Château Smith Haut-lafitte
FILTER
Classified for its red wines and white wines, Château Smith Haut Lafitte is today one of the greatest classified...
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle- Case of 6 bottles (75cl)
95.00€ / bottle
€99.00
Or €99.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
90/100
Wine Spectator
89-92
J. Suckling
91-92
Specifications
In this 2017 vintage Chateau Smith Haut signs a very great wine. A vintage now delicious to drink, with a lot of finesse and elegance that will delight fans of Pessc Léognan.
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle- Case of 6 bottles (75cl)
105.00€ / bottle- Case of 12 bottles (75cl)
99.00€ / bottle
€108.00
Or €108.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
97+
Wine Spectator
95
J. Robinson
17,5
J. Suckling
97
Specifications
Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2014 red presents a beautiful bright dark red dress.On the nose we find very fresh notes of red fruits (strawberry, cherry).In the mouth, the attack is...
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle- Case of 6 bottles (75cl)
109.00€ / bottle- Case of 12 bottles (75cl)
108.33€ / bottle
€114.00
Or €114.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
93/100
Wine Spectator
94/100
J. Suckling
96/100
Specifications
In this 2018 vintage Chateau Smith Haut signs a very beautiful vintage. The Merlots collected to perfect maturity bring substance and power to the wine, the Cabernets length...
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle- Case of 6 bottles (75cl)
139.00€ / bottle
€140.00
Or €140.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
97-99
Wine Spectator
95-98
J. Suckling
98-99
Specifications
Château Smith-Haut Lafitte white 2018 Appellation : Pessac Léognan
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle
€141.70
Or €141.70 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
96-96
J. Suckling
97-98
Specifications
In this 2019 vintage Chateau Smith Haut obtained scores of 98-100/100 by most tasters. It is certainly a great vintage at the Château. The Merlots gathered to perfect...
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle- Case of 6 bottles (75cl)
139.00€ / bottle
€145.00
Or €145.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
96-98
J. Suckling
96-97
Specifications
Château Smith-Haut Lafitte white 2019 Appellation : Pessac Léognan
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle
€149.00
Or €149.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Advocate
96-98
J. Suckling
96-97
Specifications
Cultivated biodynamically like all the wines of the estate, Château Smith Haut Laffitte red 2015 vintage is ready to drink from now. The dress: is adorned with a very dark red color, almost black
Available in
- Bottle (75cl)
Per bottle- Case of 6 bottles (75cl)
170.00€ / bottle- Case of 12 bottles (75cl)
160.42€ / bottle
€175.00
Or €175.00 / bottle
TASTING NOTES
Wine Spectator
94-97
J. Robinson
18
J. Suckling
97-98
Specifications
Benefit of the 12th bottle offered by choosing the format : Case of 12 bottles.
Degressive price applied automatically.
CHÂTEAU smith haut-lafitte
Grand Cru Classé de Graves
- Pessac Léognan -
Château Smith Haut-Lafitte is located in Martillac, in the heart of the Pessac Léognan appellation. Part of one of the oldest châteaux, the wines are classified as "Grands Crus Classés" for both reds and whites in the Graves wine classification since 1959. Thanks to its exceptional terroir, the estate produces elegant, racy and concentrated wines. Since 2019, the wines are certified organic.
The
Technical sheet
OWNERS : Daniel and Florence Cathiard
CELLAR MASTER : Yann Laudeho
OENOLOGIST: Michel Rolland
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR : Fabien Teitgen
GROWING MANAGER: Nicolas Poumeyrau
APPELLATION : Pessac-Léognan
VINEYARD AREA: 78 hectares (Red: 67, White: 11)
VINEYARD MANAGEMENT : Organic viticulture
SOILS : Günzian gravel
AVERAGE AGE OF THE VINES : 35 years old
PLANTATION DENSITY: 7,500 to 10,000 vines per hectare
RED GRADES: Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (6%), Petit Verdot (1%)
WHITE GRAPE VARIETIES : Sauvignon blanc (90%), Semillon (5%), Sauvignon gris (5%)
HARVESTING : Manual
VINIFICATION : Thermo-regulated stainless steel vats, vinification in oak and foudre barrels
MATURING : New and old oak barrels
A BIT OF
HISTORY
The history of the château begins in the 14th century with Verrier Duboscq, who signed a deed of ownership of a few hectares of vines and named the château "Haut Lafitte". It was then George Smith, a Scottish merchant, who bought the estate in the 18th century and gave the château its current name. He was succeeded in 1842 by Lodi Martin Duffor Dubergier, mayor of Bordeaux, who elevated the estate to the rank of "Grand Cru" in the 1855 classification.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Maison Louis Eschenauer, a major figure in the Bordeaux region who was already distributing the estate's wines, bought the property and carried out major work and investments such as the construction of the underground cellar.
Finally, in 1990, the couple Florence and Daniel Cathiard fell under the spell of the château and bought it from the British trader Brent Walker. They carry out colossal works on the estate with the ambition to perpetuate the tradition of excellence of Château Smith Haut-Lafitte. After 3 years of work, demonstrating the ambition of the couple, they settled in the heart of the vineyard in George Smith's 18th century chartreuse to devote themselves entirely to their new passion.
THE
PROPERTY
Château Smith Haut-Lafitte is an 87-hectare estate located in the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. With its temperate oceanic climate, it has a precious terroir that gives its identity to the wine. This terroir, which has the reputation of being the "gravest of the gravels", is composed of Günzian Graves, gravelly soils on a limestone base. This terroir has the particularity of having a natural drainage of the soil forcing the roots of the vines to draw water and mineral salts deeply as well as a "mirror" effect of the sun which is reflected on the pebbles contributing to the maturation of the grapes. This brings a minerality to the wines as well as an aromatic complexity reflecting this exceptional terroir.
Surrounded by greenery, biodiversity is reinforced by the presence of a forest, orchards, beehives and vegetable gardens. The estate also has a preserved and natural nursery on the island of Lalande on the Garonne River where they grow their own rootstocks. The teams use many teachings of biodynamic agriculture such as the benefits of medicinal plants in preventing vine diseases. Inscribed in an approach specific to the domain named "bio precision" which consists in combining traditional and innovative techniques in their agriculture as well as in the cellars. This means producing and using their own natural compost, ploughing with horses or replanting with massal selection. This commitment has enabled the Château to be certified as an organic wine producer in 2019. This agriculture is also accompanied by the use of new technologies with the treatment of images by satellite, drone and advanced studies on soils allowing the best possible monitoring of ripening grapes.
The
know-how
For the red wines, the grapes are harvested manually in small batches according to their maturity. In the winery, the grapes are meticulously sorted by optical sorting. They are then transported by gravity into the small truncated wooden vats of the new vat house, which has been operational since 2013. The wines are then aged in barrels in the underground cellars for about 18 months.
For the white wines, the grapes are harvested in crates and then pressed. The juice ferments directly in barrels after a cold racking. The wine will be aged for 12 months on the lees, with stirring if necessary.
For the second wines, they are blended and aged in a different cellar called "chai furtif". This one is hidden in the vegetation and works in positive energy limiting the impact on the environment. Here, we practice a circular economy, a local ecological economic model thanks to solar production, rainwater recovery and cooling of the barrel cellars by a Canadian well. Moreover, Château Smith Haut-Lafitte is the first in the world to have implemented a system that recycles CO2 from wine fermentation.
In 1993, Daniel Cathiard decided to integrate the know-how of a master cooper in order to carry out almost the entire production of the barrels of the château. It is one of the last domains to master this ancestral aspect which is recognized by the label "Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant". Made from a selection of oak from the best French forests, these barrels contribute to the signature of the estate's wines.
the
château's Cuvées
Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte produces six wines all from the estate's Graves Günziennes terroir in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Over the past decades the style has evolved from very powerful and woody to delicate yet intense, refined with aromatic complexity dominating the rest.
The Grand Cru Classé de Grave, Château Smith Haut-Lafitte is available in red with a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon, an elegant, concentrated wine with notes of black fruits. In white, with a high proportion of Sauvignon, balanced with aromas of exotic fruits, citrus and white flowers.
The château also has two second wines, Les Hauts de Smith and Petit Haut Lafitte, both in red and white, each with their own unique blend and aromatic identity.