This is showing really well with just half an hour in the decanter. Starts out with a core of sweet red and dark fruited flavours tinged with cedar and tobacco, and with some air it becomes more savory as classic Graves smoky and gravelly notes start to emerge. The tannin’s surprisingly fine grained here - I expected this to be a bit more backward and tannic - and there’s bright acidity underneath which gives it really nice lift and a sense of vibrancy on the palate. Very elegant, and I’m glad I checked into this one now.
Thanks for taking one for the team, Salil. Sounds really good.
I have the 2000 SHL, I wonder how that’s showing.
I stayed there in '12 & have a resting Case of the '09 SHL. The owners ( Daniel & Florence Cathiard) are terriffic people and their wine continues to get better !
Sounds good Salil. It’s a good reminder that my 2001s are still too young.
No regrets popping this one. If I had more, I might open another this winter. Unfortunately this was a lone bottle purchase from HDH.
The few 2000s I’ve had lately have all been pretty tight and tannic still. I’d hold.
Thanks for the note. I have one left, may be time to pull it soon.
I’m glad the '96 SHL showed well. I remember having a back-to-back at home dinner with the '96 and the '95 in 2011. Both were tannic beasts, as I recall. The '95 opened up just enough at the end of my dinner and was strutting good classical Graves stuff.
I really like this producer, for both whites and reds. Modern, but in (to me) a good way. They seem to make good wines in lesser vintages, as well.
Having said that, I don’t think I’ve had a SHL rouge later than 2003 or so, and so I don’t have any opinion about what they’re doing in recent vintages.
'09 =100 pts
I have a '95 I’m looking forward to drinking soon, and a few from this century that I’m holding onto. I’ve had the '10 Petit SHL and the '09 Hauts de Smith. The Petit is still a little young but if you decant a few hours, it really shows well. I recommend springing for a bottle as maybe a preview of its big sister. The Hauts, I was less fond of – nothing wrong with it, but nothing to distinguish it from a lot of other, cheaper Pessac reds from that year.