2000 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 29/06/2010
One can’t say enough about this winery, which may still fly under the radar of most consumers. The fully mature 2000 displays gorgeous aromas of camphor, lead pencil shavings, unsmoked tobacco, plums, and black currants. With full body, a velvety texture, and beautiful weight, richness, and length, this superb wine should evolve, possibly improve for another 15 years. It’s a beauty!

A sensational effort, and undeniably the finest wine to ever emerge from this estate, the opaque purple-colored 2000 offers scents of tobacco, camphor, graphite, creme de cassis, and licorice. This full-bodied, concentrated effort possesses low acidity, a multi-layered texture, tremendous intensity of flavor, and a persistent finish with considerable ripe, well-integrated tannin. This is a brilliant example of equilibrium and finesse allied to considerable power and flavor. Kudos to the Cathiards. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025. (94)

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. Taciturn on the nose at first, but coquettishly opening up with pure red-fruits, espresso, cedar and a touch of the old dusty antique bureau. Good definition. The palate is full-bodied, firm tannins, a touch of spice on the entry, a citric thread that counterbalanced the dense, ripe black fruit. This is nowhere near ready, but all the elements are here for a great wine, with notes of blackberry, cedar, graphite wild strawberry and freshly rolled tobacco. Persistent, grippy and utterly convincing. Drink now-2030. Tasted March 2010.