2014 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

2014 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Product: 20148011879
 
2014 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

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Description

The 2014 Smith-Haut-Lafitte has a fragrant mulberry and strawberry scented bouquet with cedar and subtle undergrowth scents emerging with time. There is something almost Musigny-like here (written as a complement incidentallywhy not be compared to the greatest Burgundy Grand Cru?). The palate is medium-bodied with a soft and mellow opening. Quite spicy in the mouth with leather-tinged fruit on the open and inviting finish, there is something very approachable about this Smith-Haut-Lafitte, though like the 2014 Pape-Clement, it contains the substance to drink well over 10-15 years.

Drink 2020 - 2045

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (Mar 2017)

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Critics reviews

Neal Martin, Vinous93/100

The 2014 Smith Haut-Lafitte has a much simpler bouquet than the 2014 Pape-Clément, with scents of pencil lead and cooked meat infusing the black fruit. The palate is well balanced with slightly firm tannin, moderate levels of acidity that segues to a very peppery and vivacious finish. This is a sophisticated and classy Pessac-Léognan, though I wonder if it is starting to close down? Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Neil Martin, vinous.com (Mar 2018)

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Jancis Robinson MW17.5/20
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet France, 2% Petit Verdot. Very impressive combination of concentration and freshness. Real distinction here.

Drink 2023 - 2040

Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com (Nov 2018) Read more
Wine Advocate93/100

The 2014 Smith-Haut-Lafitte has a fragrant mulberry and strawberry scented bouquet with cedar and subtle undergrowth scents emerging with time. There is something almost Musigny-like here (written as a complement incidentallywhy not be compared to the greatest Burgundy Grand Cru?). The palate is medium-bodied with a soft and mellow opening. Quite spicy in the mouth with leather-tinged fruit on the open and inviting finish, there is something very approachable about this Smith-Haut-Lafitte, though like the 2014 Pape-Clement, it contains the substance to drink well over 10-15 years.

Dirnk 2020 - 2045

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (Mar 2017)

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James Suckling96/100
A big black-cherry and bitter-chocolate nose leads into a rich, concentrated palate, where the fruit easily holds sway over the powerful, dry tannins. It’s these that drive everything along right through to the assertive, slightly earthy finish; impressive long-term stuff! Try in 2021.

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Feb 2017) Read more
Decanter94/100

Full extraction but not obvious. High oak and firm tannins but rich coffee and damson fruit. Will age well. Fine tannic structure with glamorous house style, the Mouton of Pessac. The vibrancy and integrity of the fruit organic/ biodyanamic work is very clear.

Drink 2024 - 2040

Jane Anson, Decanter.com (Apr 2015)

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Jeb Dunnuck93/100
The 2014 Smith Haut Lafitte shows the elegant style of the vintage, yet the depth of fruit that’s common from this estate. Blackberries, currants, scorched earth, spicy oak and tobacco leaf nuances give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured 2014 that has ripe tannin and nicely integrated acidity. It has tons of character and is a beautiful, elegant wine to drink over the coming 15 years or so.

Drink 2018 - 2033

Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com (Nov 2017) Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

Château Smith-Haut-Lafite has been transformed during the last decade from being a perennial underachiever to being one of the leading estates in the Graves region.

For many years it was owned by the Bordeaux négociant Eschenauer - in 1990 it was bought by former Olympic skiing champion, Daniel Cathiard. He cut down on the amount of chemicals and herbicides used in the vineyards, and fully modernised the winemaking facilities. The proportion of new oak barrels used in the maturation process was increased and a trio of eminent oenologists (including the ubiquitous Michel Rolland) were hired as consultants.

The 55 hectares of vineyards are located on a gravel ridge to the east of Château Haut-Bailly. The red wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (35%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats and the wine is then matured in oak barrels (50% new) for 15-18 months. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

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Pessac-Leognan

Pessac-Leognan

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, in Bordeaux,  based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan, the first of which lies within the suburbs of the city. Essentially this came about through pressure from Pessac-Léognan vignerons, who wished to disassociate themselves from growers with predominately sandy soils further south in Graves.

Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.

The climate is milder than to the north of the city and the harvest can occur up to two weeks earlier. This gives the best wines a heady, rich and almost savoury character, laced with notes of tobacco, spice and leather. Further south, the soil is sandier with more clay, and the wines are lighter, fruity and suitable for earlier drinking.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, Ch. Pape Clément, Ch Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier, Ch. Larrivet-Haut-Brion, Ch. Carmes Haut-Brion, Ch. La Garde, Villa Bel-Air.

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Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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