2015 Les Hauts de Smith Blanc
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Les Hauts de Smith Blanc, 100% Sauvignon, is fresh and lively in the glass, with terrific balance and class. Not surprisingly, varietal Sauvignon Blanc notes are front and center. But what I find most surprising is the wine's crystalline purity and chiseled feel. As always, the Les Hauts de Smith Blanc, while undeniably tasty, is more of a side project, as the wine does not share any sort of lineage or relationship to the white Grand Vin in the way the Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc does.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The Les Hauts de Smith Blanc, 100% Sauvignon, offers lovely varietal nuance throughout. Lime, sage, mint and white pepper are nicely delineated. Brisk and salivating, the Hauts is a pretty white to drink over the next few years, while the flavors retain their energy. The Hauts is a very pretty, aperitif-styled white ideal for raw fish and seafood. As with the red, the Hauts is best described as an attractive, but not especially representative, wine from the property.
Pure Sauvignon Blanc made from the young vines at Smith Haut Lafitte, the 2015 Les Hauts de Smith Blanc has a tensile, oyster shell tinged bouquet with yellow flowers and pink grapefruit developing in the glass. The palate is well balanced, tensile with a keen thread of acidity: plenty of citrus lemon, lime and tinned apricot leading to a smooth and refined finish. It just misses a little length, but you won't mind because you'll already be taking the next sip. What a gem of a white Pessac-Léognan—don't overlook this.
About the producer
Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the leading lights of Pessac-Léognan today – all thanks to Daniel and Florence Cathiard, who took over the property in 1990 and have since transformed the estate, converting to biodynamics and crafting wines of increasing finesse.