The Wine Cellar Insider (97)

Intense, attention seeking notes of lemon, lime, flowers and stone open to a wine with depth, richness and concentration. The wine is long, fresh, plush and polished with plush textures and a mélange of citrus and mineral sensations. There is a purity to the sweet fruits that remain on your palate for close to 40 seconds.

James Suckling (96-97)

A full-bodied, layered white with dried apples, pears and cream. Beautiful, very upfront and plush already. Love the richness and precision.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Lastly, and pure perfection in white wine, the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is based on 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon that was aged in 50% new oak. This massively rich, concentrated, powerful white offers a heavenly nose of honeyed flowers, orange marmalade, lemon grass, and toasted bread, with a building sense of salinity and minerality that shows on the finish. Drink this stunningly rich, layered, concentrated 2020 over the coming two decades.

James Suckling (99)

This has so much blossom honey and white flowers with limes and other citrus. Stone and mineral undertones. Subtle passion fruit. A truly complex and great nose. Full-bodied and compact with fruit, phenolics and fresh acidity. Just a touch of sea salt. Very long and persistent. If you close your eyes, it’s like a great red wine. One of the best whites ever to come from here. 90% sauvignon blanc, 5% semillon, 5% sauvignon gris. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)

The 2020 Les Hauts de Smith, 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, is plump, juicy and quite forward. Succulent red cherry, cedar, cinnamon and dried flowers are front and center. Bright acids play off the ripe, racy fruit very nicely. Plush tannins wrap it all together in style.

James Suckling (93-94)

Tight and chewy yet polished and beautiful. Medium to full body, a pretty core of fruit within the center palate and a flavorful finish. Better than 2015 and on the same level as the excellent 2014.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

I love this château, and the 2019 Château Soutard-Cadet is another brilliant wine that's in the same ballpark as the 2018. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a rich, powerful nose of ripe black fruits, scorched earth, spicy oak, graphite, and damp earth, it's rich and concentrated, yet the purity is brilliant, it has silky and perfectly ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. As I wrote from barrel, it's going to benefit from just 2-4 years of bottle age and, I suspect, have 20, 25, if not 30 years of overall longevity.

Wine Spectator (98)

Gorgeous aromas of honey, passion fruit, mango and candied lemon rind. Full-bodied and ultraconcentrated, yet balanced and refined. It lasts for minutes on the palate. This has just about everything in the right place. Stunning. Best after 2009. 6,665 cases made. -JS

Wine Spectator (98)

Gorgeous aromas of honey, passion fruit, mango and candied lemon rind. Full-bodied and ultraconcentrated, yet balanced and refined. It lasts for minutes on the palate. This has just about everything in the right place. Stunning. Best after 2009. 6,665 cases made. -JS

Scoring 98 points from the Wine Advocate's Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 97 points from Decanter's Jane Anson and 18.5/20 from Jancis Robinson MW, this 2009 "remains the benchmark Suduiraut of recent years".

 

Still taking a while to open up fully, indicting a very long life ahead, it has a "divine bouquet... building layer upon layer" (NM) that "seductively unfurls" (WA) with gorgeous notes of honey, dried pineapple, chamomile tea, yellow flowers and nectarine. The rich, viscous and satiny texture of the palate is "effortlessly" countered by a "beautiful razor-sharp line of acidity" (NM) that gives this Sauternes bags of freshness. With "epic length and depth" (WA) on the finish, this is a wine that will span generations with Neal Martin giving it a drinking window up to 2070.

James Suckling (97-98)

What a crazy Sauternes. The density and sweetness are amazing, yet at the same time it’s fresh and bright with an inspirational energy and dryness at the end. Phenolic and textured.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98)

The 2019 Suduiraut is absolutely stunning. Rich, heady and explosive, but in the vibrant style that marks the wines of today, Suduiraut is a real head-turner. An exotic melange of apricot jam, orange confit, spice, candied ginger and pineapple all soar out of the glass. The 2019 is creamy and intense, but not at all heavy. The 130 grams of residual sugar are perfectly integrated. Magnificent.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2023 Suduiraut is a model of modern Sauternes. Orange peel, burnt sugar, crème-brûlée, tangerine peel, and wild flowers inform a Sauternes of total finesse and silkiness. Yields were a measly 12 hectoliters per hectare. The 150 grams of residual sugar are not especially evident. Everything about the 2023 is perfectly judged. It can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring or cellared for decades. The 2023 is a timeless wine that is among the most notable successes of the year.

James Suckling (94-95)

Very attractive core of pretty fruit and polished yet chewy tannins. Medium to full body, integrated tannins and a driven finish. One of the best Talbots in a long time.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (95)

Such precision and elegance, showcasing savorury blue fruits and a ton of Cabernet signature, Just a hugely classic and brilliant Talbot, and one where it is stretching its muscles, standing up to take its place among the great St Juliens. This is the best for me in the line up, with clear ageing potential, liqourice and rich blueberry and blackberry fruits with waves of cinnamon, cocoa bean, cloves edging, and smoked coffee beans. 60% new oak for ageing, Jean-Michel Laporte director.

Decanter (95)

This is a great Talbot, a real success for the château. Subtle and deft touches throughout, from the smoked turmeric notes that lace the black fruits to the finessed aromatics that accompany the body of the wine. Balance and freshness, and a saline edge to the finish that is extremely moreish. Three years with Jean-Michel Laporte as director and he is doing great work.

James Suckling (94-95)

A medium- to full-bodied red with very fine tannins. It’s firm and structured, showing a bright, dark-fruited character. Focused, with a good center-palate and a lingering finish. Really polished.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2016 Tertre-Rôteboeuf is flat-out stunning and also one of the wines of the vintage. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2016 possesses remarkable depth and intensity from the very first taste. The 2016 is exotic, full-throttle and unapologetically hedonistic. At times, Tertre-Rôteboeuf can be a bit rough around the edges, but the 2016 is totally sublime. In a world in which so many wines are copycats, Tertre-Rôteboeuf is an original. And the 2016 is a great, emotionally moving Tertre-Rôteboeuf. This is a magnificent effort1 from François and Nina Mitjavile. Don't miss it!

Exemplifying the finesse of a classic Bordeaux, the Baron Philippe de Rothschild Pauillac The Rothschild Collection 2017 hails from a legendary winemaker with renowned expertise rooted in the world's most prestigious winemaking region. This Pauillac is a union of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes, carefully selected from high-quality vineyards on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.

Masterfully crafted by estate wine-grower, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, this vintage exhibits a captivating complexity. The meticulous maturation process in oak barrels endows a beautifully balanced harmony between profound Cabernet structure and the velvety grace of Merlot.

Distinctive aromas of blackcurrant, toasted spices and leather, segue into indulgent layers of dark fruit and earthy truffle, defining the wine's profound character. The Baron Philippe de Rothschild Pauillac The Rothschild Collection 2017 serves as a testament to the winery’s commitment to excellence, cementing its place in the upper echelons of viniculture.