Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2022

One of the whites of the 2022 vintage — the barrel-fermented Grand Vin Blanc from a Pessac-Léognan estate at the very top of its game.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, farmed by the Cathiard family with Fabien Teitgen as winemaker, is one of Bordeaux's benchmark addresses — and its white is legendary, made in tiny quantities and barrel-fermented in the château's own cooperage. The 2022 Blanc is roughly 90% Sauvignon Blanc rounded out with Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris, from a warm, dry year that critics called a new paradigm for Bordeaux.

This is grand-vin white Bordeaux from a first-rank estate, in a vintage for the ages. Critics converge around 95 points for the 2022 Blanc → it stands among the whites of the vintage → at $228 you're buying one of Bordeaux's greatest dry whites at its release window.

• ~90% Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris
• Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Léognan
• Barrel-fermented and aged on lees in the estate's own cooperage
• Cathiard family; Fabien Teitgen, celebrated winemaker

"Honeyed grapefruit, crushed stone and lemon zest… rich, full-bodied, beautifully balanced and concentrated." — Wine Advocate. Translation: a white with a red wine's sense of structure and mouthfeel while staying vibrant, juicy and precise — built to age through 2042.

A tiny-production grand vin blanc from a top estate, in the vintage everyone will remember. Exactly how you anchor a serious white Bordeaux cellar.