2015 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Very dark. Comfortable base and lots of perfume. Round and sweet. Tense and tight. An excitingly taut package that promises well. Drink 2024-2040 jancis_robinson_mw MW - JancisRobinson.com - Apr 2016

63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Organic. A wonderful wine of great impact and rich, grippy tannins but the density imperceptibly lightens towards the finish so you are left with the impression of freshness even though the liquorice, black cherry and cassis flavour persists. Smith Haut Lafitte has clearly stopped chasing the ripest fruit, instead going for the most aromatic, at perfect phenolic maturity. 3.7pH, 65% new oak. Drink: 2025-2040 jane_anson_mw - decanter.com - April 2016

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 spicesstar anise, fenugreek and Sichuan pepperover 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!Lisa Perrotti-Brown - 17/02/2018

This is a very polished and precise young wine with beautiful depth and intensity. Full and sexy. It shows blueberry and black currant character with walnut and chocolate undertones. The tannins have a lovely texture. Joy to taste. james_suckling - jamessuckling_com - Apr 2016