Winemaker Notes
2024 is a fresh vintage, shaped by a very rainy winter and spring, which created strong mildew pressure — a real challenge for organic farming. Thanks to a well-mastered viticultural strategy, the Smith Haut Lafitte team rose to the occasion. A drier summer then allowed for optimal ripening. The result? Wines that display radiant freshness, vibrant aromatics, and a structure that is both refined and energetic.
Blend: 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sémillon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Minerally and understated, with bright acidity and texture. Medium- to full-bodied with tarragon, wet stones and lots of definition from the fruit. Pure and long in the finish. 80% sauvignon blanc and 20% semillon.
Barrel Sample: 94-95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2024 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, with the idea of a richer white more for the table. Its vivid gold hue is followed by classic notes of ripe melon, mint, and a beautiful sense of salty minerality that comes through on the palate. It's medium-bodied, has a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's a beautiful, classy, incredibly impressive white.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Vinous
The 2024 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is outrageously beautiful. It captures all the stylishness and personality of the Grand Vin, but at a far more accessible price. Lemon confit, marzipan, white pepper, chamomile and tangerine peel all come alive in the glass. Floral notes lift the airy, expressive finish. Wonderful. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
Lemongrass, some white floral scents with peach and lemon. Bright and tangy, this has a little bit more weight and mouthfeel than Les Hauts, a touch more creamy, just adding an extra layer of texture with hints of bitter orange peel and some salty nut aspects on the finish. Focussed and fresh with character. Nice acidity with volume. Ends sleek still with good aromatic intensity. Ageing 50% in new oak barrels.
Barrel Sample: 92
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
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.