Hauts de Smith Rouge 2018

This companion wine to the Grand Vin from Smith Haut Lafitte is much more accessible in the first decade out from the vintage, and this 2018 is showing quite nicely at the moment. It is made up of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose shows minerality, plum, cedar, cassis and a light spice note. On the palate there is a balance to the ample power that this wine has with flavors of plum and cassis nicely balanced by cedar and refreshing stony minerality to finish. - D&M TASTING NOTES (MICHAEL KENNEL)

“Lots of sweet tobacco and bark to the plum and red currant aromas that follow through to a full body with round, creamy tannins that are powerful and rich. A well framed red. Lots of flavor, too. Mostly merlot. Try after 2025.” - 94 PTS, JAMES SUCKLING

“The 2018 Les Hauts de Smith is a powerhouse. I recall a much more open-knit wine from en primeur, but the bottled 2018 packs a serious punch. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, cloves, gravel and licorice give the 2018 a distinctly brooding feel. Les Hauts is conceived as a restaurant wine, but the 2018 is far from an easygoing example. There is plenty of depth, power and structure. A burst of dark red fruit laced with floral overtones punctuates the finish.” - 93 PTS, VINOUS MEDIA

“Tobacco, wet earth, cedar, smoky red berries and dark chocolate open the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, lush, sweet, and fresh with round tannins, soft textures and a liberal dose of dark chocolate covered plums, spice and espresso in the finish. This wine is perfect for restaurants, or early drinking pleasure, which is what the production is vinified for. The wine was made from a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.” - 92 PTS, JEFF LEVE, THE WINE INSIDER (03/2021)