2015 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte
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Tasting notes
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot. Young-vine cuvée. Very little colour difference from the grand vin. Light, rather energetic but spindly nose. Racy Graves forest-ferns impression; very like a good, sweetish, lowlier Graves red. A tad scrawny on the end. Still noticeable tannin. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Le Petit Haut Lafitte is another terrific wine from Smith Haut Lafitte. Here, Cabernet Sauvignon speaks with authority. Black cherry, leather, earth, licorice and grilled herbs are all laced together, but it is the wine's pure power and structure that stand out most. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2015 for at least a few years, as it is far from an easygoing second wine.
Composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot coming from the younger vines of Smith Haut Lafitte, the 2015 Le Petit Haut Lafitte sports a medium garnet-purple color and an alluring crushed red currants, black cherries and spice box-laced nose with touches of cloves and lavender. Medium to full-bodied with wonderful generosity and plenty of spice, the open-for-business flavors are well-supported by plush tannins, and it finishes with a peppery lift.
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. Plummy, ripe, juicy, fragrant nose, then a more severe palate with liquorice and aniseed bitterness on the finish. Needs a plate of something hearty to offset that very savoury quality. (RH)
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.