May 6, 2025
Smith Haut-Lafitte 2024 Releases
Smith Haut-Lafitte 2024 Release
There’s a few releases today, and here is the second. Pessac whites show really well in 2024 and the scores for SHL Blanc are high.
“The 2024 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is complex, dynamic and an absolute delight. Everything about the 2024 speaks to class. Brisk acids drive through a core of citrus fruit, almond, mint, chamomile and white pepper. More than anything else, I admire the wine's tension and energy.” - Antonio Galloni
Smith Haut Lafitte is one of Bordeaux’s most dynamic and complete estates, combining historical gravitas with modern flair. Nestled in the heart of Pessac-Léognan, the estate is led by the Cathiard family, who have transformed it into a flagship for sustainable luxury, complete with biodynamic vineyards, a circular economy philosophy, and in-house barrel-making. The result is a château with serious ambition and one of the most distinctive signatures in the region.
The 2024 Grand Vin is a testament to that signature—refined, elegant and unmistakably Pessac. It’s a wine that opens with blackberry and damson fruit, layered with graphite, cedar and subtle florals. There’s lift and poise here, with firm but fine tannins, a mineral streak and a long, juicy finish. While less powerful than the biggest years, it offers outstanding precision and depth, with critics like Jane Anson and Neal Martin both awarding it 94 points. At just 21hl/ha yield and with 60% new oak, it’s a focused and confident release with real ageing potential. The price of the red in 2024 follows suit and comes with a 29% discount to the 2023 vintage.
The whites at Smith Haut Lafitte were among the most impressive we tasted in 2024. The Grand Vin blanc shows remarkable energy and complexity, drawing 95–97 points from Antonio Galloni and ranking among the benchmark whites of the vintage. We were equally taken with the second label, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, which bursts with citrus zest, white pepper and almond, wrapped in vibrant, mouthwatering acidity—a joy to drink young and a great value alternative.
This is a beautifully judged release from one of Bordeaux’s best-run estates. With pedigree, precision, and poise across both reds and whites, the 2024 vintage at Smith Haut Lafitte is not to be missed.
Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc 2024
€126* In Bond per bottle
95-97 Points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni
The 2024 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is complex, dynamic and an absolute delight. Everything about the 2024 speaks to class. Brisk acids drive through a core of citrus fruit, almond, mint, chamomile and white pepper. More than anything else, I admire the wine's tension and energy. Clean saline notes extend the dry, bracing finish. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2039
94-96 Points | Vinous - Neal Martin
The 2024 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Sémillon, matured in 50% new oak. It needed a bit of aeration in the glass, eventually revealing scents of Anjou pear, gooseberry, white flowers and light flinty aromas. The palate is well balanced with lilting nectarine, pear and stem ginger notes. Fine weight and depth, with a judicious touch of spice towards the finish. The sapidity and linearity of this impressive Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc mean it should repay cellaring. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2050
95 Points | Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux
A gorgeous aromatic blossom of white peaches, peach pit, sage, apple blossom, soft clove and white truffle spices, gentle lift through the palate, a wonderfully fragrant, generous but finessed Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, with so much depth and length. 50% new oak for ageing, harvest August 29 to September 13, 3.2ph. Energy maintained through the palate, up there with one of the whites of the vintage.
Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2024
€32.20* In Bond per bottle
92-94 Points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni
The 2024 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is outrageously beautiful. It captures all the stylishness and personality of the Grand Vin, but at a far more accessible price. Lemon confit, marzipan, white pepper, chamomile and tangerine peel all come alive in the glass. Floral notes lift the airy, expressive finish. Wonderful. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2030
93 Points | Falstaff
Light green yellow, silver reflections. Delicate nuances of mango, fresh pear and some pineapple, lime zest in the background, pleasant herbal spices and a hint of vanilla. Complex, taut, white apple fruit, fresh acidity, mineral, a hint of lemon on the finish, good length, a finesse-rich food companion.
Smith Haut-Lafitte 2024
€72.80* In Bond per bottle
94 Points | Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux
Toasted cedar and sandalwood oak on the nose, the team as Smith Haut-Lafitte has done a lovely job of adding a gourmet lick of grilled blueberry and raspberry fruits to the opening moments of the wine, alongside richer damson and black cherry in the mid-palate. Great energy, lift and juice, vivid fruits, graphite, ink, chalk tannins, slimmer through the mid palate than in the bigger vintages, but everything in its place. 21hl/h yield, 60% new oak. Fabien Teitgen technical director. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2042
94 Points | Falstaff
Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the edge. Delicate notes of blackberries, a hint of liquorice, still a little shy, a hint of fine oak, red berry nuances. Complex, fine red cherries, fresh acidity, mineral and salty, firm finish, fine cassis notes in the aftertaste, has good ageing potential.
92-94 Points | Vinous - Neal Martin
The 2024 Smith Haut Lafitte was picked from September 18 to October 9 and matured in 60% new oak. It has an understated bouquet that I appreciate, with scents of blackberry, raspberry, light rose petal and India ink that gradually unfurl in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, extremely well balanced and very refined, with a linear and correct finish. This is a classy Smith Haut Lafitte that will provide up to 20 years of drinking pleasure. Drinking Window: 2029 - 2055
91-94 Points | Vinous - Antonio Galloni
The 2024 Smith Haut Lafitte is raw and not fully formed. Today the tannins are imposing. There's good energy and depth in the glass, but the 2024 is very backward. Floral and spice notes emerge with air, but for the time being, Smith Haut Lafitte is a bit of a mystery.
Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte 2024
€21* In Bond per bottle
92 Points | Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux
Captures the restrained pleasure of the vintage, with tension and just-enough density through the palate to maintain momentum, juicy blackberry fruits laced with crayon and cocoa bean, and a punch of liquorice. Enjoyable, will age, give it three or four years. 21hl/h yield, Fabien Teitgen technical director.
92 Points | Falstaff
Dark ruby garnet, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate blueberries and cassis, fine herbal savouriness, a hint of precious wood. Juicy, elegant, ripe cherry fruit, good freshness, vivid tannins, lingers, a savoury food companion.
*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.