(97-99 points) One of my favorite wines in the vintage, the 2025 Château Smith Haut Lafitte is based on 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, raised in 50% new oak, 45% old barrel, and 5% foudre. Beautiful darker fruits, scorched earth, smoky tobacco, chocolate, and graphite all define the aromatics, and on the palate, it's full-bodied, with a deep, concentrated mid-palate, beautiful tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. It brings beautiful ripeness as well as a balanced, textured, seamless style.

(96-98 points) (Pessac-Léognan; 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot; a final yield of 28 hl/ha; pH 3.6; 13.5% ABV; tasted at the Smith Haut Lafitte with Fabien Teitgen and Tracey Dobbin MW). A little closed initially aromatically, but that just serves to draw you in. This is a little intimate and all the more beautiful for that. Graphite and pencil shavings with a little hint of the cedar to come. There's also a waft of oak smoke. Freshly grated black chocolate. Red and darker cherry fruits. In the mouth this is ample, full, deep and extremely layered, with lovely green Szechuan peppercorns seemingly hidden between the silky layers. There's a hint of clove too. Succulent and impressively crystalline for a wine with so much richness and depth. I love the gentle spices, with a little hoisin, a touch of five spice, but all very subtle. There's a floral note too – iris, above all. Very energetic and dynamic. Lots of Cabernet freshness that turns to sapidity on the finish. Truly excellent with great complexity, this is a wine that requires and rewards a little patience. 96-98

Deep dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Fine herbal spice, fine cassis, blackberry confit, some nougat, candied orange zest, inviting bouquet. Full-bodied, elegant, ripe dark berry fruit, supporting tannins, fine chocolate nuances, convincing freshness, very full-bodied and long-lasting, mineral, fine extract sweetness, shows great length, sure maturity potential, extremely promising.

(97-98 points) So aromatic and expressive, with pure currants and mint, plus some chocolate. Fennel too. Wow. Medium- to full-bodied with very deep fruit, fine, velvety tannins and a long, fine texture. The precision and depth are impressive. More fruit-driven than usual. It grows on the palate and is compact at the end. Very cabernet in the end. Almost like St.-Julien and Pauillac in nature. A blend of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 27% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.

This is so good, so much energy and depth, slate and wet stones holding interest and the palate expands, showing fragrant capsicum pepper, crushed mint, toasted spices, cumin, liquorice, cassis, cocoa bean, fully in the DNA of Smith Haut Lafitte. Harvest 1 to 30 September, and here they paused over that rain of September 23, as did Château Margaux - both estates were richly rewarded for this choice. 50% new oak for ageing. Last vintage of Daniel Cathiard, and expect a label commemorating the remarkable impact he had on this brilliant estate.

(96-98 points) Deeply colored, all it takes is a single swirl to discover the red, black and blue fruits, smoke, cigar box, and tobacco. The palate kicks in with its vivacious, display of sweet, ripe fruits. The finish starts off strong and keeps on going long after the wine has left your glass. The picking dates in 2025 were paramount. They waited until after the late September rains to harvest the Cabernet, which added to the maturity of the fruits, while decreasing ABV levels, Picking took place from September 15 - September 30. The wine blends 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and is aging in 50% new, French oak barrels. 13.5% ABV. pH 3.50. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2029-2055. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2025%20smith%20haut%20lafitte

(96-98 points) A dark and savoury character on the nose, initially rather brooding, with notes of chocolate, violets, roses and peonies, elegant but also very Cabernet in style. The palate is divine, polished and fresh, with a dark core of fruits, currant, blackberry and black olive, scented with floral lavender, violets and mint, underneath which there is a serious and dense core of tannins, tightly packed and concentrated. This is a very complete grand vin, with evident grip and substance, but also a juicy, mouth-watering, saline and dried dark fruit character. It finishes long and gripped with that serious, Cabernet, almost rather gravelly tannin. This one is going to need time, but what a wine – there is no doubt that it is going to be worth the wait. I would love to be able to pull this from my cellar in ten or twenty years time. The label, by the way, commemorates the passing of Daniel Cathiard early in 2026; this is his final vintage, and it is a fitting memorial to him. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the yield on the property just 28hl/ha for reds. The alcohol is reported to be about 14%. 96-98/100

Beautifully crisp and clear aromas, dark fruit, precise and expressive. Smokey violets and ripe blackcurrants with white chocolate. Fresh and vivid, this is vibrant and so clear but still with a round and filling texture. Maybe a more delicate take from Smith with the minerality much more present than in some vintages but there’s excellent length, hints of spice and bitterness as well as a lifted finish. Very gravelly, salty, chalky and cool. Balanced, elegant and totally delicious. Not as Smith as some, less dense and fleshy, but there’s no denying this is approachable. A little less smooth and velvety, this is more crunchy, chalky and grippy than usual but no less compelling. 3.6pH. A yield of 28hl/ha. Began the red harvest from the 3 September to the end. Ageing 50% new oak. 1% of Petit Verdot completes the blend.

(95-97 points) Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge charges out with bold notes of crushed black and red currants and black raspberries, opening out to hints of pencil lead, wild thyme, red roses, and cedar. The medium-bodied palate is intense with black and red berry layers, framed by firm, grainy tannins and amazing tension, finishing long with loads of floral and mineral sparks. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. It is aging in French oak barrels, 50% new.

(95-97 points) The 2025 Smith Haut Lafitte was picked between September 3 and 30 at 28 hl/ha and raised in 50% new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet with mainly black fruit intertwined with Earl Grey, sous-bois and cigar box scents, a much more classical style of Smith Haut-Lafitte compared to recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, a subtle tobacco note that percolates through the black fruit, more structure coming through towards the sapid finish with a dash of black pepper on the aftertaste. This will fill out in barrel and should become a refined and quite delicious Smith Haut-Lafitte that will repay time in bottle. - By Neal Martin on May 2026

(93-96 points) Deep, dark and intense wine with hints of black cherries, and dark fruits. Excellent level of fresh tannins and cassis-like fruit, peppery and spicy. Long aftertaste, not overly powerful, rather elegant, fresh and classic.