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  • Country ranking ?

    602
  • Producer ranking ?

    21
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now - 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Sole Meuniere, Smoked salmon & grilled langoustine

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The Story

Each Château has its own style. What would be, according to you, the specificities of Château Smith Haut Lafitte White?

About our style, I would say that either you love our wines or you hate them. But be careful, if you do love them, it is for life… Our style is quite special, even paradoxical.
We have 90% of Sauvignon Blanc in our blend, however this proportion is almost unidentifiable on a blind tasting because of the age of our vines, ...

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Vintage 2016

2016 Bordeaux in Review  “A Paradox”

by Andrew Caillard MW

The 2016 Bordeaux vintage will be remembered as one of the great years of the 21st Century. I have not been so excited about the prospects of such young wines since the remarkable back-to-back 2009 and 2010 vintages. At that time China was at the zenith of its extraordinary fine wine ascendency where the very top estates, particularly Chateau Lafite, had become a baksheesh curren...

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Tasting note

color

Medium and Green-Yellow

ending

Long, Extensive and Flavorful

flavors

Mint, Coffee, Toasty, Honey, Mineral and New-oak

nose

Youthful, Complex, Generous and Refined

taste

Average in Acidity, Perfectly balanced, Concentrated, Well-Integrated, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Harmonious, Focused, Ripe and Dry

Verdict

Excellent

Written Notes

2016 white Château Smith Haut Lafitte has a beautiful, brilliant, straw-yellow colour, as well as a hugely aromatic bouquet of citrus and white fruit: lemon, pink grapefruit, vineyard peaches, fresh mango, etc... With aeration, the bouquet goes on to reveal hints of pear, acacia blossom, and lime blossom, as well as spicy and smoky nuances. The nose shows beautiful aromatic complexity. The wine starts out crisp and straightforward on the palate, going on to display considerable richness, substance, and concentration. Richness and acidity intertwine perfectly in this delicious white Smith Haut Lafitte. This wonderful finish is very long, very fresh, complex, saline.

This 2016 has all the hallmarks of Smith Haut Lafitte's great terroir: minerality, salinity, and flintiness.

Bright yellow colour. Bit reserved nose shows some gently toasty and spicy aromas with touch of white fruits. The dry and complex palate shows great intensity and vibrancy with lovely toasty flavours. Firm palate is still bit closed and wine definitely benefits from cellaring another 3-5 years at least. If served now, decant for 2 hours and serve with grilled lobster, smoked whitefish with buttery lemon risotto. JL 92p (12/2020)

  • 92p

Tasted blind. Rich and round – arguably a little heavy and sweet. Needs just a little more acidity but there is certainly lots of character. A bit of heat and heft. But very distinctive. Astringent finish.
 

  • 88p

Wow! I want to drink this as soon as I smell it. Intensely fresh agrumes aroma with pure delicate cedar, the oak barely evident the fruit is so precise and sure-footed. Richer than I expected on the palate, the creamy citrus flavours spreading across the palate and the freshness taking it to the back palate. Multidimensional. Deep, mouth-watering, already delicious but much more complexity to come.

  • 93p

Pale colour. Fragrant camomile, lemon curd aromas with flinty notes. Harmonious and richly flavoured with lovely lemon curd, yeasty creamy flavours, toasty oak complexity, fine plentiful lacy textures and beautiful mineral length. Tasted at the Union des Grand Crus. 96 points           

  • 96p

Bright yellow colour with green hue. Excellent nose, well structured, complex aro94ma, hints of grapefruit, buxus, passion fruit, hints of vanilla, discreet toasting aroma, fine minerality in the background. On the palate well structured with discreet minerality, fine citrus fruit, excellent structure and length. 

  • 94p
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Information

Origin

Martillac, Bordeaux

Drinking temperature

12-14

Other wines from this producer

Château Cantelys

Château Cantelys blanc

Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Casher

Hauts de Smith Blanc

Le Petit Haut Lafitte

Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc

Les Hauts de Smith

Les Hauts de Smith rouge

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