Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte - Pessac-Léognan 2018 (750ml)
Price: $155.00
| Producer | Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Pessac-Leognan |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Sku | 1006744 |
| Size | 750ml |
Jeb Dunnuck: 99 Points
The 2018 Château Smith Haut Lafitte is based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 34% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot all of which was brought up in 60% new French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by an incredible perfume of blackcurrants blueberries camphor scorched earth chocolate and tobacco. It's young and unevolved yet the purity is off the charts and it slowly gives up more spice and floral notes with time in the glass. Hitting the palate with full-bodied richness it's an incredibly concentrated powerful wine that has plenty of baby fat covering serious amounts of underlying structure and tannins. It has some up-front appeal from an educational standpoint yet really needs a decade of bottle age and is going to keep for 30-40 years in cold cellars. It comes closest in my mind to a mix of the 2010 and 2016.
James Suckling: 98 Points
Purity of fruit here with plum and cherry aromas as well as wet earth and spice. Light stone. Very floral and vivid. Full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins that are balanced and polished. Savory finish. Incredibly polished and refined. Goes on for minutes. One of the finest Smith-Haut Lafittes I have tasted. Drink after 2024.
Wine Enthusiast: 97 Points
Powerful and rich this dense wine offers intense fruits and a texture that promises considerable aging potential. White-fruit flavors come through strongly combining with spice structure and concentration. The wine will age for many years. Drink from 2025. Organic and biodynamic.
Wine Advocate: 97+ Points
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 34% Merlot 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot aged in 60% new barriques the very deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Smith Haut Lafitte bursts onto the scene with showy scents of crème de cassis mocha licorice and cedar chest followed by suggestions of baked plums smoked meats tar and tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate brings sophistication to all that flamboyant fruit with a beautifully styled frame of finely grained tannins and bold freshness finishing bright and fruity with loads of minerally sparks. This is a stunning singular style that is sure to turn heads!
Wine Spectator: 97 Points
Ripe and seductive with a caressing wave of cassis plum puree and blackberry compote flavors that hold sway throughout but not without support from enticing savory licorice warm loam and mineral accents along the way. Cashmere finish lets everything sail on and on. Gorgeous. Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2040. 10000 cases made.
Vinous: 95 Points
The 2018 Smith Haut Lafitte was very impressive in barrel and now in bottle it delivers. Wonderful precision on the nose subtle at first but unfurling with each swirl of the glass revealing scents of blackberry and crushed stone iris petals like before and maybe a touch more violet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tension and good structure. This is a very tight Smith Haut Lafitte and even affording it 3?4 hours of decanting it remains more reserved vis-à-vis recent vintages. It eventually offers plenty of black fruit black olives a light marine influence and a pinch of cracke
