2011 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Red
This 2011 give ripe, dark fruit, with an elegance and expressive nose of liquorice, clove, black fruits and carbon lead and mineral on the palate.
Rounded tannins with firm structure, the wine has great length because it is:
Fully handpicked their fruit
Using small trays with specially designed ergonomic hods holding them until being brought to the trailer, which allows the fruit to avoid breaking their skins before they arrive at the reception centre for vinification.
Using two sorting after destemming ensure ripe and fresh fruit.
In our view, this wine needs 30 minutes breathing for a fuller body and even more fruit and structure. Compared to 2008, 2010 and 2013 that we had been selling, this 2011 vintage gives changes and surprises over 1 hour of savouring.
Scores are almost as good as 2010 and 2008. For example:
WE 92POINTS
Produced mainly from young Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the Château Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard, this is a solid, dark and dense wine. It has rich black-currant flavors that are cut by acidity and firm tannins. Both mean the wine needs to age, so drink from 2020.