Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2021

Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a Grand Cru Classé property within the Pessac-Léognan appellation that needs little to no introduction. The stunning wines from this estate captivate many a drinker and critic alike, and their expressions of white Bordeaux are some of the finest in the Left Bank. The property hosts a long history in Bordeaux that dates back over 800 years. It was initially a part of the Du Bosq holdings in the Graves region. The Du Bosq were the first to plant vines in 1365 in the graveled Lafitte plateau. The property was purchased in 1720 by a man named George Smith, who named it after himself and that is how Château Smith Haut Lafitte received its name. The property is presently owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard. The Cathiards purchased Château Smith Haut Lafitte in 1990, and that is when the true story of this estate began. 

Prior to the Cathiards involvement, Château Smith Haut Lafitte was not a well-known wine producer.  The Cathiards purchased Château Smith Haut Lafitte because they were intrigued by the fact the vineyard was capable of producing both red and white wines. The Cathiards made a series of sweeping changes to the estate and stopped the use of mechanical harvesting. Instead, they handpicked the fruit.  They made changes to the sorting process, implementing two sorting passes to make sure only the choicest fruit get selected for the grand vin. The Cathiards also invested a significant amount of funding in building their own cooperage, which allowed them to produce 70% of their own barrels. They shifted farming practices towards sustainability, and the property is now considered a leader in that respect. As of 2020, they received a Robert Parker Green Emblem for sustainable viticultural practices. A mixture of tradition and technological innovation govern the winemaking practices at Château Smith Haut Lafitte. It is one of the first properties to use Oenoview satellite imagery to find the optimum time to begin harvest in addition to using optical sorting technology. 

For white varietals, a mixture of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Semillon thrive in these vineyards. There are approximately 11 hectares of white varietals that are planted just behind the château to the North of the vineyard. Some of the old vine Sauvignon Blanc is 70 years of age.  Interestingly enough, the white varietals thrive in cooler microclimates of this diverse terroir. Native yeasts are used in vinifying, and the white varietals are farmed using a lot of biodynamic practices.  The wine is crystalline in its purity, with beautiful structure due to the slightly toasted French oak barrels that are made at the estates’ cooperage. The Cathiards have made the decision to hire Michel Rolland and Stephane Derenoncourt as consultants who guide the vinification process in the state-of-the-art gravity flow cellars. There is plenty of experimentation in the vat room, and this results in a dynamic and complex wine. Without a doubt, Château Smith Haut Lafitte is truly a classic, treasure of a white Bordeaux.

This vintage is composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Sémillon. 

The wine is pale yellow with green hues. The nose is pretty discreet at first but as it opens up we discover fresh citrus aromas of grapefruit, then elegant hints of white flowers and star anise. It finally reaches it’s full aromatic expression with white and stone fruits aromas, peach, apricot and nectarine) to finish with on a great complexity of fruits, flowers and flint stones. The mouth is characterized by a frank, dynamic attack, then it reveals a larger body, smoother with a very beautiful texture. The palate, well chiseled by the acidity, develops a lovely suave and unctuous perception and stretches out over a very long period of time, fresh and thirst-quenching finish, with a nice mineral and saline dimension. 

"The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is the white wine of the vintage, hands down. Creamy and layered, the 2021 offers all the qualities that make whites off this site so compelling, Nothing is out of place. It's aromatic yet deep, fresh yet layered. Utterly mind-bending right out of the gate, this superb white hits all the right notes. Slate, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper linger. Magnifique!" - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (04/02/2024), Ratings: 98

"Delivers intensity and slow build. This stretches out and is a wine to savour, showing quince, white pear, fresh yet creamy white peach and citrus, edges of sage, lemongrass, tea. Great balance, and a mouthwatering salty lick finish. Clarity and vivid, can clearly age. One of the wines of the vintage. Harvest September 2 to 20." - Jane Anson, (01/14/2024), Ratings: 96

"Skilful winemaking on display here, sculpted flavours and textures, a sense of momentum and push-and-pull through the palate. Quince, white pear, mango, nectarine, peach, with savoury white tea, liqourice, mandarin peel and lemongrass, all delivered with pummice stone minerality. This has complexity and poise, and is along the wines of the vintage. Harvest September 2 to 20." - Jane Anson, (04/07/2022), Ratings: 96, Drink: 2023-2032

'The 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (90% Sauvignon and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon) is similarly crisp, focused, and chiseled, yet has another level of concentration. Racy citrus, lime, and graphite fruit notes are support by beautiful minerality, minty herb, and sappy flower-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated white offering perfectly integrated acidity, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and a clean, dry finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This beauty will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and have over two decades of longevity." - Jeb Dunnuck, (04/03/2024), Ratings: 96

"Toasted oak, lanolin, honeyed caramel, lemon zest and red apple peel on both the nose and palate. This has an unctuosity, a richness to the texture giving beautiful honeyed lemon touches with Semillon fatness and intensity from the Sauvignon. It’s sleeping a little right now, feels as if it’s calm and quiet, not yet ready to show the world what it’s about but you do get a precision and detail along the edges, a real sculpting of elements. I love the presentation, such a success for the vintage, excellent winemaking on show. It's the soft vibration you get as the flavours travel from start to finish that is so promising - a lot of life and immense enjoyment to come from this." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter, (04/01/2022), Ratings: 96

"The 2021 Blanc has developed gracefully since en primeur, delivering attractive aromas of ripe pear, peach, lime tree leaves, verbena and mint intertwined with mineral, smoky nuances. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with a broad attack and fleshy mid-palate, it exhibits compelling purity and tension, concluding with a saline, mint-inflected finish. It has the potential to improve in the cellar over the next decade or more." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (02/22/2024), Ratings: 95