Le Petit Haut Lafitte Rouge
Pessac-Léognan 2016
Bordeaux, France
Château Smith-Haut Lafitte is a fascinating estate, whose 87 hectares of vineyards follow an almost Burgundian expression of terroir. I recall visiting during the 2021 vintage seeing the patchwork like effect of the frost from one plot to the next. It’s remarkable that there can be such dramatic differences within a matter of 10-15 metres. It is perhaps for this reason that they produce their Grand Vin, but also two distinct second wines. Petit Haut Lafitte with a 60-40 Cabernet to Merlot blend, then Les Hauts de Smith with a 60-40 Merlot to Cabernet Blend to highlight the different expressions of the vineyards and grapes.
2016 was a spectacular vintage in Bordeaux, quite possibly the best vintage I’ve tried alongside 2010 and 1996. The wines are uniformly excellent, well-structured and long-lived. This is no exception, requiring a little coaxing from the glass, but opening up beautifully given time. It’s an elegant, polished expression of Cabernet Sauvignon rather than a powerhouse. It has the hallmark brambly fruit and cedar that you would expect from the region, but a slightly floral, lavender twist. The finish is refined and with a touch of pencil lead. This is certainly a thought-provoking wine which is rather Pauillac-like in many ways. Forgetting the similarities of the name, this does remind me of something from the DBR stable, Lafite-Rothschild or Duhart Milon. The tannic structure is fine, but not inconsiderable which will enable this to keep for another 5-10 years happily I would suggest.
| Style: Red | Drink from: 2023 |
| ABV: 13.5% | Drink to: 2030 |
| Packaging: OWC | Stock arriving: December 2024 |
Critic scores
Critic reviews
Neal Martin, April 2017
"The 2016 Le Petit Haut Lafitte has a lovely bouquet of brambly black fruit, cedar and touches of black olive that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and tight on the entry, displaying succulent, ripe tannin and firm grip. There is a light earthiness to this Le Petit Haut Lafitte, and the Cabernet Sauvignon is very expressive on the tobacco-tinged finish. Excellent."
Neal Martin, December 2018
"The 2016 Le Petit Haut Lafitte is a fabulous second wine from Smith Haut Lafitte. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender, menthol, licorice and cloves give the Petit Haut Lafitte its striking aromatic complexity. Deep, resonant and exquisitely layered, the 2016 is a real joy to taste. I would cellar it for another year or two. The 2016 has enough depth and pedigree to develop beautifully for the next 10-15 years."
Antonio Galloni, December 2018
"Very dark and lustrous purple. What a lovely texture! Maybe not the densest fruit but reasonably fresh fruit. Delicate hand on the hand brake. Not too much. Just lovely juice. I wonder whether the move to organic is responsible for this delightful wine? Pure pleasure almost already."
Jancis Robinson, April 2017, JancisRobinson.com
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