Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, 2012

Elegantly concentrated cassis fruit with tobacco leaf overtones, habitual Smith seductively smooth and spicy, will show early and last well.

Coming from a rainy vintage, this wine shows an elegant, fresh and fruity bouquet with liquorice, spices, blackberries and smoky aromas. It builds beautifully with age and offers an incredibly classic, elegant, juicy, velvety and fresh palate. It is in the middle of its maturity period and will be ready for consumption within the next five years.

A great example of good modern winemaking with instantly appealing fresh, ripe fruit attack and sweet spicy flavour. The freshness will sustain this well, if not add extra complexity – by this point, more than 20 years of intelligent investment by owners Daniel and Florence Cathiard had paid off.