Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2008

JAMES SUCKLING: "Decadent and rich on the nose with lots of ripe fruit and meaty undertones. Almost truffle-like. Full body, lots of ripe tannins and plenty of fruit. Still needs time to soften. Big and juicy for the vintage. Better in 2018 but impressive now."

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes, junges Schwarzrot. Sehr dichte Nase mit schöner Cassisfrucht, Noten von Minze, Rauch und feiner Würze. Raffinierter Ansatz mit gutem Volumen, seidiger Struktur und eleganten Tanninen, reizvolle Heidelbeerund Cassisfrucht mit der für das Terroir typischen Rauchnote, edle Röstaromen, grosse Länge und Finesse bei exzellenter Ausgewogenheit."

DECANTER: "This is always one of the more polished expressions of Bordeaux, and at this stage they still had their foot a little more on the pedal than they do now. It's a beautiful wine with an intensity to the cassis fruits, a signature Pessac-Léognan swirl of smoke and grilled almond, and plenty of flexibility in the tannins which allows the juice to slide on through."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2008 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte is still going strong and is a classic wine from this reference point estate in the Graves region. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot aged in 80% new barrels, it offers textbook notes of crème de cassis, cedar pencil, loamy earth, and smoked earth/cold fireplace. Concentrated, ripe, and sexy on the palate, with ripe tannins, it shows the straight, focused style of the vintage. Drink it any time over the coming 10-15 years."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "On the nose the oak is still noticeable, from there you move on to the truffle, smoke, black cherry and dark chocolate notes. Full bodied, concentrated, the tannins are soft, the texture is round, the fruits are sweet, but there is some oak remaining in the finish that needs to further integrate. The wine was made from blending 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine reached 13.5% ABV."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "One of the stars of the vintage, this elegant, smoky wine has hints of barbecue pit intermixed with sweet black currants and cherries. Dark purple and medium to full-bodied, its impressive finesse and wonderful purity make for a surprisingly forward style of Smith-Haut-Lafitte to drink over the next 15 or so years."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Grainy and burly with good structure and still quite a lot of tannin. Not that long. But with lots of charm."

WINE SPECTATOR: " This expressive red shows intensity with grace, balancing pure black cherry, mineral and tobacco flavors with toasty oak and fresh acidity. The tannins are firm but ripe, fading to a floral, smoky finish. Drink now through 2018. 6,665 cases made."