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Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan Rouge 2012 - First Bottle

Reviews

95 Vinous - Read

A dark, sensual wine, the 2012 Smith Haut Lafitte boasts marvelous depth and textural richness. Dark red stone fruits, leather, smoke, tobacco, gravel and herbs are laced together in an expansive wine endowed with terrific purity. The tannins are going to need at least a few years to soften, but there is clearly quite a bit to look forward to.

95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - Read

The opaque bluish-purple 2012 Smith Haut Lafite offers up notes of licorice, graphite, blueberry and blackberry fruit, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, stunningly ripe, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. This is another sensational effort from the Cathiards that is perfectly balanced, complex, super-rich and pure. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.

94 James Suckling - Read

This is very deep and sensual for the vintage with blackberry, tobacco, chocolate, coffee and spice character. Full body, super-integrated tannins and a long, long finish. Superb for the vintage. Give it three or four years to come around but already gorgeous.

94 Wine Spectator - Read

Layered fig, boysenberry and blackberry pâte de fruit notes are buttressed by ample, yet polished and integrated, ganache-coated tannins, while accents of black tea, ganache and tar course underneath. A really gorgeous display of fruit, showing terroir and cut on the finish. Best from 2018 through 2027. 10,000 cases made.

94 Wine Enthusiast - Read

This dark and dense wine is closed, with its tannins very dominant. It's a solid, dark wine intense with juicy acidity, firm dry structure and a rich core. This is a magnificent wine for serious aging, with all the elements coming strongly into play. Drink from 2022.

Technical Details

Blend55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
CountryFrance
RegionBordeaux
AppellationPessac-Leognan
Alcohol14%

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan Rouge 2012

Cabernet Blends | France

VN95, WA95, JS94, WS94, WE94

$99.95 | 750mL

SOLD OUT

Too late, we are SOLD OUT!

It’s good to have friends in Bordeaux. We got the call a few months back: “Chateau re-release, pricing is great, you guys interested?” OH YEAH. Coined the “Sleeping Beauty”, this wine has had its beauty rest and is now emerging as the star it is destined to be. Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is a prominent winery in this region where they own over 135 acres of pristine gravelly terroir. Scoring 95 points from both Wine Advocate and Vinous, this wine is complex, showy and perfectly balanced, with excellent purity and a surpassingly decadent profile. On our visit to the property in the spring of 2020, before we had to cut our trip off early and hurry back to the states (oh how we miss the good 'ol days), we were simply stunned at the attention to detail and the remarkable consistency vintage after vintage here. A true hallmark of the very best producers in the world.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte has a long history in Bordeaux, dating back over 800 years. The estate started out as part of the Du Boscq holdings in the Graves region. It was Du Boscq who first planted vines in 1365 on a gravelly plateau called "Lafitte". This is of course where part of the famous chateau took its name from. Today, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is owned and managed by Daniel Cathiard and Florence Cathiard (who just very recently purchased Flora Springs here in Napa as well). The winery actually has its own cooperage on site where is makes all of its barrels by hand and no expense is spared anywhere. The wines have been getting HUGE critical acclaim and we can say without question that the wines are better than ever! It MUST be taken into account: the pricing of this Chateau comparatively is simply irresistible at this level of quality.

As we said, drinking beautifully, and will for another decade easily. Concentrated, powerful, succulent, savory...it will blow you away! Did we mention $99.95?! While it lasts!

About the Producer

Chateau Smith Lafitte has a long and prestigious history in Bordeaux that dates back to the 14th century. In 1990, the estate was acquired by the Cathiard family who has since been focused on the goal of producing excellent wines year after year with the help of an exceptional team, fantastic terroir, and a marvelous winery. The estate has been modernized with new technology and a focus on organic wine growing all the while preserving traditions with an on-site cooper who crafts all of the estates wines by hand in the basement of the watch tower. He has an intimate understanding of the relationship between oak and these beautiful wines.