The currants and blackberries on the nose are very impressive with wet-earth and lavender undertones. Full body and super-integrated tannins that melt into the wine. The quality of the tannins is incredible with fantastic length and mouthfeel. So much concentration and balance at the same time. Such beauty. From biodynamic grapes. This is the greatest wine ever from here. Drink in 2022.

With a depth of color impossible to miss, the wine opens with smoke, licorice, blackberry, cassis, and wet forest aromatics. Rich, fleshy and concentrated with all the right stuff, the wine is ripe, sensuous, silky and polished, The finish delivers smoked fruits, ripe tannins and length of flavor, which keeps right on going. This will age seamlessly for decades. With bottle age, this could score higher, as it develops. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2015+Ch%C3%A2teau+Smith+Haut+Lafitte

98+ Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge needs a lot of swirling to begin to reveal profound notes of blackcurrant cordial, preserved plums, and wild blueberries, followed by hints of Indian spices, fragrant soil, wood smoke, and tar. The full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by very firm, ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic tension, leading to epic length and depth on the finish of this stunning wine.

Spiced cassis and bilberry, layered through with cocoa bean and black chocolate, great quality, this is concentrated but with a slow build, satin and velvet textured tannins, so soft that you barely feel the grip that they are still exerting at ten years old. This vintage marks 25 years of the Cathiard ownership of the estate, and shows just how successfully they have placed their estate at the heart of great Bordeaux. 60% new oak, Fabien Teitgen technical director.

This vintage is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, matured in 65% new oak barrels. Medium to deep garnet-purple, the 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte has a totally dazzling nose of exotic spices—star anise, fenugreek and Sichuan pepper—over a core of chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries, plum preserves, violets and earthy wafts of truffles, moss, tilled black soil and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced and packing a lot of flavor into a relatively modest package, it fills the mouth with spice and herb-laced black and blue fruit layers, supported by very ripe, very finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length. This is already a show-stopping, heart-pounding beauty, but should also age incredibly! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

96+ Another wine from the Cathiard family I was able to taste on multiple occasions is the 2015 Smith Haut Lafitte and it’s brilliant stuff readers should snatch up. Offering a huge nose of chocolatey dark fruits, roasted herbs, graphite and flowers, this big, rich, opulent beauty has building tannin, loads of structure and great mid-palate. It will drink nicely for 20+ years.

This pumps out some serious blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry and black currant fruit flavors, with the texture of compote and a racy edge thanks to a terrific bolt of graphite that runs throughout. Waves of anise, roasted apple wood and tobacco drive the finish, with the fruit keeping pace easily. Destined for a long life. Best from 2025 through 2045. — J.M.

The 2015 Smith Haut-Lafitte has an ebullient bouquet with luscious black cherry, blueberry and tobacco scents that soar from the glass. Its nose says "party time"! The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins that frame the layered black, slightly toasty fruit. With fine focus, grip and a liberal sprinkling of black pepper on the bravura finish, this is a Smith Haut-Lafite that demands attention. Excellent. -- Neal Martin

This vintage comes with a smart new black label to celebrate owners Florence and Daniel Cathiard’s 25th harvest. What marked the growing season was a long drought from March to July, and a cool, wet August that kept freshness in the wine. It’s rich, powerful and concentrated, with dark fruit notes, silky tannins and a long finish.