- Colour Red
- Producer Château Smith Haut Lafitte
- Region Pessac-Léognan
- Grape Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc
- Drinking 2010 - 2020
- Case size 12x75cl
- Available Now
2004 - Ch Smith Haut Lafitte Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan - 12x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Château Smith Haut Lafitte
- Region Pessac-Léognan
- Grape Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc
- Drinking 2010 - 2020
- Case size 12x75cl
- Available Now
Select pricing type
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuis.com.
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Robert Parker, June 2007, Score: 93
A sensational effort and one of the stars of the vintage, Smith-Haut-Lafitte's 2004 possesses aninky/blue/purple-tinged color as well as a sumptuous nose of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, blueberries, and blackberries. Surprisingly full-bodied for the vintage with stunning concentration, purity, and overall harmony, this is another brilliant wine from the proprietors, the Cathiards, who have done such a spectacular job at this estate since the early 1990s. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2022.
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Robert Parker, June 2006, Score: 91-93
Another strong effort from this impeccably run Pessac-Leognan estate, the dense ruby/purple-colored 2004 exhibits a classy nose of crushed rocks, black currants, vanilla, and graphite. Medium-bodied, with good weight, a multilayered texture, fine purity, and excellent harmony, it should evolve gracefully for 15+ years. Drink 2005-2020 The 2004 Smith-Haut-Lafitte continues to be an impressive effort. Its deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by moderately intense aromas of black cherries, black currants, graphite, and hints of wood, minerals, and acacia flowers. Medium-bodied and elegant, with good underlying freshness, vibrancy, concentration, and balance, it should drink well young, and evolve for 15+ years. Drink 2006-2021
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Jancis Robinson, April 2005, Score: 17
Interesting, quite forward, evolved wine with evident oak influence. Extraordinarily supple for a 2004 at this stage – has this sample been specially prepared? It gives lots of pleasure now and there are some tannins there but not a massive intensity of fruit on the mid palate. Delicious short term drink. Drink 2009-2015
Producer
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Equally known for its red and white wines, Smith Haut Lafitte is particularly notable for producingclean, concentrated and consistent wines - qualities which have enabled it to be one of the mostpopular châteaux in the Graves region.
Region
Pessac-Léognan
Stretching from the rather unglamorous southern suburbs of Bordeaux, for 50 km along the left bank of the river Garonne, lies Graves. Named for its gravelly soil, a relic of Ice Age glaciers, this is the birthplace of claret, despatched from the Middle Ages onwards from the nearby quayside to England in vast quantities. It can feel as though Bordeaux is just about red wines, but some sensational white wines are produced in this area from a blend of sauvignon blanc, Semillon and, occasionally, muscadelle grapes, often fermented and aged in barrel. In particular, Domaine de Chevalier is renowned for its superbly complex whites, which continue to develop in bottle over decades. A premium appellation, Pessac-Leognan, was created in 1987 for the most prestigious terroirs within Graves. These are soils with exceptional drainage, made up of gravel terraces built up in layers over many millennia, and consequently thrive in mediocre vintages but are less likely to perform well in hotter years. These wines were appraised and graded in their own classification system in 1953 and updated in 1959, but, like the 1855 classification system, this should be regarded with caution and the wines must absolutely be assessed on their own current merits.
