2020 - Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Pessac-Leognan

The 2023 En Primeur got a slightly higher score in my SHL white tastings this year, but for the Wines of the Year, I try to prioritise ones that you can actually get hold of and drink over the festive season, and this remains an exceptional choice. It's a wine that I just love to share, with its citrus grip that softens to creamy, fleshy stone fruits, with plenty of textural interest. Nectarine, white mango, gunsmoke, white pepper, sage, mouthwatering and keeps you coming back for more. 29hl/ha yield, 50% new oak barrels for ageing, with a few months back in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Harvest August 20 to September 9, one of the earliest on record. Certified organic as of 2019 in the vineyard, fully biodynamic farming as of this 2020 vintage. Technical director Fabien Teitgen.

The 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris, aged in 50% new oak. It needs a little coaxing to bring out fragrant notions of fresh grapefruit, green mango, and nectarines, giving way to hints of honeysuckle, mandarin peel, cedar, and paraffin wax. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers intense citrus and tropical fruit flavors with a silky texture and crisp line defining the fruit, finishing on a lingering chalky note.

The 2020 Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc has an appealing, well-defined bouquet, the oak neatly integrated, with a touch more mineralité than its peers. The palate is well balanced with a lovely, slightly viscous texture on the entry. Hints of nougat and white pepper build in the glass, and there’s plenty of energy through the long finish. This is very classy. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

A strong effort, the 2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc wafts from the glass with aromas of nectarine, pear, lemongrass, Sauvignon botanicals, toasted bread and baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, it's rich and concentrated, with ripe acids and chalky structuring extract. It's not quite as vibrant and precise as the 2019, but it's a success nonetheless.

The Cathiards' 30th vintage. My saviour wine. Just when a bitter taste post-antibiotic for double pneumonia seemed to blight my impressions of all wines, this was the first wine that seemed free of it and gave me hope that my palate would be restored. I first tasted it on 22 Feb (last dose of antibiotic was 12 Feb) and kept retasting over subsequent days to check that I wasn’t kidding myself (high-acid whites generally seemed worse affected than full-bodied reds). Smoky-oaky nose and lots of fruit impact on the palate with masses of refreshing acidity too. Flatteringly satin texture with real pungency and interest on the end. Great balance. Just the right side of the oiliness that can dog some white wines from this appellation. (JR)