Château Smith Haut Lafitte - Le Petit Haut Lafitte Rouge 2017

"The 2017 Le Petit Haut Lafitte is another gorgeous wine in this range. Cabernet Sauvignon flavors are really popping today in a wine that is rich, deep and super-expressive. Iron, sweet red cherry, mint, dried flowers and white pepper all run through this gorgeous second wine from Smith Haut Lafitte. The 2017 could use a few years in bottle to fully come together, as the tannins are pretty fierce today. Quite frankly the Le Petit Haut Lafitte could challenge many grand vins in 2017." - 93 points, Antonio Galloni Vinous 

"This is beautifully constructed throughout, with fresh, bright acidity giving form and shape to the palate, showing damson fruit and a layer of rich, creamy tannins beneath. There's plenty to work with here: good texture and attractive black fruits - but once again, the austerity is striking and the fruit character has tightness around the middle that suggests a day or two longer on the vine would have been helpful. 20% new oak. 15% frost affected. From young vines. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038." - 90 points, Decanter

"More serious, the 2017 Le Petit Haut Lafitte is a more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated effort (60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot). It’s made to be a more ageworthy, structured wine, and it succeeds beautifully in the vintage, offering classic Smith Haut Lafitte-like notes of cassis, unsmoked tobacco, violets, and earthiness. Medium to full-bodied and nicely textured, it has the straight, focused style of the vintage and will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for over a decade." - 90 points, Jeb Dunnuck

Producer: Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Appellation: Pessac-Léognan

Vintage: 2017

Size: 750ml