SHL

[Nicklasss]

I remember in 2015, the very nice visit and impressive dinner we had at Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte. The food and match with the wines was perfect, many wines tasted, white and red, and I thougth that generally, this was a highlight of our tour. The Cathiard, almost rushing out the President of Singapour, to have 20 minutes with BWE crew.

Tonight, after a boring Gevrey last night, i went for a sea scallop tartare, with shichimi togarashi mayonnaise. Fresh Sea scallops from Québec Îles de la Madeleine. Delicate, fancy, delicious. I needed a great wine to go with the meal, especially for Mothers Day, so went for the 2015 Petit Haut Lafitte, second wine from the Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte blanc. Most of you know that i'm not a dry white Bordeaux guy, but the exception for me is SHL.

The wine, with it medium yellow color, has a great complex nose of tropical fruits, grapefruit, lemon, wax, herbs, vanilla, honey crumble oak. A very nice nose. Green lemon too. Pinneaple. In mouth, complex, that Sauvignon grape, with confit lemongrass, light herbs, integrated vanilla flavors. This has a good freshness too, the green melon of sémillon, even some white flower flavors. Not very thick, but decent length anyhow. Well made and deliver the goods, for the price. Tn: 91-92.

Thinking about it, does SHL is one of the most complete wine of Bordeaux, since the Cathiard ownership? Reds and whites seem to hit the stars, vintages in and out. Even the second wines are something very interesting. I remember tasting two second wine red and white in 2015 at the Chateau, and liking them all. The grands vins were even better, with the 2009 offered late in the dinner as not planned.

I like SHL and i'll buy some more in the coming months. I remember the 2002 or 2004 SHL red, both fabulous.

Are you a fan of SHL?

Nic

[DavidG]

The SHL sounds wonderful, the scallops even better.

[OrlandoRobert]

No. Not.

Jumped the shark!

Ps. The slutty side of me did like the 2004, but nothing later.

[DavidG]

The whites too, Robert? Nic's note is enticing. Or do the vanilla and oak mentions have you wary?

My SHL reds, including the 2004, didn’t make the cut when we downsized and got sent off to auction.

[AKR]

I'll confess to letting my SHL go too. The one year I really liked was 1998. It was a good balance between their newer style and the older, thinner version.

[jal]

Wow, I'm surprised. I consider myself a proud member of the AFWE and yet, I have loved every Smith Haut Lafitte I've ever tried. My only issue with the wine is its price.

[Comte Flaneur]

Count me in as a big fan of this estate too.

I agree Nic the visit and dinner there was a highlight of our 2015 tour. The Cathiards were ever so gracious.

SHL for my tastes is right on the cusp...it is modern and always tacks close to the edge but it has never truly fallen over on to the dark side.

I like both the whites and the reds, but I think I only own a case of the 2016, which I hope will go on to emulate the 2009 quality wise.

I tried the 1998 recently and was pleasantly surprised because I was not expecting much. It may have been around then that the quality started to rise.

I remember drinking the 2002 at the Tribeca Grill with the man they call Chasse Spleen and it was sensational. Likewise the 2004 and then the 2006. I regret never buying any of these and now they are difficult to track down.

[JimHow]

That SHL visit was spectacular.
The Cathiards were so nice to us.
The 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 SHLs are splendid.
I do think the 2005 was over the top, but I thought those latter SHLs we had at the estate were great.
The 2006 is back to form.

[OrlandoRobert]

Sorry guys, I should not have discounted the whites. I was really thinking about the red. Don’t have enough current experience with the whites to comment.

[Blanquito]

I can't recall having had SHL's whites, but I am with Robert here: I gave up on the reds after an 02, 04, 05 and 06 were always too glossy, usually too oaky, and sometimes too confected for me to really like. I stopped buying and auctioned off my remaining bottles of 2005.

But my mind is open, I'd be willing to try again... Maybe I had these all too young?

[Nicklasss]

SHL a controversial wine?

I can understand your reserve as i guess that even if you can feel the oak when the red wine is young, it seems to me that it is one of the wine that integrate it in not so many years.

In the white, i like the freshness and less exotic fruit character than some other Pessac.

Nic

[robert goulet]

Damn u David...I would have bought all your '04.

Had '08 SHL...thought it had very good potential.

[stefan]

Lucie and I drank a 2003 S-H-L last night with a goat cheese soufflé. It was indeed splendid with sweet fruit and Graves character minerals. Moreover, it does not demand blanquitoing unless you are Blanquito, not that I am in a hurry to drink mine up.

[robert goulet]

The first pessac I ever tasted was the '01 SHL....haunting mix of gravel and rocks...heavenly....'04 has some bottle variation...every bottle seems different but never has it disappointed...one bottle we popped had our jaws touching tile....pure smooth blackberry liquid slate...gorgeous

[DavidG]

Pessac/Graves are my favorite appellation, and Haut Brion my favorite first growth.
I like SHL OK, but somehow it’s just not a favorite. No accounting for taste I guess.

[felixp21]

SHL Blanc is in my five favourite Bordeaux, red or white.

[stefan]

I drank another 2003 Smith-Haut-Lafitte last night with duck breast. Lucie, after taking one sip, regretted being on a wine fast. It has a lovely Graves nose and minerals and good balance in the mouth. The oak is still pretty strong and drying. Modernish, but definitely Bordeaux. This time I felt that it would be even better in five years, but I certainly did not regret opening the bottle.

[JimHow]

Earlier this summer I had the 1998 Pape Clement one night and the 2002 Smith Haut Lafitte another night in the same week.
The SHL blew it away.

[JimHow]

SHL Blanc is in my five favourite Bordeaux, red or white.

Wow!

Rob Dayton brought a second label of SHL Blanc to a DC convention a couple years ago.
I really, really liked it.
I uncorked a bottle of the 2014(?) first label when Tom in DC came to my house, I was a little disapppointed in it, although we may have not chilled it enough to my liking.

[JimHow]

Years ago I tried to bid on a case of the brilliant 2000 SHL from the cellar of that guy who died in NYC.
I was like all ready to try to bid on line and I was like massacred like a mosquito in the bidding from Manhattan and Asia, I didn't even get a chance to click my mouse.

[jal]

Years ago I tried to bid on a case of the brilliant 2000 SHL from the cellar of that guy who died in NYC.
I was like all ready to try to bid on line and I was like massacred like a mosquito in the bidding from Manhattan and Asia, I didn't even get a chance to click my mouse.

LOL, I tried online bidding once and never tried again. I can't figure out who you're talking about, you'll tell me one day, I guess.

I seriously don't get White Bordeaux. I find that the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend is not acidic enough to go with food, and I'm not particularly fond of that lanolin texture. I'd rather spend money on White Burgundy,

[JimHow]

It was that popular Manhattan restauranteur, he seemed like a good man, he died like in his 40s I believe, he had cases and cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy, it was a highly coveted auction because of the provenance. His wife sold most of his cellar. He was big on magnum format, he believed that was the proper format from which to drink Bordeaux. Must've been about 12-15 years ago now.