Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2020

The color of the wine is dark red, almost black with blueish hues. Very expressive on the nose with red fruits and black fruit flavors. A good swirl in the glass release a large range of flavors and spice. Star anise, licorice, as well as empyreumatic notes and flint stones. It goes very wide and powerful on the palate at first, then well-defined structure and smoothness of the wine gives all its balance, fresh and full body. The length is highlighted by a great tannic structure. On the palate, it is highly aromatic with a great fruit expression melted with soft spices, blond tobacco leaf, licorice and graphite pencil like notes.

100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

Absolutely pure gold and reminding me of the 2009 (or is it the 2010?), the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte sports a dense purple hue to go with incredible aromatics of blackberries, blueberries, scorched earth, wood smoke, and acacia flowers. One of the most concentrated, rich, and sexy wines in the vintage, this massive and extraordinarily opulent 2020 shows the vintage's pure, elegant profile yet backs it up with sensational levels of fruit and texture. 

99 Points - James Suckling

Extremely fresh and deep in the nose with raspberry and blackcurrant character, as well as stone, fresh green tobacco and ink. Full-bodied with a dense center palate and gorgeous fine yet steely tannins. It calms down at the end with berries, citrus and some lavender. Salty at the end. Very minerally. Flinty. From organically grown grapes. 

98+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aging in 60% new barriques, the very deep purple-black colored 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte makes an impactful entrance, opening with flamboyant notes of blackcurrant pastilles, chocolate-covered cherries and molten licorice, leading to nuances of ground cloves, woodsmoke, crushed rocks and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit preserves and shimmering mineral sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe and fantastically firm tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epically long-lasting earthy and savory layers.

97 Points - Decanter

Powerful on the attack, dense and concentrated at first then brighter on the retro-olfaction with layers of spice, liquorice and flowers. Intense but beautifully precise, with iris and peony aromatics coming in strongly as it opens in the glass. A ton of nuance and complexity, really takes its time, delivering a masterclass in restrained Pessac glamour.

96+ Points - Wine Enthusiast

95 Points - Wine Spectator