Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2010

Gorgeous, with alluring black tea and warm ganache notes that unfurl slowly, while the core of intense steeped plum, anise, blackberry compote and black currant confiture sits patiently in reserve. The beautiful loam-, tobacco- and tar-filled finish displays major heft, but also remarkable polish and grace. Should age very slowly. Best from 2018 through 2035. 9,000 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.

The 2010 is a remarkable wine and is a testament to all the efforts of the Cathiard family and their team. Complex and dense, the bouquet reveals a gorgeous array of blackcurrants, graphite, smoke, spices, gum trees, tobacco and liquorice. Full of freshness also. Dense and concentrated, the palate possesses an elegant tannic frame, with a deep and perfectly balanced structure. The finish is endless, fresh and slightly minty. Superb!

Aromas of blueberries, blackberries and plums follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a fruity finish. Lots of mushroom and fruit undertones. Very polished. Such finesse yet structure to this young wine. Better in 2007.

Tight, grainy texture. Very little complexity on display – a real powerhouse, but very compressed and austere. (RH)

The 2010 Smith Haut Lafitte has a tertiary, tobacco-tinged bouquet that opens nicely with aeration, though remains resolutely classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine depth, very focused with a precise and very intense finish that is very persistent. There is real quality here, a 2010 that will age with style. Superb. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

This is showing better than ever. It's lush, opulently textured, intense, yet with a good purity of fruit and elegant, silky tannins. Still young, the wine is inky dark in color, with a primary character, but the last few years have helped the wine fill out and expand. This is about potential, but it's clear that this is going to be something special when it matures.

A tour de force from Pessac-Leognan, the 2010 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte matches the 2009 in terms of quality but possesses a more dense, powerful, compact style. Absolutely heavenly aromatics of blackcurrants, cassis, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, and truffle all define the aromatics, and it takes air to show at its best today. With full-bodied richness, massive concentration, and building tannins, it's flawlessly balanced, has an insane level of purity, and incredible length on the finish. This brilliant, brilliant Graves will evolve gracefully for another 40+ years, although it's insanely good today. Don't miss it.

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet highlights on the rim. Brilliant bouquet with plenty of ripe fruit leaning toward blue berries, a hint of coconut, fine woods and Dominican tobacco, cocoa notes from the perfectly ripe Merlots. On the palate, pure harmony, a praline touch in the warm, slightly chocolaty extract again, a hint of dried fruit on the finish. Never has a Smith Haut-Lafitte shown so much sensuality, yet such cosmopolitan taste with a classic blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. (19/20). 12: Deep, dark garnet-ruby. Compact, warm, black-berried Cabernet bouquet, plenty of licorice and blackcurrant; the nose feels seamless and harmonious with impressive depth. On the palate, perfectly structured, ripe tannins—you hardly notice them even though they are there in massive amounts; the finish is black-berried and extremely long. For me, this wine is somehow better than the much-hyped 2009. The best Smith-Haut-Lafitte in probably 100 years! A serious contender among the very best 2010s! (19/20). 16: It is still far from its first drinking window, but you can see how brilliantly it is set on course. This may be the greatest red wine in the history of this estate.

(64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Velvety, sweet, finely opulent bouquet with dried fruits, grains, mocha, black cherries, plums. Velvety, dense, elegant palate with powerful fruit, plenty of fine tannins, sweet, opulent aromatics, and a long, full finish with very good sweet after-notes. 18/20 2016 - 2030

Has the structure and power of 2009, but with far greater nuance of secondary flavours running through the palate. A thoroughly impressive wine, and one that clearly has many decades ahead. These are carved black fruits, precise tannins, crayon and pencil lead, very much powerful Cabernet Sauvignon, sleek, confident, deeper in colour than the 2015 and 2016 vintages, almost certainly reflecting winemaking choices at the time. This is the vintage for me that signals the arrival of Smith Haut Lafitte as a global force. 90% new oak, Fabien Teitgen technical director, Florence and Daniel Cathiard owners.

Deep, dense color; splendid nose combining fruit, fine spices, precious wood, and licorice. Taut, slender, and deep on the palate, with great intensity—one of the benchmark wines of an unforgettable vintage.

The wine is dense, long, with flesh, superb fruit, freshness, and great elegance; it is concentrated and compact, very straight and precise, with very present tannins and beautiful aromas. It is built for long aging.

The nose is elegant, powerful and racy, offering complexity and a fine grain. It reveals notes of wild blackcurrant, wild black berries and, more delicately, ripe blue fruits, with touches of blueberry, cornflower and violet, as well as hints of licorice, cardamom and chocolate, discreet nuances of mushroom/truffle and a very subtle hint of pepper. The palate is fruity and balanced, with a fine, zesty backbone, lovely definition, tension and beautiful freshness, tension, concentration (without opulence), suavity, roundness, attractive juiciness, minerality, fine grain, density, a lovely fleshiness and a refined grain. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy/ripe blackcurrant and wild blackberry, and more delicately cornflower and pulpy blue fruits, with touches of blueberry, as well as hints of purple plum, lilac, chocolate and caramelization, and a very discreet touch of fresh truffle (in the background).

A superb wine, with a deep nose of black fruits and a slightly smoky, creamy touch. The palate is both broad and taut, developing depth and length. The tannins are only just beginning to integrate. Drink from 2028.

A beautifully ripe wine with great black fruits that burst through the classic tannins. In its richness and in its structure, it combines the best of the vintage. Dark, complex, fruity and very rich, a magnificent wine for long-term aging.