Tasting Notes
Vinous – 95
The 2015 Smith Haut-Lafitte has an ebullient bouquet with luscious black cherry, blueberry and tobacco scents that soar from the glass. Its nose says "party time"! The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins that frame the layered black, slightly toasty fruit. With fine focus, grip and a liberal sprinkling of black pepper on the bravura finish, this is a Smith Haut-Lafite that demands attention. Excellent.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2048
JancisRobinson.com – 16
Tasted blind. Concentrated garnet. The nose is somehow a bit fractured (doesn t hang together). Very extracted and insistent. Dense and ambitious but a bit overdone. Grainy tannins on the end. (JR)
Anticipated maturity: 2028-2036
Robert Parker – 97
"This vintage is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, matured in 65% new oak barrels. Medium to deep garnet-purple, the 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte has a totally dazzling nose of exotic spices-star anise, fenugreek and Sichuan pepper-over a core of chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries, plum preserves, violets and earthy wafts of truffles, moss, tilled black soil and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced and packing a lot of flavor into a relatively modest package, it fills the mouth with spice and herb-laced black and blue fruit layers, supported by very ripe, very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length. This is already a show-stopping, heart-pounding beauty, but should also age incredibly!"
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2048
