Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2022 Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé

James Suckling
97-98/100 punten
This zooms over the palate from the minute you taste it with energetic acidity, grapefruit, pear, lemon and white peach character. Dried, candied lemon. Crushed stone, too. Medium-bodied with polish and class. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon and 5% sauvignon gris.

Jeb Dunnuck
(95-97)/100 punten
The flagship 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a normal blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon. Aged in 55% new French oak, it shines in the vintage and brings plenty of classic richness and depth while at the same time staying pure, clean, and balanced. Honeyed lemon, orange blossom, white flowers, and crushed stone all define the aromatics, and it has a beautiful mouthfeel that certainly brings the richness and depth of the vintage. This is another gem of a white from this incredible château.

Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux)
96/100 punten
This has structure and depth, serious tension, with slate, vibrant citrus, graphite, white pear, apricot, aniseed, liquorice, star anise, creamy but with a slice of steel that cuts through it. Brilliant quality, this is a standout white. Harvest August 18 to September 2. 50% new oak. Technical director Fabien Teitgen.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
(93-95+)/100 punten
One of the most successful white wines this estate has produced to date, something that's especially impressive in the context of the vintage.

Falstaff
96/100 punten
Light greenish yellow, silver reflections. Fine yellow tropical fruit, grapefruit zest, a touch of wood spice, yellow gooseberries, mineral and complex. On the palate, deep and substantial yet elegant. White fruit at the core, fine acidity that is well embedded, salty minerality, very good length. A balanced food wine with certain ageing potential.

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider)
95/100 punten
Honeysuckle, lemon rind, spice, crushed rocks, white peach, tangerine and vanilla deliver the complex aromatics. Fresh and creamy, with layers of sweet, yellow citrus, pineapple, and a breath of herbs on the backend, the wine shows promise. This is going to be simply fabulous on release. The harvest took place August 18 - September 2. The wine blends 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris. ABV %14.5.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
(93-95+)/100 punten
It appears likely that the 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc will overtake its 2019 counterpart as one of the most successful white wines this estate has produced to date, something that's especially impressive in the context of the vintage. Exhibiting aromas of linden, menthol, crisp orchard fruit and smoke, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and crystalline, with racy acids and an unctuos mid-palate. Chalky structuring dry extract makes its presence felt on the long, mineral finish. This is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris.

The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW)
(93-95)/100 punten
The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris, with a yield of 24 hl/ha and aging in 50% new oak. It bursts from the glass with bold notions of Bosc pears, grapefruit oil, and white peaches, followed by wafts of coriander seed, sea spray, and wet pebbles. The medium-bodied palate is charged with a lively backbone, supporting the generous stone fruit and pear flavors, finishing long and chalky.

Neal Martin (Vinous)
(94-96)/100 punten
The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is matured in 50% new oak for a planned 12 months, removed from barrel after 9 months with three months in vat after blending. It has a very perfumed nose with yellow plums, jasmine, walnut and touches of fennel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine depth and acidity. Waxy in texture, with hazelnut and white pepper toward the saline, almost creamy finish.

Weinwisser
19/20 punten
90 % Sauvignon Blanc, 5 % Sémillon, 5 % Sauvignon Gris. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, Weingartenpfirsich, Litschi und Passionsfrucht. Im zweiten Ansatz Fenchel, Melisse, Anis und Pomelo. Am tänzerischen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, quirlig, perfekt balancierte Rasse und stützende Mineralik. Im komplexen Finale mit Grapefruit und edler Salznote; er ist derart mundwässernd, da will man unbedingt noch einen weiteren Schluck! Das ist der beste Weißwein des Jahrgangs.