Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2009

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Smith Haut Lafitte ‘09 offered one of the comeliest bouquets in the blind flight of Pessac-Leognan wines: more restrained but showing brilliant delineation and clarity: undergrowth, cigar box and touches of incense infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannins. This is an assertive wine determined to make an impression, with a bold multi-layered finish that suggest it will need at least a decade ageing. Tasted January 2013.

The finest wine ever made by proprietors Daniel and Florence Cathiard, the 2009 Smith-Haut-Lafitte exhibits an opaque blue/purple color in addition to a glorious nose of acacia flowers, licorice, charcoal, blueberries, black raspberries, lead pencil shavings and incense. This massive, extraordinarily rich, unctuously textured wine may be the most concentrated effort produced to date, although the 2000, 2005 and 2010 are nearly as prodigious. A gorgeous expression of Pessac-Leognan with sweet tannin, emerging charm and delicacy, and considerable power, depth, richness and authority, it should age effortlessly for 30-40+ years. Bravo!