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: 2000 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Passac-Leognan (1.5L)

2000 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Passac-Leognan (1.5L)

SKU #1132531 95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark One can’t say enough about this winery, which may still fly under the radar of most consumers. The fully mature 2000 displays gorgeous aromas of camphor, lead pencil shavings, unsmoked tobacco, plums, and black currants. With full body, a velvety texture, and beautiful weight, richness, and length, this superb wine should evolve, possibly improve for another 15 years. It’s a beauty! (RP) Inner quote mark (6/2010)

93 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark The Cathiards have made a polished wine with generous fruit. It manages to combine a modern, rich style with a lightness of touch and freshness of fruit which make it instantly attractive. Inner quote mark (6/2003)

90 points James Suckling

Outer quote mark This wine begins with a delicious nose of plums, berries, and hints of toasted oak on the nose. On the palate it is full-bodied and round, with some good fruit and a soft finish with lots of chocolate. This is ready, pull the cork soon. Inner quote mark (3/2011)

90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Outer quote mark Good full ruby. Roasted red and black fruits, smoke and licorice on the nose. Powerful, even a bit aggressive, with less sweetness and subtlety than the subsequent vintages. Finishes with big, chewy, ripe tannins and lingering notes of tobacco and leather. Very Graves in style. This appears to be in the process of shutting down in the bottle. 90(+?) points Inner quote mark (6/2003)

90 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark Very subtle and complex, with tobacco, chocolate and ripe fruit character. Medium-bodied, with well-integrated, silky tannins and a long finish. Refined, yet muscular. Inner quote mark (3/2003)

Jancis Robinson

Outer quote mark Complex aromas - hints of undergrowth, pencil lead, red fruit beginning the process of sweet vinous decay. Fine but leathery tannins, more mineral on the palate. Fragrant and fresh with subtle persistence. Drink 2010 to 2025. 17/20 points. Inner quote mark (5/2011)

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2000 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Passac-Leognan (1.5L)

Price: $299.99

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Product Reviews:

By: Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/26/2015 | Send Email

Modern, flashy this wine is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. In the past I found this wine to oaky, but I am pleased to see that it is integrating very well, and the freshness of the vintage is providing real lift to this showy, new wave Bordeaux. I didn’t think it would last when it was young, and I am so happy to be wrong. The high quality, mineral laden acidity of the long finish makes for a very balanced wine and one that I look forward to having again.

Drink from 2015 to 2035

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Bordeaux

Specific Appellation:

Pessac-Leognan/Graves

- Graves is the large red and white wine region located to the southeast of the city of Bordeaux along the Garonne River. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the red wines from the area, while the whites are mixtures of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The most important area within the Graves is the village of Pessac-Leognan. Most of the great chateaux, including Haut Brion, a premier cru and the only wine outside of the Medoc to be included in the 1855 Classification, are located in this small appellation. Graves derives its name from the rocky, stony terrain of the region. Many people believe that the stony soil radiates the day's heat at night and thus makes the grapes ripen earlier than the other regions in Bordeaux.