gracious. Citrus confit, mint, white pepper and tangerine oil and a kiss of French oak are all beautifully lifted. There’s lovely richness and texture but without the opulence of most warm, dry years. The 2022 will be a gorgeous wine at the dinner table. Drinking window : 2025-2037

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-95

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

Honeysuckle, lemon rind, spice, crushed rocks, white peach, tangerine and vanilla deliver the complex aromatics. Fresh and creamy, with layers of sweet, yellow citrus, pineapple, and a breath of herbs on the backend, the wine shows promise. This is going to be simply fabulous on release. The harvest took place August 18 - September 2. The wine blends 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris. ABV %14.5. Drink from 2025-2035.

Wine Advocate

93-95

byYohan Castaingthe4/28/2023

It appears likely that the 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc will overtake its 2019 counterpart as one of the most successful white wines this estate has produced to date, something that's especially impressive in the context of the vintage. Exhibiting aromas of linden, menthol, crisp orchard fruit and smoke, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and crystalline, with racy acids and an unctuos mid-palate. Chalky structuring dry extract makes its presence felt on the long, mineral finish. This is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris. 93 - 95+

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

This zooms over the palate from the minute you taste it with energetic acidity, grapefruit, pear, lemon and white peach character. Dried, candied lemon. Crushed stone, too. Medium-bodied with polish and class. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon and 5% sauvignon gris.