Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Blanc, Pessac-Leognan 2021

This has so much blossom honey and white flowers with limes and other citrus. Stone and mineral undertones. Subtle passion fruit. A truly complex and great nose. Full-bodied and compact with fruit, phenolics and fresh acidity. Just a touch of sea salt. Very long and persistent. If you close your eyes, it’s like a great red wine. One of the best whites ever to come from here. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon, 5% sauvignon gris. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is the white wine of the vintage, hands down. Creamy and layered, the 2021 offers all the qualities that make whites off this site so compelling, Nothing is out of place. It's aromatic yet deep, fresh yet layered. Utterly mind-bending right out of the gate, this superb white hits all the right notes. Slate, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper linger. Magnifique!

The 2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (90% Sauvignon and 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon) is similarly crisp, focused, and chiseled, yet has another level of concentration. Racy citrus, lime, and graphite fruit notes are support by beautiful minerality, minty herb, and sappy flower-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated white offering perfectly integrated acidity, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and a clean, dry finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. This beauty will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and have over two decades of longevity.

Skilful winemaking on display here, sculpted flavours and textures, a sense of momentum and push-and-pull through the palate. Quince, white pear, mango, nectarine, peach, with savoury white tea, liqourice, mandarin peel and lemongrass, all delivered with pummice stone minerality. This has complexity and poise, and is along the wines of the vintage. Harvest September 2 to 20.

A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris, and 5% Semillon, the 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc soars from the glass with enticing scents of nectarines, lime leaves, and fresh grapefruit, giving way to notes of cedar, jasmine tea, and yuzu zest, with a touch of chalk dust. The light to medium-bodied palate has exhilarating tension, with loads of orchard fruit and citrusy layers, finishing with fantastic length.

The 2021 Blanc has developed gracefully since en primeur, delivering attractive aromas of ripe pear, peach, lime tree leaves, verbena and mint intertwined with mineral, smoky nuances. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with a broad attack and fleshy mid-palate, it exhibits compelling purity and tension, concluding with a saline, mint-inflected finish. It has the potential to improve in the cellar over the next decade or more.

The 2021 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc has a very nuanced bouquet, yet it just needs a few swirls of the glass to develop those enticing scents of wild peach, orange pith, almond and chamomile. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine line of acidity and a lightly spiced, persistent finish. There's real weight and elegance here—a contender for the white wine of the vintage.

Crunchy green apple, lime juice and some elderflower with really soft hints of honeyed brioche. Sharp yet soft, this has a good immediate presence of lemony, peach and apricot fruit and a creamy base which is given an energetic push by a lemon zest freshness. Gentle, softly round and driving, this feels refined and delicate, elegant with enough vibrancy and power to give a mouthful of wine with persistence. Very enjoyable.