Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Grand Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2014
Plush black and red berries frame the entry with black cherry, plum and mulberry flavours adding nuance. A little age has softened the tannins beautifully, they are now svelte and mellow but with just enough bite to work gracefully with an assortment of food. A hint of sous bois, damp earth and leather are starting to develop, but this is still primal and sumptuous. A lovely floral lilt provided by the Petit Verdot melds with a gentle Christmas spice character.
critic reviews
The 2014 Smith Haut Lafitte has an outgoing, opulent bouquet with high-toned red fruit infused with meat juices, an Italian deli and a few black truffle shavings. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fresh with a peppery mid-palate. Just a little attenuation towards the finish and not quite as vivacious as four years ago; nevertheless, it is a delicious Pessac-Léognan that is drinking ideally now, though I don't feel its longevity is as long as I originally predicted. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year-On tasting.
The 2014 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. Notes of sauteed herbs and tobacco leaf lead to a core of kirsch and raspberry leaves with an underlying medicinal waft. The medium-bodied palate is lively and chewy, with loads of herbal accents to the red berry flavors, finishing a tad firm and rugged. Because this wine was tasted blind with the Southwold Group, and the note/score is very different from my previous reviews of it, I will refrain from scoring it until I have the opportunity to taste it again to confirm the bottle’s condition and my assessment.
They know how to deliver sleek, poised and subtly gourmet wines even in the more austere vintages at Smith Haut Lafitte, and this is delicious, great quality, fine but firm tannins, opening up but still focus on primary fruits, cassis and blueberry, grilled oak, lovely stuff with a mouthwatering finish. 80% new oak, Fabien Teitgen technical director.
The 2014 Smith-Haut-Lafitte has a fragrant mulberry and strawberry scented bouquet with cedar and subtle undergrowth scents emerging with time. There is something almost Musigny-like here (written as a complement incidentallywhy not be compared to the greatest Burgundy Grand Cru?). The palate is medium-bodied with a soft and mellow opening. Quite spicy in the mouth with leather-tinged fruit on the open and inviting finish, there is something very approachable about this Smith-Haut-Lafitte, though like the 2014 Pape-Clement, it contains the substance to drink well over 10-15 years.
product details
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