Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge - Pessac-Léognan 2021

matthewjukes.com

18 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 02/08/2022

SHL lost 45% of the crop from frost and also mildew. They were able to spray the entire property in just one day, but in the third week of June, it rained hard three times, and this meant that it was nothing short of a Sisyphean challenge trying to keep the vines protected! So when you taste this wine, it is evident, right away, that it is a marvellous success. This is the epitome of refinement and length, and with a trademark blend, this is not only a superb rendition of SHL but also a stunningly refreshing and keenly balanced one. The fruit is already pliable and bright, and there is overall less tannin, but, equally, there is potential here. I imagine the idea drinking period will kick off around 2030 but last for longer than many would expect. 18+

Jamessuckling.com

96-97 / 100

par James Suckling le 08/06/2022

Lots of clove, black-licorice and cigar-box character. Already perfumed. Medium body with fine, chalky and precise tannins. Lead-pencil shavings. Well framed and structured with a fresh, lengthy and spicy finish. Extremely long and intense. 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-95 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 02/06/2022

The flagship 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Petit Verdot. It's a rich, powerful wine, delivering lots of ripe black fruits (currants, some cassis), notes of scorched earth and graphite, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great mid-palate. It shows the straight, focused style of the vintage yet brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, building tannins, and outstanding length. 93-95+

Bettane & Desseauve

95-96 / 100

par Bettane & Desseauve le 24/05/2022

Il ne se dégustait qu’au château. Les échantillons parfaitement tirés rendaient justice au cru, noblement aromatique, crémeux dans sa texture, déjà bien ouvert, complexe et satisfaisant.

The Vintage Journal

94-95 / 100

par Andrew Caillard MW le 17/05/2022

Deep crimson. Mulberry, dark cherry, hint praline aromas with sage/ herb garden notes. Concentrated mulberry, dark cherry, blackcurrant brambly flavours, plentiful chewy firm tannins and vanilla oak notes. Elemental wine with very good density and richness of flavour. 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot 3% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot. 18 months in French oak (30–60% new). 13% alc

Alexandre Ma

94-96 / 100

par Alexandre Ma le 16/05/2022

As you see, the late harvest of SHL helps retain its symbolic beautiful and voluptuous style in the cool 2021. Unlike most wines in this vintage with gentle fruity fragrances, SHL still shows off the aromas of ripe berries. Swirling the glass, it sends forth complex flavors of salty dried plum, waxberry, and a hint of kale borecole. Respect for the excellent wine-making technique of Fabien's team. This wine boasts a powerful structure and rich tannins on the palate. Owing to its relatively plump body, it tastes smoothly in all conditions. It is an enthusiastic ode to winter presented by SHL, letting off warmth and happiness in the cold winters. ????,SHL????????????2021???????????????????????????????,SHL???????????,?????????????????????????,????????Fabien???????????????????,??????;??????????,?????????SHL???????????,?????????????????

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 16/05/2022

Dark in color, the wine opens with blackberry, boysenberry, flowers, cocoa, licorice, chocolate and black cherry. The wine is soft, polished, elegant and refined, with silky tannins, energy and purity to the fruit, which you can taste in the mid-palate. The finish delivers a precise note of chocolate-covered mint and cherries with a mineral, chalky endnote. Blending 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV pH of 3.65. The harvest took place September 22 through October 14. Yields were low at only 22 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2047. 94-96

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

95 / 100

par Jane Anson le 13/05/2022

Vinous

92-94 / 100

par Neal Martin le 12/05/2022

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte was picked from September 22 to October 14, and matured in 60% new oak. It has an open, expressive bouquet of blackberry, freshly rolled tobacco and subtle crushed rock aromas, well-defined though obviously not as flamboyant as the previous three vintages. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and mineral-driven, with fine tannins, a touch of chalkiness, and hints of seaweed on the estuarine finish, even though it lies a few kilometers from the Gironde! Classic in style, and maybe a little austere for some on the finish, yet it feels long in the mouth. Fabien Teitgen and his team have overseen a superb Smith Haut-Lafitte, even though I suspect that it will not reach the heights of the 2010 or the 2016.

Vinous

95-97 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 11/05/2022

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte is fabulous. Rich and explosive in the glass, the 2021 possesses tremendous intensity, much of that the result of low yields of just 20-22 hectoliters per hectare, about half of what is typical here. The tannins are a bit firm today, but there appears to be more than enough fruit behind all of that structure. Vivid aromatics further suggest all the 2021 needs is time. I can't wait to see how it ages.

vvwine

96-98 / 100

par Adrian Van Velsen le 10/05/2022

(60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot). Purpurrot. Die Nase ist super präzis, Cassis, Brombeere, ein Hauch Tabak, Süssholz, Veilchen, super komplex, schon jetzt. Im Gaumen frisch, rassig, gradlinig und knackig, sensationelle Struktur, feinmaschiges Tannin, dieses ist von höchster Güte, keine Adstringenz, keine Trockenheit, einfach nur sehr hohe Qualität. Im Abgang mit schöner Länge und viel Frische. Ein Top Wein, mit guten Reserven. 2025-2045 (Verkostet im April 2022. Château Smith Haut Lafitte)

Anthocyanes

95-97 / 100

par Yohan Castaing le 06/05/2022

Assemblages non réalisés. Epices nobles, grillé, réglisse, graphite avec des fruits noirs. Bouquet très élégant et légèrement sombre. Belle structure tannique, un milieu de bouche plein et une allonge remarquable et délicate. Touche boisée en finale et une réelle tension. Un très beau vin dans l'esprit du millésime.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par William Kelley le 29/04/2022

A brilliant wine, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte offers up aromas of blackberries, violets, coniferous forest floor and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it's deep and impressively multidimensional, with good concentration, beautifully refined tannins and notable purity of fruit, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. The fruit of a severe selection, this blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot is testament to the Cathiard family's unwavering commitment to quality.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

par Georgina Hindle le 01/04/2022

Gorgeous aromas on the nose, so expressive with blackcurrant, plum, damson, strawberry and red cherry all abounding out of the glass. This has style and substance on the palate, the sour cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry covered in the terroir markers of slate, graphite, pencil lead and liquorice which are the drivers on the palate, the fruit taking a backseat right now though there is cohesion with verticality and an undercurrent of freshness. The energy is there, almost latent, it’s under the surface, brimming, not yet ready to go but it will be there in time. This has refinement and you feel they haven't pushed too hard. It’s definitely got the markers of the vintage, the coolness of the year, showing the grapes and terroir even more clearly in the glass, especially the spiced Cabernet aspects. I love the style and the no frills effect. It’s got a super long length too with enough class on show you know it will age well.