Les Hauts de Smith 2011 - Second vin du Château Smith Haut-Lafitte
Bordeaux
Red
Sold individually
Drink or Keep
15/20
Gault & Millau
-
89/100
Robert Parker
-
89/100
Wine Spectator
-
14,5/20
Bettane & Desseauve
"Les Hauts de Smith 2011 is a gorgeous deep ruby/purple-colored wine with lots of cassis, graphite, smoke and floral notes. Charming, round and generously endowed, it should drink well for 12-15 years." (Wine Advocate - Robert Parker). An expressive red with lovely fresh red fruits (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) that give it a beautiful aromatic elegance... Delivery in wooden cases for orders of 12 bottles of this wine delivered in France.
Features
Estate
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Cuvée
Les Hauts de Smith
Vintage
2011
Designation
Pessac-Léognan
Region
Bordeaux
Grape varieties
55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon
Terroirs
Gunzian gravel for natural soil drainage
Viticulture
cultivation according to biodynamic principles
Harvest
in micro crates
Winemaking
unpressed grapes fermented in vats, maceration for 4 to 6 weeks at 26-28°C
Breeding
14 months in barrel
Alcohol content
13.5%
Tasting & pairing
Eye
deep red, brilliant
Nose
expressive, with lovely fresh red fruits (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) that give it a lovely aromatic elegance
Mouth
smooth and round, with a fine texture of tannin. The wine is greedy and already pleasant.
Serve
decant at 17-18°C
Open
1 hour before
Drink from
2014
Drink before
2021
Food and wine pairing
Enjoy with cep pan-fried Bordeaux-style, veal chop with morel mushrooms, game birds, red meats...
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Pessac-Léognan
Expert opinion
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated (2015 guide) 14.5/20 (Good wine)
Domaine rated (2020 guide) 4*Stars (Top-quality producers, the glories of French winegrowing)
About the wine:
Medium ruby color, pleasant, slightly milky nose, supple body, smooth tannins: a fruity, light-bodied wine, finishing with deliberately soft tannins.
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
Rated 15/20 (Very good)
Domain rated 5*Stars (Outstanding production)
About the wine:
Fruity, woody nose. Powerful, tannic red.
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
Wine rated (2014 guide) 89/100 (Very good wine)
Domain rated Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
About the wine:
Les Hauts de Smith 2011 is a magnificent wine with a deep ruby/purple color, lots of cassis, graphite, smoke and floral notes. Charming, round and generously endowed, it should drink well for 12-15 years.
About the domain :
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Domaine rated (2020 guide) 2*Stars (These great estates, often blessed with fabulous terroirs, are must-haves which, because of their consistency and the excellence of their production, must be included in the cellars of discerning wine lovers).
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 Spectator
Rated 89/100 (Very good wine)
Customer reviews
Customer rating
4.1/5
on 15 reviews
Note and review by M. DAMIEN H. Published on 09/04/2021
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Note and review by M. PHILIPPE J. Published on 27/09/2019
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Note and review by M. JEAN MARIE D. Published on 12/07/2019
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Note and review by Mme ANNE CAROLE R. Published on 02/12/2018
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Note and review by M. JEAN CHARLES M. Published on 06/06/2018
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Note and review by M. JEAN LUC A. Published on 15/06/2017
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Note and review by M. CHRISTIAN G. Published on 08/02/2016
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Note and review by M. ALBERT F. Published on 08/11/2015
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Note and review by M. PIERRE LOUIS S. Published on 20/09/2015
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Note and review by M. SEBASTIEN C. Published on 15/09/2015
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