TN: 2004 Château Smith Haut Lafitte (France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan)

[robertgoulet]

• 2004 Château Smith Haut Lafitte - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/5/2011)
  I careless what the professional critic's say, 2004 continues to establish itself as one of my favorite bordeaux vintages of the 2000's. Too many good wines to count.
  My 40th birthday so I had to break out the SHL after it's recent crushing of the '07 Dominus and '94 Rausan Segla. This wine is firing on all cylinders. The nose screams your about to drink a kick ass bordeaux....and ah....you are:).....Truffle, leather, coffee and earth wafting out from the glass....damn I'm going nuts!!! The palate with great finesse and balance meets hints of smoke, expresso, soil, fine minerality, saddle.
  Not sure if I drank it, or made love to it....maybe both...bravo....94 points (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[robertgoulet]

wine opens quickly, no decant

[Bacchus]

Simmer down, as John Stuart might say. You're not the only one who likes this wine in this vintage. A couple of years back some dude on CT wrote: "This wine was drank in serious company. It was blind with 5 firsts and other very pricy Bdx neigbors and it won WOTN. This wine was seriously shockingly good."

Have you (or anyone for that matter) tried the 08 yet?

[robertgoulet]

ha ha, simmer down now is right!! That message was more for the boys on berserkers. I know how u guys roll over here!!!

[Houndsong]

I have the 04 Leo B and PC and they're both pretty good. The Leo B's a bit more to my liking.

[robertgoulet]

I have the Leo. I'm not sold on PC yet

[AlexR]

Who says only Burgundy lovers get passionate about wine?

Alex R.

[JimHow]

I have a case of the 2004 Smith Haut Lafitte in my cellar, which I bought after sampling one bottle.
As I've said here numerous times: Smith Haut Lafitte is becoming one of my favorite Bordeauxs.
Unfortunately, the price post-2005 has risen to that next level.

[Bacchus]

Just wondering, Mr G, how long it took to open up after it was in glass? How's the tannins?

[robertgoulet]

Jim SHL is one of my favorite bordeaux producers, this is just flat out top notch bordeaux.
Granted, I have half the experience of most the board members here.

[robertgoulet]

My favorite bordeaux wines in the last year

01 bahan haut brion, this was amazing
04 smith haut lafitte, gorgeous pessac experience
04 alter ego margaux goodness, lots of tasty leather, beautiful aromatics
99 D'armailhac sweet leather loveliness

[Bacchus]

He he he -- popped one of these yesterday just to try. You're right RG, very nice indeed; and certainly more traditional than the '05. Moreover, it has clearly improved on day 2, suggesting to me it can stay in bottle a little longer -- and absolutely stunning with a top sirloin steak, 'shrooms, and sauteed onions. Very yummy indeed. Just gets better with time.