2023 Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte rouge - Grand Cru Classe - Pessac-Leognan AC

Decanter.com – 97 pts – GH: *Dark and fragrant nose, scented and intense but not too rich and ripe, more cool, crisp and fresh. Aromatics of roses, floral elements and pot pourri - very welcoming. Big boned, this has expansion and intensity from the get go, powdery tannins fill the mouth with a juicy core and layers of freshness, mint, graphite, wet stones, herbs, cocoa and liquorice. Not as immediately as suave, soft and caressing as SHL can be, this is more serious, more straight and streamlined. Still finessed but this has muscle to it, forward and direct. It’s a beauty but will need time to expand and soften some more. Still very much on the Cabernet aromatics and power. I do like its density though, there is richness here, it’s not all straight and the tannins are filling. This has lovely potential with chewy strawberry and cranberry flavours. You don’t have the feeling of overt warmth with a cool freshness and touching on austere acidity, but this offers freshness and tension as well as ripeness. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. 26hl/ha yield, more or the less the same as usual winemaker Fabien Teitgen said.* - 04/2024

Falstaff Magazin – 96 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, tiefer Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine dunkle Waldbeernote, feines Edelholz, reife Kirschen, etwas Cassis, einladendes Bukett. Komplex, würzig, saftige Brombeerfrucht, reife Tannine, Vanille im Abgang, etwas Karamell und Röstaromen im Nachhall, stoffig, zeigt Länge und sicheres Reifepotenzial.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 97/100 pts: *Nach einem heissblütigen 2022er zeigt der 2023er Smith Haut-Laffite ungemein viel Frische; komplexes Duftbild, tiefgründig, kühl im Ausdruck; frischer, rassiger Gaumen, gradlinig, mit Biss, Toptanninqualität, viel Dynamik, grosser Spannungsbogen; hervorragende Länge. Sehr Bordeaux, sehr energetisch.* - 12/2023

WeinWisser – 19+/20 pts – GL, TW: * 92 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 8 % Cabernet Franc, 26 hl/ha. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, frischgepflückte schwarze Johannisbeere, dunkle Schokopastillen und schwarze Olivenpaste, dahinter edle Cassiswürze, Brasil-Tabak und Holundersaft. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger, straffer Textur, körniges Extrakt, schokoladiges, strukturiertes Tanningerüst, mit viel Spannung und Konzentration versehen, durchtrainierter Körper. Ein aristokratischer Smith Haut Lafitte, der dieses Jahr mit einem Sticker ausgestattet ist, der an den Besuch von King Charles auf dem Weingut im vergangenen Jahr erinnert.* – 04/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 17/20pts – JL: *70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 26 hl/ha. Highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon ever. Cask sample. Good colour. Attractive nose with dark-fruit and floral notes. Juicy and sweet on attack with a reasonable density of fruit to follow. Powerful, muscular tannins that need to be reined in. Some warmth but freshness as well. Dry, chewy-chalky finish. Will benefit from élevage.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (95-97) pts – AG: *The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a powerhouse. In recent years, the Grand Vin has shifted toward a bit more nuance than in the past, but in 2023, small yields and thick skins yielded a somber, explosive Grand Vin. It will need many years to be at its most expressive. Blackberry, gravel, licorice, spice, plum and chocolate are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass. Readers will find a wine of real substance and textural intensity, framed by vibrant acids. A touch of air works wonders here.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (94-96) pts – NM: *The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte comes with a label celebrating the visit of King Charles III that year, though I presume it was not his advice to include more Cabernet Sauvignon (70%). It was cropped at 26hL/ha. Matured in 60% new oak, it has a lovely bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, crushed violet and light oyster shell scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, gentle grip, fine depth and a sapid, classically lined finish. One of the more structured Smith Haut Lafittes in recent years, it deserves four or five years in bottle. Excellent.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (96-98) pts – JL: *The nose shoots out its tobacco, smoke, camphor, spice, floral, and black, with red fruits with only a swirl or two. The palate is even better with its fresh, energetic, black, with red fruit profile, along with its array of spices, chewy tannins, blue fruits, smoke, and dark chocolate. The wine is long, intense, focused, and complex, with a nice aromatic display in the mouth in the finish, which sticks with you for almost 50 seconds. The key to the vintage was finding the right dates to harvest coupled with a soft, gentle extraction. Picking took place from September 22 - October 5. The wine is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is aging in 60% New, French oak barrels for 18 months. 14% ABV. pH 3.65. Drink from 2028-2055.* - 05/2024