- Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2022 has been released at £1,439 per 12×75.
- It was awarded a barrel range of 94-96 points by Neal Martin.
- Buyers looking for value have plenty of options, including the 2016 and 2021 vintages.
As part of this year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2022 has been released at €120 per bottle ex-négociant, up 13.6% on the 2021 release (€105.60 per bottle).
It is being offered by the international trade for £1,439 per 12×75, a 14% increase on the 2021’s opening price (£1,262 a case).
At this price, the 2022 is one of the most expensive vintages on the market. The volume released is 25% down year-on-year, which may go some way to explaining the price increase.
Buyers looking for value have plenty of opportunities among back vintages, such as the 2016 and 2021 vintages. See more pricing analysis below.
Critics’ scores
Neal Martin (Vinous) awarded the wine a barrel range of 94-96 points, noting its ‘very perfumed nose with yellow plums, jasmine, walnut and touches of fennel’.
‘Bursts from the glass with bold notions’, said Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Independent), scoring the wine 93-95 points and highlighting its lovely aromas of ‘coriander seed, sea spray, and wet pebbles’.
Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux) assigned it a score of 96 points, calling the 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc ‘a standout white’ of ‘brilliant quality’.
Fair Value analysis
There is no significant correlation between Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc Market Prices and Neal Martin scores – the chosen critic for Liv-ex’s ‘Fair Value’ methodology.
Based on the chart above, buyers looking for value in back vintages might want to consider the 2016 vintage. With 96 points from Neal Martin, it is available at a discount of 21.6% to today’s release.
The 2021 vintage received the same score from Neal Martin as the 2022, but it is available at a 24.8% discount to the latest release.
The 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 were all scored 94 points from the critic and are available for less than the 2022.
Other releases
Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc’s second label, Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, has also been released at €30 per bottle ex-négociant. The volume released is down 35% year-on-year.
Our Bordeaux En Primeur 2022 page contains everything you need to know about this year’s campaign. You can also sign up for our daily En Primeur email alerts using the form below.
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real-time activity of Liv-ex’s 620+ merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines.
