Winemaker Notes
The wine is pale yellow with an expressive nose of yellow fruits such as peach and apricot, white flowers including acacia and orange blossom, and a refined touch of citrus. On the palate, the aromas mirror the nose with yellow fruits and floral notes, while greater complexity emerges through mineral and spicy nuances, with flintstone undertones that reflect the character of its exceptional terroir.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A bright and firm wine with super fine tannins and a long and intense finish. Bright and very fine. Lots of lemon and lime intensity.
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Decanter
Plenty of signature Les Hauts de Smith joyful fruit, with apricot, white pear and citrus. An arrow-splice of juice cuts through the palate, this is bright and cheerful and very much ready to drink. Super enjoyable, maybe a tiny bit less clear Sauvignon Blanc character than in some vintages, but still a delicious wine and one of the best-value whites in Bordeaux. Mouthwatering finish. 50% new oak.
Barrel Sample: 92 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bursting with aromas of minty nectarine, white flowers and grapefruit, the 2020 Les Hauts de Smith Blanc is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with an ample mid-palate that's girdled by bright balancing acids. As usual, it's entirely Sauvignon Blanc.
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.