Wine Advisor
Smith Haut Lafitte, Blanc 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
In 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is rich, sumptuous and incredibly inviting, with no hard edges and fabulous balance. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2015 retains a good bit of freshness. Naturally, the 2015 leans toward the richer end of the spectrum in 2015, yet all of the signatures are very much in place. The aromatics aren't fully expressive. It will be interesting to see what time brings.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is powerful and intense, but also incredibly young at this stage. There is notable density and persistence throughout, but just like the red Grand Vin, the aromatic dimension in the wine has not yet developed. The wine's length and overall density are both impressive. Here, too, the en primeur samples were less expressive than the wines were when I tasted the separate lots from barrel in January 2016. With a bit of air, the flavors start to brighten and bristle with pure energy. The blend is 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc has a fragrant bouquet of dried honey, white peach and light spicy aromas, unfurling with every swirl of the glass. The palate presents a slightly honeyed opening countered by acidity, but feels perhaps just a little too rich toward the second half. Tropical notes emerge on the finish. The balance is here and maybe this will give more with a couple of years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris, the Smith Haut Lafitte 2015 Blanc has an incredibly compelling nose of ripe apricots, passion fruit, honeyed lemons and crushed stones with a hint of lime blossoms. Medium-bodied, super intense and super minerally, the palate sings of stone fruit and citrus layers with plenty of zip and zing, finishing with incredible persistence, alluring fruitiness and a savory contrast that will keep you reaching for another glass.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Smith Haut Lafitte 2015 Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Sauvignon Blanc matured in 50% new oak. It has a crisp, conservative bouquet, tightly wound at first, reticent even, though with a couple of minutes' swirling, it reveals intense fresh lime flower, pink grapefruit, guava and blood orange scents. The palate is extremely well balanced with a silver bead of acidity, a dab of sour lemon that cleanses the mouth, followed by pink grapefruit, citrus lemon and green apple notes toward the long finish. This is another outstanding white Smith Haut Lafitte from winemaker Fabien Tietgen and the famille Cathiard.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2015 Blanc has a very subtle, nuanced bouquet at first that demands more coaxing, but eventually it offers lovely citrus peel, linden, wet stone and yellow flower scents that gather momentum with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with beautifully integrated new oak. It is a more discrete style of Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc compared to recent vintages, a wine that will repay those with the patience to give this two or more years in bottle. Very sophisticated.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris, the Smith Haut Lafitte 2015 Blanc has an incredibly compelling nose of ripe apricots, passion fruit, honeyed lemons and crushed stones with a hint of lime blossoms. Medium-bodied, super intense and super minerally, the palate sings of stone fruit and citrus layers with plenty of zip and zing, finishing with incredible persistence, alluring fruitiness and a savory contrast that will keep you reaching for another glass.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A beautiful white with pretty density and richness. Bright and clear with intense aromas and flavors of lilacs and stones. Some violet. Full and bright. Firm phenolic tension. Bright acidity.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Very subtle and complex with sliced cooked apples, pie crust and hints of oyster shell as well as Iodine. Full-bodied, tight and layered with mineral and true terroir character. Just a touch of seamless tannins. Solid and fresh. Needs decanting young. Serious for aging. Better in 2020.
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.
