2019 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac Leognan Kosher

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is a Grand Cru Classified Château from Graves. The story of this estate dates back to the 14th century when George Smith, a Scottish wine businessman, acquired the estate and renamed it after him.

The property passed through the hands of different owns, but it was in 1990, with the acquisition of Daniel and Florence Cathiard, that this winery finally exploit its potential, and became synonymous with premium, high-quality wines in Bordeaux, and as Wine Spectator said, “rejuvenated into one of Bordeaux’s elite properties.”

The Cathiard family are wine legends in the business. They own 5 different Châteaux in Bordeaux, and recently acquired Flora Springs in Napa Valley. They say their "philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: to do everything possible to make each vintage of red and white wine worthy of its magnificent terroir.” 

Since 1990, the 200-acre vineyard has been managed under sustainable and organic practices. In 2019, the estate was organically certified and started to implement biodynamic viticulture.

This Château owes its reputation as “the quintessential tomb” to the smoky notes of its wines and its mountainous terroir, made up of the river and semi-precious stones deposited by the Garonne millions of years ago. 

2019 was a great vintage for the Lef Bank. Vinous Media blessed this year with a 97-point review and said: "Two thousand-nineteen is unquestionably a Left Bank vintage."

Aging: 18 months in barrels (60% new)

 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot.

Intense blackberry and graphite character coming out of the glass, together with dried violets, ink and some asphalt. Full-bodied with wonderfully integrated tannins that spread across the palate and then draw you deep into the wine. Lead-pencil and blackcurrant aftertaste. Tightly wound with a cashmere-like texture. A whole and thought-provoking wine.Try after 2028 and beyond. ~ 99 James Suckling 

Sumptuous, seductive and extremely poised. This inches forward with layers of bitter chocolate, smoked caramel, liquorice root, fresh mint leaf, rosebud and black truffle. Behind all this sits caressing, slate-filled tannins that give real grip to the palate. Within 15 minutes of opening you feel even more volume in the mid palate, before things close in towards a mouthwatering salinity on the finish. ~99 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

~99 Wine Independent

Reminding me a little of the 2009, the 2019 Château Smith Haut Lafitte has a rich, powerful style in its cassis, blueberry, and black raspberry fruit as well as its chalky minerality, smoked earth, tobacco, and lead pencil shaving-like aromas and flavors. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, this rich, unctuously textured beauty has terrific concentration, sweet tannins, and the vintage's hallmark elegance and finesse. One of the most concentrated, powerful wines in the vintage, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age (or a healthy decant) and will evolve for 30+ years if stored properly. Not enough can be said about what proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard, as well as winemaker Fabien Teitgen, continue to achieve at this estate. ~98 Jeb Dunnuck

A wine that has great richness with spice, one of a line of great whites from this estate. Tropical fruits and generosity give a ripe, full-bodied wine, that is immediately attractive. The wine is going to age further, drink from 2024. Organic and biodynamic.  ~ 96 Wine Enthusiast

The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte has turned out very well indeed, unwinding in the glass with a complex bouquet of dark berries, cassis, forest floor, pencil shavings, licorice and spices. Full-bodied, broad and velvety, it's layered and elegantly muscular, underpinned by rich structuring tannins and lively acids, and it concludes with a long, expansive finish. This is another estate where the viticultural and stylistic evolutions of the last decade have delivered a beautifully balanced, harmonious 2019. ~96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A broad, rich and caressing wine, with a lovely display of cassis, plum puree and blackberry pâte de fruit notes. There's form thanks to a buried alder note, along with sweet tobacco and iron accents on the finish. A strong showing. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036. 10,000 cases made, 2,400 cases imported. ~95 Wine Spectator

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