Wine and spirits masterpieces to your doorstep
The Château Smith Haut Lafitte is among the most unavoidable names in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, nicknamed the "most Graves of the Graves" by the atypical nature of its terroir. The Domaine was founded in 1365 and named Haut Lafitte at the time because of its geographical location. Then when Georges Smith, a merchant of Scottish origin, acquired it in the eighteenth century, he attached his name to it and built the chartreuse that we know today.
Grand Cru Classé in red in the Graves classification, Château has belonged since 1990 to Daniel and Florence Cathiard, who have been committed for several years to a bio-precision approach that combines innovation and traditional techniques in the vineyard as well as in the winery. The wines are made from an organic culture without chemical inputs, enriched with biodynamic methods that contribute to the expression of the terroir.
The Château Smith Haut Lafitte is based on a 78-hectare vineyard planted on an exceptional Pyrenean gravel hilltop.
- The red grape varieties are 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The grand vin is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, of which 30 to 60% are new. Petit Haut Lafitte is the Second red wine.
- The grape variety in white is 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon. The great white wine is aged for 12 to 15 months in French oak barrels, of which 30 to 60% is new wood. Petit Haut Lafitte is the Second white wine.
The Château Smith Haut Lafitte produces wines of their own style. The red wines are powerful, balanced and expressive on the nose as well as the palate, while the white wines are elegant, smooth and taut.
Tasting notes from Fabien Teitgen, Winemaker :
« The wine is pale yellow in colour. The nose is already expressive, with great complexity combining notes of ripe fruit (peach, fresh apricot, fresh mango), crystalline citrus notes (pomelo, pink grapefruit) and more delicate and elegant spicy and floral notes (star anise, elderflower, acacia).
The story of this vintage is to be found on the nose: a beautiful combination of ripe fruit, freshness and elegance.
The attack on the palate is dense and broad, with a very good texture and superb creaminess.
Then the palate stretches out, supported by the good acidity, to a long and brilliant finish.
The balance between softness and freshness is quite incredible, with the mouthfeel, volume and creaminess perfectly balanced by the beautiful freshness.
This finely tuned acidity shapes the wine.
On the palate, an explosion of fruit, then the aromas become more complex, more elegant, more sophisticated.
Notes of sweet spices, star anise, aniseed, flowers and gun flint that are the signature of the great white wines of Smith Haut Lafitte. »
