Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2023 – Pessac-Léognan, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A beautifully balanced Pessac-Léognan red blend of Merlot 55%, Cabernet Sauvignon 42% , Petit Verdot 2% and Cabernet Franc 1% that delivers finesse, aromatic complexity, and immediate approachability while maintaining classical structure and aging potential. A textbook expression of modern-classic Pessac harmony.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry, ripe plum, and dark cherry layered with cedar, graphite, cocoa nib, tobacco leaf, crushed gravel, and subtle floral lift. The fruit feels vibrant and pure with beautifully integrated oak and savory mineral nuance.

Mouthfeel
Medium-to-full bodied with finely polished tannins and excellent balance between freshness and density. Silky entry, energetic mid-palate, and a long, clean, gently savory finish. Elegant rather than massive, delivering precision and drinkability without sacrificing depth.

Food Pairings
Grilled ribeye, lamb chops, duck breast, mushroom-based dishes, herb-roasted poultry, aged hard cheeses, and classic French bistro fare. Equally rewarding with refined meals or elevated casual cooking.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is exactly the kind of Pessac that keeps you reaching for another glass, delicate yet layered, polished yet expressive, and dangerously easy to enjoy young. Immediate gratification today, with the structure and balance to reward cellaring down the road. A beautiful testament to classical Pessac elegance done right.

Did You Know?
Château Smith Haut Lafitte is known for its gravel-rich soils in Pessac-Léognan, which drive freshness, mineral tension, and aromatic lift in both red and white wines, helping maintain balance even in warmer vintages. — 5 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

From the Far Niente winery. Deep Ruby with aromas of dark berry fruits with floral spice and oaky notes. On the palate flavors of raspberry, blackberry and red plum with licorice, vanilla, leather and espresso. Tannins are fine, a bit tight, long finish ending with fruit, toasty cedar and earthy spice. Enjoyable now but a few years will reward. Pair this with a fillet mignon with a Cabernet sauce. — 3 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

A very rare bird almost impossible to find where the production on their 9 plots only amounts to a total of 9000 btls. I discovered their wines when I attended a Bizot tasting & lunch at Marea in Feb 2020 where I found their whole cluster wines had this beautiful purity of fruit & transparency. This btl was no different offering up an amazing nose of red cherry & berry fruits, lush & pure on the palate with baking spices, floral & mineral notes. A wine that is so good now you can drink young but will reward time in the cellar. — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.2

This elegant, 100% Mencía bottling from the Raul Pérez ancestral home, displays highly perfumed cherry, floral and spice character, with velvety textures and an intriguing hint of gaminess. Delicious now, it will reward at least a few more years patience. $24.00 (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, January 2021) — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Liked this so much, had to get another bottle. Almost all Merlot with about 5% Cab Franc, aromas of berry fruits with floral herb notes and earthy tones. On the palate blackberry and blueberry flavors with licorice and cedar notes. Fine ripe tannins, medium finish ending with toasty earthy notes and mineral character. Nice now but give it a few years. Good value for a wine that will reward with aging. — 8 years ago

Eric Waxman

9.3

Rich dark fruits on the noise. Long finish. I have found that the Peter Michael Pinots really reward aging. — 8 years ago

with Thelma

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Pale lemon with complex aromas of fresh ripe citrus and tropical fruits with zesty floral notes. On the palate flavors of peach, lime citrus and melon with lemongrass and floral herb notes. Long finish ending with juicy fruit, herb and citrus notes, lively acidity with mineral character. Outstanding! Will reward with a few years of age! — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

From 60-year old vines, medium Ruby with aromas of red fruits, floral, sweet spice and earthy notes. On the palate flavors of raspberry, cherry and currants with mushroom and leather notes. Fine tannins with racy acidity, great mouthfeel on a long finish. Ok now but a bit of bottle age will reward. Organic. — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.6

Blend of 93.3% Cab Sauv, 3.8% Petit Verdot, 2.3% Cab Franc, 0.5% Merlot & 0.1% Malbec, aged for 17 months in French oak, 65% new, deep dark Ruby with elegant pronounced aromas of ripe dark fruits, cedar and floral spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, ripe cherry and currants with notes of mushroom, herbs, pepper spice and earthy notes. Fine big sweet tannins, long finish ending with cacao, smoky oak, vanilla, fruit and mineral tang. Very nice, aging well, but time will reward! — 4 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Nose has juiced ripe cherries, wet cedar, roses, dry garden soil and faint strawberry jam.

Palate has bright cherry fruit, elderberry jelly, ripe cranberry, wet leather and faint tobacco notes. Great acidity and long finish.

Decanted 5H, this is in the zone now for sure.

Paired with a local whole chicken, 24H brine, Asian style spice rub, cooked on my grill rotisserie with apple wood chips smoking away for about 75m. Potatoes, onions and root vegetables in the roasting pan beneath to catch all the drippings. Crispy skin on the bird and good smoke flavor/penetration in the meat. A great reward for laboring away in the yard and garden all weekend. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

10

Domaine Bizot lunch today hosted by their winemaker Thomas Berry. This is a producer who’s wines are virtually impossible to find. They have 9 plots with an average yearly production at 9000 btls. Whole cluster with some new oak, very small yields & small amounts of sulphur added. Their wines are lush & pure with no intervention showing purity of fruit, sweet spices along with floral notes. They are so delicious now you can drink them young but will reward long term cellaring. (Aka Liger Belair) — 6 years ago

Ron from VA

8.9

I love a “risk-reward” purchase....I bought this blind and was rewarded with real quality. Quite a nice single block build - a little PV AND MERLOT (about 10% total) from the steepest slope and highest point in the vineyard. With a month of hurricane rains this still has the concentration you would expect from a classic vintage. I can only wonder how this was solved in the cellar ;) Nevertheless, it had dynamite structure and acidity to complement a complete pallet black fruit and spices! — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

From a 5 Bordeaux grape blend: 81.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.8% Merlot, 1.8% Petit Verdot, 1.4% Cabernet Franc & 0.4% Malbec, aged 24 months French oak, 85% new. Deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, floral and toasty spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, cherry and plump blueberries with notes of herbs, baking spice and toasty notes. Fine soft tannins, long finish ending with cacao, toasty oak, fruit and earthy mineral tang. Very nice, aging well, but time will reward! — 7 months ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.3

Pure and précise. Time will reward. — 2 years ago

romo

9.0

Choose your food carefully here. A reward awaits. — 4 years ago

Byron C Mayes

9.2

Damn! Star bright gold with yellow-green highlights. Abundant nose and mouthwatering (medium plus plus [sic] acidity) palate of honeyed yellow apples, honeysuckle, cling peach, and fennel(!) with a hint of smoky flint on the moderate finish. Very rich for a Kabinett, but then this is modern day Mosel and (Erben-)Thanisch has shown rich for decades. The Doctor is truly in and this expression of the universal white should satisfy in all situations. Pork dishes are, of course, a natural but your spicier Asian or Cajun fare will thank you just as earnestly. Drink half of your stash now and the rest will reward through 2034 or so. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Ruby with aromas of red fruits, floral and sweet spicy vanilla oak. On the palate flavors of raspberry, strawberry and currants with lavender and vanilla notes. Medium tannins with racy acidity, great mouthfeel on a medium finish. Drink now but a bit of bottle age will reward. — 5 years ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

Value #bordeaux that will reward the patient palate - Leather earthy aroma after it’s opened up, touch of cocoa and delicious acidity backed by soft tannins - decant for at least an hour. — 6 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.1

Pure Sangiovese, again in a medium-weight and elegant style with minimal extraction. The most primary of the three Borghetto wines, showing pure red fruit and hints of toast. Tons of spice character, great intensity and freshness. Slightly malic fruit quality of tart cherry, pomegranate, licorice, anise, tobacco leaf. Slightly green tannins, bitter fruit pit and basalm coming through. Palate dominated by spice and bitter red fruit. Quite austere but still my favorite of this range for its nerve, intensity and future potential. Really needs 3-5 years in bottle, but should reward patience when the fruit comes together. — 8 years ago

Andy Thomson

9.0

With salmon. With Armos in Kiama — 8 years ago

with Cheryl