Le Petit Haut Lafitte Red Bordeaux Blend

Estate dates back to Crusades & Scottish navigator, George Smith, owner in the 18th century. Blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot aged in 20% new oak, deep Ruby with aromas of dark berry, herbs and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of plum, cherry & currant with notes of pepper, tobacco & cacao notes. Soft rich full tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy and mineral character, needs a little more time.

This needs more time to knit together, but does show promise, even if I feel a shade less impressed than the first time trying a couple of years back. It’s initially very herbaceous, with tomato leaf and green pepper, eventually giving way to a svelte personality with plush oak and sweet fruit. Not perfect now, but should be great in four years’ time.

Estate dates back to Crusades & Scottish navigator, George Smith, owner in the 18th century. Followed by M. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, then Louis Eschenauer, a famous wine shipper. In 1990, Daniel & Florence Cathiard now own estate. Blend of 60% Cab Sauv & 40% Merlot, dark berry aromas, herbs and earthy spice. On the complex palate flavors of cherry and currant with pepper, tobacco and cacao notes. Soft ripe tannins, long finish ending with an earthy mineral character.

Ripe and inky, but has juiciness. Not bad, but not my type of wine.

Estate dates back to Crusades & Scottish navigator, George Smith, owner in the 18th century. Blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot aged in 20% new oak, deep Ruby with aromas of dark berry, herbs and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of plum, cherry & currant with notes of pepper, tobacco & cacao notes. Soft rich full tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy and mineral character, needs a little more time.

Estate dates back to Crusades & Scottish navigator, George Smith, owner in the 18th century. Blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot aged in 20% new oak, deep Ruby with aromas of dark berry, herbs and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of plum, cherry & currant with notes of pepper, tobacco & cacao notes. Soft rich full tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy and mineral character, needs a little more time.

The second wine of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, the 2016 Petit Haut Lafitte is a brilliant example of Pessac-Léognan from the favourable 2016 vintage.

Young and quite austere at this stage, it’s showy but oak-driven with a consistent profile of fresh, perfumed leather, cedar and spice. But the concentration of fruit is to be commended, as is the length of the finish.

This is a promising young Pessac, which improved with air and showed better on the second day - so I look forward to revisiting this in three to five years’ time.

92+

Again, not a wine that passed the drinkability test for me, but there are things that I liked about it, and some that I didn't. Right off the bat, it was way too heavy for me, both on the nose and palate. Heaps of oak aromas covering some sweet black fruits. The palate also came off as being quite sweet, almost syrupy, but here's where the balancing act comes in - just the right amount of acidity to keep it juicy. It's like biting into a very sweet, ripe, juicy plum with a peppering of cinnamon and vanilla. I enjoyed the tannins most, fine and directional, starting at the tip of the tongue, then swinging under before traveling down the inner walls of the gum. What a cool structure! And then there's the underlying minerality with air, which was pleasantly surprising. The finish took a turn for the worse - medium, rich, and oaky, yet bitter with hints of scorched earth character which I dislike. Also quite warm. Generally, more finessed than the 2011 Troplong Mondot, but less stacked and more stumbling blocks. Has potential.

This was from Thanksgiving Eve. Not bad, not stellar.

***Second bottle. Demoted score. But still perhaps generous.

90 points

Estate dates back to Crusades & Scottish navigator, George Smith, owner in the 18th century. Followed by M. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, then Louis Eschenauer, a famous wine shipper. In 1990, Daniel & Florence Cathiard now own estate. Blend of 60% Cab Sauv & 40% Merlot, dark berry aromas, herbs and earthy spice. Palate is complex with cherry & currant flavors, pepper, tobacco & cacao notes. Soft tannins, rich and full, lingering, earthy, mineral ending, needs a bit of time.