Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Florence and Daniel Cathiard
The noble Bosq family started growing grapes here as early as 1365. The
property was purchased in the 18th century by Scotsman George Smith,
who gave the estate its present name. He also built the manor house and
exported his – by now famous – wine to England on his own ships.
Current owners are Florence and Daniel Cathiard.
Both Florence and Daniel were professional skiers belonging to the
French Olympic ski team in the mid-1960s (with triple gold medal legend
at the 1968 Winter Olympics Jean-Claude Killy). After their career in
sports, Daniel built a supermarket and sporting goods store imperium and
Florence an advertising agency. In 1990 they bought Château
Smith-Haut-Lafitte with the wealth generated by the sale of all their
assets. They brought the quality of Smith-Haut-Lafitte wines to the
level for which they were once renowned.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a Bordeaux producer from the
Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the Grands Crus Classé for red
wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. The winery
and vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune
of Martillac.
The estate originates in the 14th century with the house of Verrier Du
Boscq who planted vines on a gravelly plateau named Lafitte already in
1365. In 1720 it was bought by the Scotsman Georges Smith who added his
name to the lieu-dit and who built the manor house of the property.
The Louis Eschenauer Company bought the estate in 1958, after having
already distributed the wine from the early 20th century. In 1990,
Florence and Daniel Cathiard bought Smith Haut Lafitte and embarked on a
major renovation and investment program.
The vineyard area consists of 67 hectares, 56 hectares of which are
planted with red grape varieties (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and
10% Cabernet Franc). The remaining 11 hectares are cultivated with
white varieties (90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon
Gris). The vineyards are located on a gravel ridge to the east of
Château Haut-Bailly.
The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats and the wine is then
matured in oak barrels (50% new) for 15-18 months. The wines are bottled
unfined and unfiltered.
The Grand vin, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, is annually produced in
10,000 cases of the red wine and 2,500 cases of the dry white. The
second wine, Les Hauts de Smith, has a production of 5,500 cases, and
exists in red, white and rosé versions. The rosé is produced as a
Bordeaux AOC.
Château Smith-Haut-Lafite has been transformed during the last decade
from being a perennial underachiever to being one of the leading estates
in the Graves region. Before the arrival of the Cathiard Family,
Château Smith Haut Lafitte - though a Classified Growth of the Graves
region - bore the nickname of Sleeping Beauty.
Daniel and Florence Cathiard invested heavily, restored buildings,
replaced vats, constructed a new barrel cellar, converted vineyard
practices to sustainable farming and paid detailed attention to hand
picking, sorting, and practices in the cellar. The proportion of new oak
barrels used in the maturation process was increased and a trio of
eminent oenologists (including Michel Rolland) was hired as consultants.
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