2015 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan 750 ml

The Wine Advocate called it, “A show-stopping, heart-pounding beauty” and “totally dazzling.” James Suckling crowned it “the greatest wine ever from here.” But the 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte had plenty going for it even before its 99 point score and superlative press.

Showcasing every inch of its Grand Cru Classé pedigree, this wine impresses right out of the gate, with ripe black currant and wild plum carrying exotic notes of five spice, star anise and za'atar. Hints of violet ramp up the aromatic intrigue, transforming into tantalizing toasted chocolate and savory earth tones.

Gorgeously satin-textured, yet taut and firm, the palate exudes perfectly ripe blackberry, blueberry and savory herbs, suspended by lifted acidity and finely-grained tannins. An electrifying tension carries the ultra-long finish.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte has been a reference point for great Pessac-Léognan wines for the last two decades, but in a benchmark year like 2015—one that has been compared to transcendent Bordeaux vintages like 2010 and 2005—it rose to the top, even out-scoring Pessac’s marquee First Growth, Château Haut-Brion (which averages $650+ per bottle).

Especially impressive, considering that Pessac-Léognan is considered the apex Bordeaux appellation in 2015, with The Wine Advocate writing, “I hope this vintage puts Pessac-Léognan on the map as a source of not just good Bordeaux, but the best Bordeaux.”

An oasis in the middle of Pessac, just outside the city of Bordeaux, and surrounded by urban dwellings, Smith Haut Lafitte takes its name from the gravel plateau cultivated in 1365 (known as Lafitte) and 18th century owner George Smith, who was the first to build the manor house on the site in Pessac-Léognan.

625 years after its founding, proprietors Florence and Daniel Cathiard purchased the neglected Smith Haut Lafitte property in 1990, investing millions in the estate vineyard. Both ex-sporting stars from the 1965 French Olympic ski team, with an air of glamor that has never left them, they applied the same goal-oriented tenacity to their estate, turning the property around to become the modern myth-maker it’s become among consumers and critics alike.  

Winemaker Fabien Teitgen has been instrumental in realizing the Cathiards' ambitions for the estate. In recent years, they have honed in on individual terroirs and adopted so-called "bio-precision" in the vineyard, an approach that combines low-intervention, almost entirely organic viticulture with satellite technology that reveals how the grapes have ripened. 

Perhaps the most defining detail at Smith Haut Lafitte is the fact that it has made nearly all of its own barrels since 1995, joining First Growths Châteaux Lafite, Margaux and Haut-Brion as the rare Bordeaux properties with an onsite cooperage. Devotion to quality doesn’t get more hands-on than that (and it likely accounts for those trademark exotic spice aromas with every vintage).

Beautifully structured and tense, this 99-point Smith Haut Lafitte will continue to wow each time it’s visited over the next 30+ years. There’s a reason the most ardent Bordeaux lovers have an almost cult-like devotion to Pessac, and this 2015 reflects the ultimate expression of what Pessac-Léognan can truly achieve.