Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan rouge 2019 - Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

A flagship property in Martillac thanks to the quality of its facilities and its openness to wine tourism with the superb Les Sources de Caudalie establishment (a five-star hotel and spa with a two-Michelin-star restaurant, La Grand’Vigne), Smith Haut-Lafitte is also a pioneer in its category for its viticulture philosophy, which Daniel Cathiard describes as bio-precision, the aim being to combine the best of nature with the best of science. Florence and Daniel Cathiard, who acquired the property in 1991, can be proud of the work accomplished on the 78 hectares of vineyards. Respect for the terroir, precision in winemaking, integrated cooperage, dynamic communication: in just a quarter of a century, the Cathiards have become part of the Bordeaux legend! The wines have found their true personality: gone are the excesses of oak, they are now racy, perfectly expressing their terroir and bursting with energy. Hauts-de-Smith and Le-Petit-Haut-de-Smith receive the same attention as the grand vin, and it shows!

Guide Hachette des vins

About wine:

With a beautiful dark ruby color, deep and clear, the robe promises a wine of beautiful concentration. The nose reveals generous notes of ripe black fruit. This fruit is complemented by a subtle mineral touch on the palate, which is as broad as it is long, dense, and solid, supported by vigorous, racy tannins.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the estate:

The Cathiards are a shining example of success in French viticulture. After purchasing the estate in 1990, they focused on quality, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and positioned it as a high-end commercial venture, notably by creating a wine therapy center. Like more and more châteaux, Smith Haut-Lafitte is adopting an "organic" approach: using organic antibotrytis treatments, practicing massal selection, plowing with horses, making compost, etc.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

What a journey this estate has been on since 1990, the year Florence and Daniel Cathiard bought it! From a classified growth in ruins and a vineyard that had been virtually abandoned, these two new winemakers—he trained in retail distribution and she in communications—have made a name for themselves. First, they produced a wine that is undoubtedly among the elite of Bordeaux production, and then they made Smith Haut-Lafitte an essential stop on any wine tourism itinerary. While the wines were sometimes a little too ripe and oaky in their early days, their style has greatly refined over the past ten years. The texture of the reds and the measured extraction with more delicate tannins have resulted in wines that are more in line with current tastes and less demonstrative. The whites have also followed this trend, with a much less pronounced influence of aging in recent vintages. The success continues: Smith Haut-Lafitte wines are enjoying international success and strong price growth.

Wine Enthusiast

About wine:

Rich in black fruits with a structure that acts as a support. Acidity and flavors of blackberries, black coffee, and a very fine density core. The wine will age well, ready to drink from 2026. Organic and biodynamic.

James Suckling

About wine:

RANKED 4TH OUT OF 100 - BEST WINES IN THE WORLD TASTED IN 2022. An intense character of blackberry and graphite emerges from the glass, along with dried violet, ink, and a hint of asphalt. Full-bodied, with wonderfully integrated tannins that spread across the palate and draw you deep into the wine. Aftertaste of pencil lead and blackcurrant. Tight structure with a cashmere-like texture. A whole wine that gives you food for thought. Try after 2028 and beyond.

Jeb Dunnuck

About wine:

Reminiscent of the 2009 vintage, the 2019 Château Smith Haut Lafitte is rich and powerful in style, with aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, and black raspberry, as well as notes of chalky minerality, smoky earth, tobacco, and pencil lead. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the remainder Petit Verdot, this rich and creamy beauty has tremendous concentration, soft tannins, and the elegance and finesse characteristic of the vintage. It is one of the most concentrated and powerful wines of the vintage. It needs 4-5 years of bottle aging (or a good decanting) and will evolve for over 30 years if stored properly. We cannot say enough about what owners Daniel and Florence Cathiard, along with winemaker Fabien Teitgen, continue to achieve at this estate.

Le Figaro vins

About wine:

An opulent nose that draws you in irresistibly, with notes of dark chocolate ganache, cherry, Ente plum, and elderberry. A breathtaking palate of black fruits, silky and velvety, feline and smooth, that makes you want to curl up in an armchair by the fire. Its immense body and tannins as fine as ribbon give it unparalleled presence and brilliance, while the finish is long and languid.

Yves Beck

About wine:

What color, what density! The bouquet is intense and subtle. It reveals floral nuances and notes of licorice wood followed by a touch of flint. Charming on the attack, the wine has smooth but tight tannins and a refreshing tension. It has body and, above all, a very nice balance. A powerful and inviting wine.  2026-2044

Vert de Vin

About wine:

The nose is fresh, complex, elegant, and offers a lovely texture, nice maturity, and a certain creaminess. There are notes of boysenberry, creamy blackcurrant and, more subtly, juicy strawberry, combined with hints of tart/crushed raspberry and delicate touches of blueberry, lily, salty gravel and subtle hints of pepper. The palate is pulpy, balanced, elegant, well-structured and offers freshness, richness, lovely definition, a tangy texture, minerality, restraint, lovely volume/roundness, a tense side and a well-balanced creaminess. A lovely powerful structure, yet controlled and restrained. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of crushed blackberry, pulpy/juicy/fresh plum and, more subtly, raspberry, combined with hints of fleshy strawberry, chocolate, toasted almonds, toast, as well as subtle hints of star anise, pepper, subtle hints of caramelization in the background and an imperceptible hint of violet. The tannins are elegant, heady and racy. Nice work on the bitter notes. There is a subtle hint of pleasant cocoa/toasted bitterness on the finish.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About wine:

Almost opaque in color, the nose draws attention from the first swirl and sniff, thanks to notes of blackberry, smoke, black cherry, espresso, damp earth, cocoa, and flowers. On the palate, the wine is already expressive. Voluptuous, seductive, silky, fresh, and rich, layers of fruit coat your palate, leaving you with a sensual finish filled with waves of dark red fruit that linger and expand. The wine is so good now that we drank the bottle with dinner, knowing that over the next 2-3 decades, it will become even better. Drink between 2025 and 2055.