Tech Notes
Wine Details
Decanter
Wine Enthusiast
James Suckling
Wine Advocate
The Wine Cellar Insider
By Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
2013 Grand Cru Classe de Graves Red
Vintage Notes
After a quite gentle yet humid winter, the vines woke up on their due date as budbreak happened from the 10th to the 12th of April. The gloomy, cold, humid spring (April, May, June) strongly slowed the vine cycle. We were fortunately spared by the spring frost on the 27th of April. Flowering was late by two weeks and disturbed by weather conditions, generating millerandage and coulure on a few plots of Merlot. A beautiful, sunny summer with cool nights unleashed a very favorable maturation phase for white grapes: the coolness of the nights preserved aromatic freshness and acidity. These positive weather conditions made up for most of the heterogeneity of flowering, and induced a quick and homogeneous - although late - veraison from the 20th to the 22nd of August. Harvest started late, with old vines of Merlot on the 3rd of October, followed by the Cabernets on the 8th. Due to the humid weather, we had to be very responsive to pick the different plots at the right time. Therefore, we mobilized the efforts of over 200 harvesters and our two grape reception areas.
Technical Details
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Vine Age: 38 years
Yield: 25 hl/ha, before selection of the three wines - Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Hauts de Smith, and Le Petit Haut Lafitte
Vinification: Whole berries in small wooden vats at 28 degrees C. Extraction through pigeages.
Aging: 18 months on lees in French oak barrels (60% new)
Cooperage: Produced on-site
Racking: Once, followed by aging adjustments for each wine
Tasting Notes
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Red 2013 offers a beautiful, bright red color with a very light blue hue. The nose is expressive and complex with very bordelais fresh aromas of red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, red cherry), spices, clove, star anise, licorice, and blond tobacco. The mouth presents a good concentration, with an unctuous yet structuring tannic texture. The attack is balanced, and the middle mouth's unctuous, long aromatic finale is marked by notes of fresh red fruits, spices, aniseed, and more terroir hints of flint stone. A wine of elegance and complexity.
[Information provided by Beyerman]
Region
Bordeaux
Vintage
2013
Grape
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Country
France
Unit Size
750.00 ML
Alcohol Percentage
13.00
Appellation
Pessac-Léognan
Wine: Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan, Cru Classe de Graves, Bordeaux, France 2013
Score/Rating: 94
Suggested Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030
Review Date: 02/01/2023
Reviewed By: Stephen Brook
Tasting Notes: The blackcurrant-scented nose is subdued and quite oaky, while the palate is rich and succulent. The tannins are ripe and chocolatey, and the wine has unusual vigour and energy. It's robust but not too extracted and there are no rough edges. Structured and long, this still has ageing potential. [...]
Wine: Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2013 Pessac-Leognan
Score/Rating: 92
Review Date: 03/01/2016
Reviewed By: Roger Voss
Tasting Notes: This impressive wine is full of potential. Powerful wood flavors are currently masking the fruitiness of the wine. However the weight of fruit and the rich texture promise good long-term aging.
Wine: Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Leognan 2013
Score/Rating: 92
Review Date: 02/10/2016
Tasting Notes: Aromas of plums, vine bark and hints of chocolate. Full body, firm and velvety tannins and a long finish. Give it two or three years to soften. Excellent for the vintage. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Wine: 2013 Smith Haut Lafitte
Score/Rating: 90
Suggested Drinking Window: 2018 - 2032
Review Date: 10/28/2016
Reviewed By: Neal Martin
Tasting Notes: The 2013 Smith Haut Lafitte has a composed and quite refined bouquet, certainly one of the best that I have encountered on the Left Bank, with wild strawberry mixed with cedar and a touch of graphite. The palate is smooth on the entry, the oak nicely integrated, almost Pinot-like in texture with a prickle of spice on the finish. Recommended for the vintage, this constitutes a very respectable Pessac-Leognan from the Cathiard family in what was a difficult vintage.
Wine: 2013 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Leognan)
Score/Rating: 90
Review Date: 02/03/2016
Tasting Notes: With a deep color for the vintage, the forward styled wine displays its smoke, roasted coffee, black cherry and earthy profile with ease. This should drink well on release.
