Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

2009
Blend
5% Cabernet Franc
64% Cabernet Sauvignon
30% Merlot
1% Petit Verdot
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Pessac-Leognan
UPC
0 15643 42487 8
Red Wine
Verified Stock
1721-09
Product Ratings
James Suckling 96pt

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.

by James Suckling, 2012
Wine Advocate 100pt

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, lead 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!

by Wine Advocate, 2012
Wine Spectator 96pt

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. –JM

by Wine Spectator, 2012

Tasting notes

This complexity was also present on the palate, and the wine soon proved to be rich, powerful, balanced, and refreshing. With time, power and concentration have become its hallmarks – but not at all at the expense of finesse. The tannin is incredibly rich and there is a beautiful, long aftertaste. The aromatic complexity on the nose carries over to the palate, which features superb red fruit and spicy flavours (clove, liquorice, and cinnamon) as well as subtle overtones of graphite, gunflint, and violet… 2009 red Smith Haut Lafitte displays a rare combination of power, richness, outstanding elegance, and delicate tannin.

Vintage

The temperatures in 2009 were close to those in 2005, and rainfall was similar to 2000 – two great examples with regard to crucial ripening parameters! Summer was relatively dry with beautiful sunny days and cool nights. Thanks to deep rooting and meticulous work in the vineyard to find the best possible equilibrium between the soil and the vines, vine growth came to a halt on the 20th of July and a long, fine ripening period began. With the help of satellite photos, we now have a map showing how each plot ripens. This enables us to organise picking at peak maturity and to harvest grapes of uniform ripeness. Assisted as well by two new technologies (optical sorting of the fruit and destemming by vibration), we were able to obtain exactly the desired degree of extraction.

Yield

34 hectolitres per hectare (before selection of the the grand vin): Smith Haut Lafitte, les Hauts de Smith, le Petit Haut Lafitte, and les Hauts de Maujan.

Harvest

The harvest began on 25 September in plots of young Merlot vines and finished on 14 October with Cabernet Franc. The excellent initial impressions we had from tasting the grapes were soon confirmed in the fermentation vats. The new wine was deeply-coloured, almost black. It had great concentration with powerful, complex, and elegant aromas of red and black fruit, spices, herbs, cedar, liquorice, clove, and graphite…