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This wine will be delivered after the Spring of 2026.
If you have any questions about 'Bordeaux Futures', please call David at 403.543.8900.
Purchasing 'Bordeaux Futures' presents a unique opportunity for wine enthusiasts and investors to acquire exceptional wines at favourable prices.
At this point (2024) we know the price of the wine, but we do not know the cost of the product registration, recycling costs, freight costs, insurance costs, and potential storage fees. In past years, all these costs accounted for approximately $20 - $30 per bottle. In other words, at the time of delivery (2026), we will calculate all the charges due before the wine is released. GST will also be charged before delivery.
The 2026 Futures Campaign will close on August 7th, 2024. If you see a wine you want to purchase, please place the order as soon as possible. It does not matter if you place multiple orders. Do not wait until the last minute, as some wines may sell out.
If you have any questions, please call David at 403.543.8900.
This wine will be delivered after the Spring of 2026.
The nose is highly expressive with beautiful notes of red and black fruits, a lovely blend of Morello cherry, blueberry, and blackcurrant. Upon agitation, a spicy dimension becomes predominant with hints of cloves, licorice, and eucalyptus, followed by darker and smoky notes with touches of graphite and pencil lead. A superb aromatic complexity very typical of the great soils of Graves. The attack on the palate is straightforward and direct, with a beautiful density and superb texture. The wine is full-bodied, dense with a fine balance of freshness. The tannic structure is present, ripe, with a very beautiful texture and a velvety touch.
Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
98+ Points - James Suckling
Probably one of the most structured and stony SHLs I have ever had. Full yet very tight and compact palate with tannins that are like a tightly wound ball of silk. It goes on for a very long time. The cab berries were very small and they delivered a fantastic backbone of tannins, but at the same time intensity of vivid and reserved fruit. This is really long and classic in structure. The elevage in barrel will polish the fantastic, pure tannins. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes.
96+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, resting in 60% new oak. It sports a deep ruby/plum hue as well as awesome aromatics of smoky red and black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and hints of violets. It's gorgeously textured, full-bodied, has a deep, unctuous mid-palate, and building tannins. It's unquestionably one of the gems in the vintage and should be snatched up by savvy readers. It's worth pointing out that this estate harvested very late, going to October 4, and it certainly appears to have paid off.
95+ Points - Vinous
The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a powerhouse. In recent years, the Grand Vin has shifted toward a bit more nuance than in the past, but in 2023, small yields and thick skins yielded a somber, explosive Grand Vin. It will need many years to be at its most expressive. Blackberry, gravel, licorice, spice, plum and chocolate are some of the many notes that emerge from the glass. Readers will find a wine of real substance and textural intensity, framed by vibrant acids. A touch of air works wonders here. –Antonio Galloni
97 Points - Decanter
Dark and fragrant nose, scented and intense but not too rich and ripe, more cool, crisp and fresh. Aromatics of roses, floral elements and pot pourri - very welcoming. Big boned, this has expansion and intensity from the get go, powdery tannins fill the mouth with a juicy core and layers of freshness, mint, graphite, wet stones, herbs, cocoa and liquorice. Not as immediately as suave, soft and caressing as SHL can be, this is more serious, more straight and streamlined. Still finessed but this has muscle to it, forward and direct. It’s a beauty but will need time to expand and soften some more. Still very much on the Cabernet aromatics and power. I do like its density though, there is richness here, it’s not all straight and the tannins are filling. This has lovely potential with chewy strawberry and cranberry flavours. You don’t have the feeling of overt warmth with a cool freshness and touching on austere acidity, but this offers freshness and tension as well as ripeness. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.65pH. 26hl/ha yield, more or the less the same as usual winemaker Fabien Teitgen said.
94+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Smith Haut Lafitte is a brilliant wine, revealing a complex, elegantly oaky bouquet of dark wild berries, mulberries, blueberries, flowers and spices. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and rich, it has a fleshy core of fruit with good concentration and refined, structured tannins that segues into a long, penetrating and mineral finish. Crafted with an unprecedented majority of Cabernet Sauvignon—due to mildew affecting the Merlot—this Smith Haut Lafitte highlights a distinctly Cabernet-driven texture that authentically reflects its terroir despite a slightly more structured character. This blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, matured in 60% new oak barrels, represents one-third of the entire crop.
