Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2015

Deep, dark, ripe cassis, cherries, licorice. On the palate, dense, round, still with plenty of tannins, finely interwoven with the fruit, lots of energy, plenty of spice, and a grandiose length. A sensational Smith Haut Lafitte with great potential.

This pumps out some serious blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry and black currant fruit flavors, with the texture of compote and a racy edge thanks to a terrific bolt of graphite that runs throughout. Waves of anise, roasted apple wood and tobacco drive the finish, with the fruit keeping pace easily. Destined for a long life. Best from 2025 through 2045. 10,000 cases made.

This vintage comes with a smart new black label to celebrate owners Florence and Daniel Cathiard’s 25th harvest. What marked the growing season was a long drought from March to July, and a cool, wet August that kept freshness in the wine. It’s rich, powerful and concentrated, with dark fruit notes, silky tannins and a long finish.

The currants and blackberries on the nose are very impressive with wet-earth and lavender undertones. Full body and super-integrated tannins that melt into the wine. The quality of the tannins is incredible with fantastic length and mouthfeel. So much concentration and balance at the same time. Such beauty. From biodynamic grapes. This is the greatest wine ever from here. Drink in 2022.

Charry oak and plenty of dark fruit on the nose. Rich, powerful and still beautifully balanced between the fruit and the structure. Long, chewy, dark finish. Great promise. (JH)

With a depth of color impossible to miss, the wine opens with smoke, licorice, blackberry, cassis, and wet forest aromatics. Rich, fleshy and concentrated with all the right stuff, the wine is ripe, sensuous, silky and polished. The finish delivers smoked fruits, ripe tannins and length of flavor that just keeps on going. This will age seamlessly for decades. With bottle age, this could score higher as it develops.

Dark ruby with an opaque core and purple reflections, subtly lighter at the rim. Attractive dark berry confit, fine oak, ripe plum and candied orange zest, with a subtle savouriness. Complex, black cherry, pronounced, powerful tannins, some nougat on the finish. A wine with texture and a sweet finish. Still needs time.

63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Clearly toasty at the start, with coffee notes, black cherries, dark fine woods; the berry contours show all three colors: red, blue, and black. On the palate, it begins elegantly, then grips with demanding tannins. It will need plenty of bottle age to integrate these tannic notes that still feel extracted. The potential is beyond doubt. With this 2015, two anniversaries are celebrated at once: 650 years of Smith-Haut-Lafitte (since 1365) and 25 years of Cathiard ownership (since 1990).

A good vintage in Pessac Léognan, as on the Right Bank, confirming how often these two areas succeed together. Ripe fruits, a little candied, with sweet blueberry, raspberry pastille, black chocolate and crushed rocks, given lift and focus by rose petal and violet edges. Enjoyable, in its drinking window already but can age from here. 80% new oak, Fabien Teitgen technical director.

Palate of great spicy flavour with firm yet ripe tannins, finishing in roundness. Plenty of substance and a very elegant style, between fruit expression and woody nuances. A wine that will age well thanks to its freshness and tension.

Deep purplish hue with violet highlights. Youthful, intense bouquet marked by notes of black berries, spices, and roasted aromas. On the palate, this wine shows grip and breadth, carried perfectly by powerful yet silky tannins that still need to integrate. The structure provides solid support and a lingering aromatic expression on the finish. A wine that needs time.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, fruity, smoky, with a hint of wet leather. Caressing on the attack, very aromatic mid-palate; this wine, with its refined texture and a flavor still slightly marked by oak, stretches into a sappy, long finish, fairly complex in its persistence, with a return of suave nuances. It’s very good.

(63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot) Closed, deep, dense bouquet; black berries, prunes, graphite, tobacco, various herbs, vanilla. Elegant, tightly knit, full palate with robust fruit, plenty of fine tannins, dense, finely muscular structure, powerful dark aromatics, long, full, powerful finish with very good after-aromas. Can improve further. 18/20 2024 - 2045

This wine is dense in expressive, dark fruit and solid tannins which give it a rich, enveloping feel. With its spicy score and crisp acidity, there is great potential for aging. Drink from 2025.