Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2011
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Product Details
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Decanter
2011 is an underestimated vintage in Bordeaux and has produced some very singular wines. This 2011 Smith Haut Lafitte has elements of tobacco, spring flowers, black cherries and blackberries. Intense and elegant. This carries to a powerful, fresh burst of menthol and a juicy texture with elegant and velvety tannins. A very fine wine in the context of the vintage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The grand vin, the 2011 Smith-Haut-Lafitte is another great successes (and that’s saying something after the remarkable duo of 2009 and 2010 as well as the brilliant 2008). This wine exhibits a dense purple color along with a big, sweet nose of creme de cassis, mulberries, licorice and subtle background oak. Full-bodied with silky tannins, nicely integrated acidity, wood and alcohol, a multilayered mouthfeel, and a finish that lasts 45 seconds, this brilliant wine should drink well for 15-20 years.
Rating: 94+ Points
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James Suckling
A wine that has a beautiful depth of fruit, with currants, minerals and dried flowers on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied, with super-integrated tannins that last for minutes. This is muscular yet polished. Extremely well done for the vintage. Better in 2017.
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Wine Spectator
Lush fig, boysenberry and blackberry pâte de fruit notes are interspersed with lively anise, singed apple wood and fruitcake details. A tarry echo hangs in the background on the finish. Shows impressive depth and ripeness for the vintage.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine has density, with very dry, massive tannins. This is a wine for long-term aging; it has a solid texture, with its fruit well buried.—
Barrel Sample: 91-93 Points -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2011 Smith Haut Lafitte plays in the same ballpark as the 2014, yet is slightly more concentrated, as well as backward. Blackcurrants, cedar, licorice and hints of oak all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, elegant, impeccably balanced beauty. It needs another year or two and will shine for over a decade.
Rating: 93+
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Thanks to its 55 hectares of superb gravelly vineyards, Smith Haut Lafitte is often referred to as the "archetypical Graves." The estate's history goes back to the Crusades, and a Scottish navigator, George Smith, who became the owner of the estate in the 18th century. He was followed by M. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, and then Louis Eschenauer, a famous wine shipper.
In 1990, Daniel and Florence Cathiard also fell under the spell of this beautiful estate. Since then, they have restored the 16th century tower, renovated the 18th century manor house, built two underground cellars, went back to traditional vine growing methods without chemical herbicides and set up their own cooperage. The perfect elegance, excellent balance and fine structure of Smith Haut Lafitte's red and white wines are the ultimate reflection of the current owners' total commitment to quality.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.