Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2009

Delicate, deep, complex, with floral notes, dark fruits, tea—pure poetry. On the palate, superbly structured, plenty of drive, tannins of the highest quality, crisp fruit, top-notch acidity—everything is in its place. Great length. A great Smith Haut Lafitte.

The finest wine ever made by proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard, the 2009 Smith-Haut-Lafitte exhibits an opaque blue/purple color in addition to a glorious nose of acacia flowers, licorice, charcoal, blueberries, black raspberries, pencil shavings and incense. This massive, extraordinarily rich, unctuously textured wine may be the most concentrated effort produced to date, although the 2000, 2005 and 2010 are nearly as prodigious. A gorgeous expression of Pessac-Leognan with sweet tannin, emerging charm and delicacy, and considerable power, depth, richness and authority, it should age effortlessly for 30-40+ years. Bravo!

This is really loaded, with crushed plum, blueberry, cassis, fig and blackberry paste flavors all melded together, along with notes of tar, pastis and violet. Very long and dark, but polished and pure, with terrific fruit offset by a great tug of earth on the finish. Should cruise easily in the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2035. 10,000 cases made.

The 2009 logically displays the hallmarks of a wine from a sunnier vintage than 2008 and shows a complex yet elegant bouquet with spices, graphite, blackberries, liquorice and slightly smoky aromas. It’s full-bodied, with spectacular balance, an elegant tannic frame and racy freshness on the finish. As with many 2009 wines, it has a persistent, long finish that allows it to drink well today and over the next decade.

Aromas of flowers, dried citrus fruit and blueberries follow through to a full body, with firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. Gorgeous fruit and structure. Polished and powerful. Best red ever from Smith. Best from 2018.

Nose marked by oak char and really dry and oaky on the palate, as if the fruit has retreated into its shell. Dense, fine-grained tannins but it’s really showing its framework rather than its flesh at the moment. (JH)

Now, with just a few minutes of air you find truffle, smoke, fennel, black cherry, smoke and cocoa, along with dark chocolate notes. Full-bodied and concentrated, the tannins are soft, the texture is round, and the fruit is sweet, but there is oak that needs to be better integrated into the wine. Give it another 5–8 years in the cellar, and if the oak fully integrates, this is going to be a great wine!

Dark fruity nose with mineral, tobacco, dark cherry, blackcurrant and fine oak; soft, mouthfilling texture, really attractive and creamy, with juicy dark berries, mineral, tobacco and high concentration; very fine freshness and purity, layers of blackcurrant, supple tannin and a very long, lingering finish; youthful and massive but highly potent – will become a serious wine.

I think the greatest Smith Haut Lafitte to date (possibly matched by the 2018), the 2009 Château Smith Haut Lafitte tastes like it did on release, offering a smorgasbord of Graves magic in its smoked blackcurrants, chocolate, cold fireplace, truffle, unsmoked tobacco, and Asian spices. While this is a big, rich, incredibly concentrated Graves, it nevertheless maintains a beautiful level of nuance and elegance, with silky tannins, a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, and a heavenly finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. As with all truly great wines, it delivers an incredible amount of pleasure, both hedonistic and intellectual, all while staying weightless, graceful, and elegant. Hats off to the Cathiard family and winemaker Fabien Teitgen for this legendary Graves!

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Creamy bouquet, blackberry jelly, coconut, a hint of vanilla, perfumed Cabernet notes blending with seductively sweet Merlot, blueberry blossom. On the palate, juicy and creamy, showing intoxicatingly sweet tannins that have already rounded a bit, with a finely peppery core and a galloping breed that gives the wine an exciting length. It will be fascinating to see whether it can dock onto the brilliant 2005. If it succeeds, it will reach 19/20 in just under 10 years. 14: Tasted twice within a week at Smith. It’s brilliant and has great potential. With its warm radiance, it shows many Pessac traits! (19/20). 16: Drunk with Daniel Cathiard during a visit at harvest time. It just slides down, sweet, full-bodied, absolutely sexy. Blind, you probably wouldn’t guess so quickly that this could be a Pessac-Léognan wine. But that it’s a world-class wine becomes clear very quickly!

Dense, deep, closed, velvety bouquet with chocolate, dried fruits, tobacco, smoke, prunes. Velvety, dense, creamy palate with powerful aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, generous fruit, velvety, opulent finish. 19/20 2016 - 2040

One of the vintages that saw Smith Haut Lafitte establish its dominance within the Pessac Léognan appellation, still tasting bright and full of supple, rich berry fruits. Cocoa bean, pencil lead and liquorice showcase the Cabernet dominance; this is confident, generous and just a wonderful wine, still young with many decades ahead of it.

dense attack, fairly compact, with richness, lovely smoky notes, superb finish

Logo on the cork: illegible Dark color, intense, beautiful and youthful. Moderately aromatic nose, with fruit that is ripe, fresh, and complex. Deep. Precise on the attack, round as it unfolds and very aromatic mid-palate, the wine develops juicy, fragrant, and flavorful, with relief on the finish and not a hint of angular tannin. Long, sapid, and delicious.

Harmonious—this is the first adjective that comes to mind when tasting this cuvée. Only half of the harvest was selected to go into the grand vin (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc). Pleasant, velvety tannins.

Very dense and firm, this has powerful tannins as well as a blackberry jam flavor. The wine is complex, full of both dark tannins and the richest fruits, layered with notes of herb, spice and a concentrated structure.