has a beautiful, very dark colour. The nose is relatively discreet at first, but goes on to reveal elegant, expressive overtones of black cherry, black fruit (blackberry and blackcurrant), dried herbs, cedar, liquorice, clove, and empyreumatic nuances (flint and hearth aromas). The wine is concentrated, well-structured, and tightly-knit on the palate.

It starts out very straightforward, with good acidity and a fine tannic texture, going on to reveal considerable richness and volume around a tannic core typical of great Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine’s fine structure lasts from beginning to end thanks to round, yet firm tannin. The black fruit, mineral (flint), and gingerbread flavours are wonderful.

It is a well-structured, concentrated wine with a fine finish. It will be very enjoyable to drink in the next 3 to 5 years.

Yield: 35 hl/ha, before production was divided into 3 wines: Smith Haut Lafitte, les Hauts de Smith, and Le Petit Haut Lafitte Hand picking of the grapes according to precise maturity of the berries within plots

Blend: 60 % Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot

Vinification: Double sorting both before and after destemming removed any undesirable matter (such as bits of stem and leaves), and the uncrushed grapes were fermented in vat. Extraction of tannin and colour was done by pigeage (punching down the cap) and/or pumping over. Maceration took place at 26-28°C and the duration (between 4 and 6 weeks) varied from vat to vat as determined by regular tasting.

The wine was then aged in barrel for 14 months.