Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Pessac Léognan, 2023
Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2023 - 2023 was not a particularly challenging vintage for the whites according to Technical Director Fabien Tetigen, as long as you used the vines’ canopies to counteract the heat spikes. The one watch out was harvest date, though, timing of picking was key – neither rushing nor waiting too long. Judging by this wine, the Smith Haut Lafitte team got it spot on, for this is one of the whites of the vintage as far as we are concerned. A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris – this is a particularly intense but well balanced Smith Haut Lafitte. It carries its concentration well. Seamless but endless flavours of citrus, stone, herbs and mint flow briskly across the palate. A touch of creaminess signposts full ripeness, but is complimentary to the pristinely fresh fruit. Showing well already but, like all great wines, this is holding a touch in reserve, too.
critic reviews
A wine that I enjoyed so much I added it to my 67 Pall Mall advent calendar in 2025, and you're going to be hard pressed not to enjoy every minute. White peach, citrus, sage, slate, has deepened further over ageing and this is ready to go, very much one that gives a mouthwatering finish with this touch of crushed oyster shell. 36hl/h yields. 50% new oak for ageing.
The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is clean and precise on the nose, very focused and tensile, scents of clementine, freshly cut fennel, hints of lanolin in the background. The palate is well-balanced with fine acidity, impressive tension and more complexity than many of its peers. Again, there is a touch of spice on the finish, with lemongrass and stem ginger waiting patiently in the background. Very classy.
A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris, the white 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is aging in 50% new oak. After a swirl or two, it prances out with gregarious notes of white peaches, fresh pineapple, and green mangoes, opening out to underlying hints of lime blossoms, wet slate, and fresh ginger. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and vivacious, with a racy backbone and a long, exotic fruit-laced finish. Yum!
Aromas of white fruits, crisp orchard fruits, spices, smoke, spring flowers and pear introduce the 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, layered and textured wine with a fleshy core of fruit and racy acids, concluding with a mineral, fresh and long finish highlighted by delicate notes of thyme and garrigue. Comprising 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris and matured in 50% new oak, this blend is among the finest white wines produced at this address.