Producer: Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte

Grapes: 64% Cabernet sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet franc, 1% Petit verdot 

Where: Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Country: France

Taste: 2010 Smith Haut Lafitte rouge is a deep, concentrated, nearly black colour. The bouquet displays a range of red and black fruit aromas, as well as ones reminiscent of spice and warm herbs. With aeration, the wine reveals magnificent black fruit, liquorice, clove, and graphite nuances... The wine starts out firm and straightforward on the palate. It is huge, but in no way austere. Its power comes through in a fullbodied flavour profile with a long aftertaste. The tannin is rich and silky, and the texture is well-defined thanks to ripe tannin and a careful control during extraction. The wine has an extremely well-focused structure and taste. The long aftertaste of liquorice, red fruit, and black fruit also features more subtle underlying flavours of hot stones and warm earth. This 2010 Smith Haut Lafitte rouge is undoubtedly one of the finest wines the estate has ever made. 

Ageing: 18 months on lees in French oak barrels (65 % new) made at the Château onsite cooperage, one racking only and then ageing adjusted for each wine.