Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2025

Beautifully crisp and clear aromas, dark fruit, precise and expressive. Smokey violets and ripe blackcurrants with white chocolate. Fresh and vivid, this is vibrant and so clear but still with a round and filling texture. Maybe a more delicate take from Smith with the minerality much more present than in some vintages but there’s excellent length, hints of spice and bitterness as well as a lifted finish. Very gravelly, salty, chalky and cool. Balanced, elegant and totally delicious. Not as Smith as some, less dense and fleshy, but there’s no denying this is approachable. A little less smooth and velvety, this is more crunchy, chalky and grippy than usual but no less compelling. 3.6pH. A yield of 28hl/ha. Began the red harvest from the 3 September to the end. Ageing 50% new oak. 1% of Petit Verdot completes the blend.

Deeply colored, all it takes is a single swirl to discover the red, black and blue fruits, smoke, cigar box, and tobacco. The palate kicks in with its vivacious, display of sweet, ripe fruits. The finish starts off strong and keeps on going long after the wine has left your glass. The picking dates in 2025 were paramount. They waited until after the late September rains to harvest the Cabernet, which added to the maturity of the fruits, while decreasing ABV levels, Picking took place from September 15 - September 30. The wine blends 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is aging in 50% new, French oak barrels. 13.5% ABV. pH 3.50. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2029-2055. 96-98 Pts

This is so good, so much energy and depth, slate and wet stones holding interest and the palate expands, showing fragrant capsicum pepper, crushed mint, toasted spices, cumin, liquorice, cassis, cocoa bean, fully in the DNA of Smith Haut Lafitte. Harvest 1 to 30 September, and here they paused over that rain of September 23, as did Château Margaux - both estates were richly rewarded for this choice. 50% new oak for ageing. Last vintage of Daniel Cathiard, and expect a label commemorating the remarkable impact he had on this brilliant estate.

The bouquet opens with floral nuances, notes of violet, and a touch of thyme and liquorice wood. The oak ageing also shows through hints of fresh wood before giving way to notes of blackberry and blackcurrant. Smooth on the attack, the wine immediately reveals its breadth and power. Driven by compact, fine-grained tannins, it also stands out for its freshness and tension. These bring a welcome sense of restraint to its vigor, creating a convincing harmony. A savory, structured wine that brings all these elements together, enhancing its palate expression while integrating its power.

Deep, inky, beautiful colour. Very aromatic, refined nose, fruity, pure and subtle. Mentholated, liquorice and fresh notes. Supple on entry, very aromatic on the mid-palate, with one of the most hedonistic textures ever encountered here; the wine caresses the palate before broadening after the mid-palate while continuing to melt away seamlessly. A rare expression of this cru, probably due to the presence of 12% whole bunches during vinification. Blend: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.5% - pH: 3.6. Yield: 28 hl/ha. Ageing: 50% in new barrels.