Tasting Note:
This was our highest scoring wine of the UGC tasting, and very impressive it was too – a real taste of luxury! Fabien Teitgen explained that they “Picked small, dense and concentrated grapes with very rich concentration of tannin.” They had to “pay strong attention to delicate extraction to preserve the balance of wine and avoid excess of tannin.” There’s a wonderful expressive bouquet of griotte, pressed raspberries, rose petals, cherry pit, Asian spice, blood orange, tobacco and sweet oak. Opulent, yet controlled on the palate, this is ambitious and generous, packed with a velvety core of black cherry and cassis. Layers of vibrant fruit wash over the palate; refined tannins give shape and energy to the sustained gravelly, stony finish. Another wonderful Smith Haut Lafitte. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
"Powerful on the attack, dense and concentrated at first then brighter on the retro-olfaction with layers of spice, liquorice and flowers. Intense but beautifully precise, with iris and peony aromatics coming in strongly as it opens in the glass. A ton of nuance and complexity, really takes its time, delivering a masterclass in restrained Pessac glamour. Average yields 30hl/ha for the reds. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak. Harvest started on September 9 - 30. Drinking Window 2030 - 2050". 97/100 - Jane Anson, Decanter.com
"A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aging in 60% new barriques, the very deep purple-black colored 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte makes an impactful entrance, opening with flamboyant notes of blackcurrant pastilles, chocolate-covered cherries and molten licorice, leading to nuances of ground cloves, woodsmoke, crushed rocks and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit preserves and shimmering mineral sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe and fantastically firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epically long-lasting earthy and savory layers. This is the singular voice of Smith Haut Lafitte at its finest, and wow-oh-wow is it worth a listen. This 2020 has an alcohol of 14.5% with a pH of 3.65. The tannins this year were a little higher than 2018 and 2019. A little less than a third of production went into this grand vin." 98-100/100 - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Advocate