1959 Smith Haut Lafitte
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Tasting notes
Tawny with waves of raspberry in colour. 1959 was a wonderful vintage in Bordeaux, and this has a darker colour, and better grip, than either the 1969 or the 1979. There is still structure here also, fine tannins that move with the gentle brambled fruits, and plenty of rosebud, undergrowth and smoked earth. It's not going to build in intensity from this point on, but it is still very much delivering. Harvest from September 20. Smith Haut-Lafitte had been bought by Louis Eschenauer the year before, in 1958.
Critic scores
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
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.