Blend: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1%Petit Verdot
96 Points - Vinous
The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte is an engaging, dynamic wine. Gravel, menthol, licorice, mocha and spice are all beautifully delineated. A wine of energy and focus, the 2021 is absolutely enthralling- medium in body, refined and super impressive.
96 Points - Decanter
You might question this was a 2021 vintage, with its structure, style and charm combined with drinkability and ageability. A vibrant nose: pink roses, blackcurrants, strawberries, vanilla and milk chocolate, touches of pepper and toast. Supple, with bounce and energy, a firm frame but with a juicy, bright core of red berry fruits. Not light but not plush, dense but balanced, fun and friendly with precision and focus, as well as lots of flavour and texture.
96 Points - James Suckling
This is extremely perfumed, with violets, lavender, forest fruit and beeswax. Medium- to full-bodied with creamy, round tannins. It’s delicious already with a lovely balance, showing dark fruit, meat and chocolate with a hint of smoke. Straight and driven, it has a long finish for the vintage. 63% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but even better in a year or two.
95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte, a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot reveals a deep, complex bouquet of dark berries, spices, licorice, pencil lead and flowers intertwined with hints of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it's suave and concentrated, with velvety, elegant tannins and a refined, penetrating finish.
94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Another Graves that reminds me slightly of the 2014, the 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte has straight-up classic notes of cassis and blackberry fruits interwoven with smoked tobacco, smoky, gravelly earth, and spicy nuances. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and incredibly elegant, with ultra-fine tannins, it's going to round into form with just 3-4 years of bottle age and will still be drinking beautifully at age 20.
93 Points - Wine Spectator
Provides a step up in substance, with steeped red and black currant fruit laced with tobacco, bay leaf and worn leather accents. Features flashes of warm earth and iron that underscore the finish, also showing depth and grip. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2035.