This shows reserve on the nose, pared-back elegance, layers of black fruits, violets, peony, spice, liquorice, cocoa bean, mint leaf, lemongrass, beautifully textured and supple tannins. Builds and raises the level of intensity through the palate, creamy black cherry, damson and peach pit also, great tension, chalk, energy, tension, conctration and freshness as the aromatics expand, 60% new oak for ageing, 10% whole bunches fermentation. Sure to age. Fabien Teitgen technical director, Florence and Daniel Cathiard owners.

The polish, texture, complexity and patina are very impressive and fascinating. So spicy and interesting with so much going on. Medium body with wonderfully integrated tannins that are cut and nicely chiselled already. Lemon and violet. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.

Inky colour, with vivid vibrant edging, curling and fragrant floral aromatics, plenty of energy from the first kick of peony and mandarin peel. The rich density of the blue and black fruits are set against slate and grippy tannins, giving textural contrast which makes it engaging, together with a saline scrape on the finish. Blueberry, cassis, ink, liquorice root, graphite, pink grapefruit, intensely expressed with a vertical rise through the palate, very much true to estate signature. 29hl/h, 3.65ph, 10% whole bunches fermentation, using a mix of full bunches and stalks that they select after destemming. 33% 1st wine, 4% press used in the blend, harvest September 5 to 30. Fabien Teitgen technical director.

Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This ripe, powerful, concentrated wine reminds me of the 2010 with its structure, concentrated mid-palate, and just sheer density and regal, full-bodied style on the palate. Despite its size, it stays balanced, has a beautiful perfume of sweet black fruits, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers, building tannins, and a great, great finish.

With a somber, slightly introverted character characterized by notes of licorice, gentian, spices and dark wild berries, the 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte possesses a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and dense palate with a fleshy core of fruit and a generously extracted structure with an assertive tannic frame that requires time to mellow. Concluding with a long, dense and gentian-inflected finish, it needs time to digest its élevage and should gain harmony and balance with some time in the cellar.

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte was cropped at 29hL/ha between 5 and 30 September, undergoing half the extraction, aged in 60% new oak for a planned 18 months. It is fragrant and very pure on the nose: beautiful blackberry, raspberry and liquorice. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very elegant and focused, fine-boned with an exceptionally pure and caressing tobacco-tinged finish. This is going to grow to be a wonderful, delicious Smith Haut Lafitte. 14.5% alcohol.

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte is a regal, elegant wine. Succulent inky fruit, licorice, spice, lavender and mocha open in a gracious, sublime Grand Vin. Here, too, the wine’s persistence and energy are notable. The Cabernet is especially evident this year, in both the wine’s flavor profile and overall structural feel. In many vintages, the Grand Vin is more immediate and alluring. The 2022 is quite reticent.

The 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, spices, tobacco, graphite and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that is deep and layered, with good depth and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot will require some patience, given its somewhat extracted style.

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Deep crimson. Ripe but not overly sweet black fruit with an attractive suggestion of minerally stone dust. Pure, dark, rich, the tannins chalky but firm. A powerful yet elegant wine with a very long finish. Chewy, deep and ageworthy. (JH)

Deep and evocative, this bursts with blackcurrants, milk chocolate and floral perfume. Instantly captivating, the palate is silky yet structured, with tannins seamlessly supporting vibrant red and black berries. Broad and powerful, yet it glides, showcasing Cabernet’s structure, Merlot’s generosity and cool spiced fruit. A mineral core adds complexity, with flint-like nuances. A masterclass in power and balance – and unmistakably Smith. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Organic.