2010 White Bordeaux Harvest: Smith Haut Lafitte

Everyone is talking about the excellent quality of 2010 reds in Bordeaux, and I am excited to taste the wines at the moment. However, people shouldn’t forget the dry whites. I tasted some barrel samples today of whites from Château Smith Haut Lafitte, the top Pessac-Léognan wine estate. They included Haut de Smith, Cantelys, and Smith Haut Lafitte. The whites were excellent, especially the gran vin, which is a blend of 90 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 5 percent Semillon and 5 percent Sauvignon Gris. The Smith Haut Lafitte white has so much richness and concentration that gives fabulous aromas and flavors of peaches, melons, minerals and vanilla, yet the bright and intense acidity keeps the wine agile and in balance. I had to think back to the white harvest at SHL last September when I was in Bordeaux. The grapes picked last year were near perfect. Check out the video.