CHÂTEAU SMITH HAUT LAFITTE 2017

Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2017
Grand Cru Classé de Graves

“Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a waft of candied violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic core of densely packed red and black fruits, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.”  – 97+/100, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

VARIETIES: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, age of vines – 38 years old
REGION: Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France
AGEING: 18 months in barrels (60% are new barrels produced in our in-house cooperage), with aging on lees. After being racked a single time, wine is aged according to its profile.
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 20 years ±, at an optimal hygrometric degree of 70%
SERVE: Serve at 16ºC – 18ºC, decant it at least 4 to 5 hours before tasting
FITS TO: Pairs perfectly Agneau de lait confit grillé, Roasted Duck Breast with Pecan Purée, Pan-Seared Ribeye with Smoky Chimichurri, Wild Boar Ragu with Cheesy Polenta
CRITICS SCORES: RP/97, JS/97, D/95, WS/95, JD/96, WE/95

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Grand Cru Classé de Graves,  Pessac-Léognan Appellation | Range | Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2017

Praise for the balance in life
Everything comes from the soil. At Château Smith Haut Lafitte, we do our utmost to respect nature and biodiversity, both in the vineyard and cellar. Château Smith Haut Lafitte plants vines propagated from our own vineyards thanks to our vine nursery on Ile de Lalande. This island protected ecosystem enables us to maintain the vine’s genetic diversity, as well as the complexity of our wines.

In Graves territory
Surrounded by forests, hedges, and hives, the 87 hectares, one block estate is standing alone as a green island. Covered with Gravels « Graves Gunziennes », the vines are digging at more than 6 meters deep their resources, and the grapes benefit from the stones’ miror effect from the sun for a perfect ripening. The soil gives the wines extraordinary caracteristics. Whites are subtly « smoked », reds are smooth and complex.

A vintage unlike others, 2017 will be remembered by Smith Haut Lafitte as an emblematic year. With a vineyard spared by the frost that swept through Bordeaux at the end of April, the vegetative cycle of the vine enjoyed favourable climatic conditions with grapes presenting at the harvest a perfect sanitary condition, with a good balance of sugar and acidity.

The triumphant Smith Haut Lafitte 2017 is one of the most beautiful references of Graves in this vintage. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), the blend is rounded out by Merlot (35%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%). This Cru displays superb aromatic concentration with notes of black berries. Large and full-bodied, the wine is elegantly structured with velvety tannins, coating the palate in a succession of flavours, stretching forth into a deliciously persistent finish. A superb vintage that will endure the years to come.