Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2021 (750ML)

93 VM / 91-92 JS / 92 DE / 89-91 JD / 89-91 WA / 92 JA

The 2021 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is a seriously impressive wine. A burst of sweet dark fruit, kirsch, lavender, sweet spice and leather makes a strong first impression. Charming and engaging, the 2021 offers tons of Cabernet Sauvignon character and a kiss of new French oak that works so well here. Impeccable. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Medium-bodied with fine, tight tannins and a just-ripe core of black fruit. Some dark clove and black pepper, too. Fresh and focused. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. From organically grown grapes. - James Suckling.

Dark chocolate, liquorice and slate with pretty notes of rose and violet that softly edge the nose. The raspberry, strawberry and blueberry fruit has a touch of sharpness, though I love the edges of chalk and slate minerality that give it real direction and linearity with little movement up or down as the flavours travel across the palate. All the elements are well delivered, elegant and really in focus. This has excellent attention to detail and lots going on. A characterful pick in 2021. -Georgina Hindle, Decanter.

The 2021 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is more Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated, and I think a step up over the Les Hauts de Smith. Cassis, graphite, ripe tobacco, and some earthy notes all flow to a medium-bodied, focused, elegant Cabernet that has the purity and fruit to drink nicely right out of the gate yet enough structure to keep for 10-12 years. - Jeb Dunnuck.

Aromas of cassis, plums, pipe tobacco and loamy soil introduce the 2021 Le Petit Haut Lafitte, a medium-bodied, lively and elegant wine that's refined and charming. As usual, it's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, and it's the more serious of Smith Haut Lafitte's two second wines. - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate.

You'll find a greater difference in quality than in a typical vintage between this and Hauts de Smith, with greater clarity of expression and rich aromatics here. Blueberry, raspberry leaf, lemongrass and campfire smoke, with salted cracker salinity on the finish. This is where you fid the sweet stuff in 2021 - not by looking for ripe fruit but by going long on juicy, elegant, well balanced savoury fruit that has plenty of character. A great 2nd wine that is worth seeking out. 30% new oak. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux.