Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan rouge 2019 - Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

A flagship property in Martillac for the quality of its facilities and its openness to wine tourism with the superb Sources de Caudalie establishment (5-star hotel-spa and two-Michelin-starred restaurant, La Grand'Vigne), Smith Haut-Lafitte is also a pioneering vineyard in its category for its viticultural philosophy, which Daniel Cathiard describes as bio-precision, the aim being to combine the best of nature with the best of science. Florence and Daniel Cathiard, who acquired the property in 1991, can be proud of the work accomplished on the 78 hectares of vineyards. Respect for the terroir, precise winemaking, integrated cooperage, dynamic communication: in just a quarter of a century, the Cathiards have become part of the Bordeaux legend! The wines have found their true personality: no more woody excesses, they are now racy, perfectly expressing their terroir and bursting with energy. Hauts-de-smith and le-petit-haut-de-smith receive the same attention as the grand vin, and it shows!

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the domain :

The Cathiards are a success story in the French wine industry. After buying the estate in 1990, they turned it towards a quality approach, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and established it as a top-of-the-range business - including the creation of a vinotherapy center. Like a growing number of châteaux, Smith Haut-Lafitte has adopted a "bio-organic" approach, using organic anti-botrytis agents, massal selections, horse-drawn ploughing, composting...

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Smith Haut Lafitte 2019 has indeed turned out very well. It reveals itself in the glass with a complex bouquet of dark berries, blackcurrant, forest floor, pencil shavings, licorice and spice. Full-bodied, ample and velvety, it is layered and elegantly muscular, supported by rich, structuring tannins and lively acidity. It ends with a long, expansive finish. This is an estate where the viticultural and stylistic evolutions of the last decade have delivered a beautifully balanced and harmonious 2019.

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

This estate has come a long way since Florence and Daniel Cathiard bought it in 1990. From a ruined cru classé and a virtually abandoned vineyard, these two neo-winegrowers, trained in the school of supermarket distribution in the case of the former and in communications in the case of the latter, have made a name for themselves. Firstly, to produce a wine that is undoubtedly among the elite of Bordeaux production, and secondly, to make Smith Haut-Lafitte an essential stopover for wine tourism. If the wines were at first a little too mature and woody, their style has been greatly refined over the last ten years. The texture of the reds, the measure of extractions and the more delicate tannic masses are all part of a more contemporary, less demonstrative taste. The whites have also followed this trend, with the influence of ageing much less pronounced in recent vintages. Smith Haut-Lafitte wines are enjoying international success and strong price growth.

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

Rich in black fruit with a structure that acts as a support. Acidity and flavors of blackberries, black coffee and a core of very fine density. Will age well, drinking from 2026. Organic and biodynamic.

James Suckling

About the wine:

RANKED 4TH OUT OF 100 - BEST WINES IN THE WORLD TASTED IN 2022. Intense blackberry and graphite character emerges from the glass, along with dried violet, ink and a little asphalt. Full-bodied, with wonderfully integrated tannins that spread across the palate and draw you deep into the wine. Aftertaste of pencil lead and blackcurrant. Tight structure with a cashmere-like texture. A thought-provoking, full-bodied wine. To be tried after 2028 and beyond.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

An opulent nose that draws you in irresistibly, with notes of dark chocolate ganache, cherry, Ente plum and elderberry. A breathtaking palate of black fruits, silky and velvety, feline and suave, that makes you want to curl up in an armchair by the fire. The immense body and ribbon-fine tannins give it unrivalled presence and brilliance, while the finish is long and languorous.

Terre de Vins

About the wine:

A nose of exquisite freshness, blackberry, blackcurrant and cherry, for a dense, immediately seductive palate. Magnificent juice, without excessive demonstration, caressing and concentrated, finely textured with an interminable allonge on black fruits, spices and gunflint. Harmonious bitters on the finish. A great sharing wine to buy without hesitation.

Yves Beck

About the wine:

What color and density! The bouquet is intense and subtle. It reveals floral nuances and notes of licorice wood followed by a touch of flint. Charming on the attack, the wine has smooth but tight tannins and refreshing tension. Full-bodied and, above all, beautifully balanced. A powerful, inviting wine. 2026-2044

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is fresh, complex and elegant, with a lovely grain, ripeness and creaminess. There are notes of boysenberry, creamy blackcurrant and, more lightly, pulpy strawberry, combined with hints of tart/crushed raspberry, as well as fine hints of blueberry, lily, saline gravel and discreet pepper. The palate is full-bodied, well-balanced, elegant and focused, offering freshness, gourmandise, lovely definition, an acidic structure, minerality, restraint, lovely volume/roundness, a tautness and creaminess all in balance. A lovely structure, powerful yet controlled and restrained. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed blackberry, pulpy/juicy/fresh plum and, more lightly, raspberry, combined with hints of fleshy strawberry, chocolate, toasted almond, toastiness, as well as fine hints of star anise, pepper, discreet hints of caramelization in the background and an imperceptible hint of violet. The tannins are elegant, heady and racy. Nice work on the bitters. Subtle hint of good cocoa/roasted bitterness on persistence.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

Almost opaque in color, the nose catches the eye from the first swirl and sniff, with notes of blackberry, smoke, black cherry, espresso, damp earth, cocoa and flowers. On the palate, the wine is already expressive. Voluptuous, seductive, silky, fresh and rich, layers of fruit coat your palate, leaving you with a sensual finish filled with waves of dark red fruit that linger and expand. The wine is so good now, we drank the bottle for dinner knowing that over the next 2-3 decades, it will get even better. Drink between 2025 and 2055.