1989 Smith Haut Lafitte
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Tasting notes
A warm vintage where you get some standout successes still going strong at 35 years old, and others that have really hit the law of diminishing returns. Smith Haut Lafitte is just about holding on - plenty of caressing tannins, cloves, black pepper and turmeric spices, balanced with soy and tar notes. Very much tertiary, I would begin drinking up over the next three to eight years, but it remains a crowd pleaser at this stage.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 1989 Smith Haut Lafitte has an animally, feral but not unattractive bouquet suggesting quite a bit of brettanomyces. The palate is fully mature, maybe a little dilute due to the high yields, yet well balanced, offering soy-tinged red fruit and black pepper, and quite cohesive on the finish. This is actually better than I expected, and there is a lovely touch of dark chocolate and mocha on the aftertaste. Tasted from an ex-cellar bottle at the château .
The 1989 is an example of a wine with a delicate, fruity character that was overwhelmed by the excessive use of new oak. The flavors of oak have crushed much of the wine's finesse and elegance. Anticipated maturity: Now-1997.
About the producer
Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the leading lights of Pessac-Léognan today – all thanks to Daniel and Florence Cathiard, who took over the property in 1990 and have since transformed the estate, converting to biodynamics and crafting wines of increasing finesse.