Château Smith Haut-Lafitte
Route Jean de Ramon
33650 Martillac
Tél. +33 (0)5 57 83 11 22
visites@smith-haut-lafitte.com
A winegrowing estate since 1365, this Graves Grand Cru Classé has the reputation of being the “most Graves of the Graves”, as the saying goes, due to the smoky fragrance of its red wines, an expression that comes from its gravelly soil and the semi-precious stones that litter the vineyard floor. In the 18th century, the château, flanked by its splendid chartreuse, was owned by a Scottish sailor, George Smith. He took his wines as far as England, establishing the cru's reputation. In 1990, Florence and Daniel Cathiard, former French ski champions and founders of Go Sport and Casino stores, bought the estate. The neo-winemaking couple quickly turned the property around, developing it with lightning speed and firmly establishing the reputation of the wines. In less than 20 years, Smith Haut-Lafitte has risen to the top, joining the best wines of the appellation, the Bordeaux region and wines of international renown.
Based in the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, in the commune of Martillac, Château Smith Haut Lafitte has been a Graves Cru Classé since 1959. Once dubbed “the most Graves of the Graves” by Bernard Ginestet (former mayor of Margaux and former owner of Château Margaux until the 1970s), due to its high proportion of Gunzian gravel (from the Quaternary period), the cru is an exemplary singularity.
This 87-hectare estate, which today boasts a 78-hectare vineyard, began its history in the 14th century, more precisely in 1365, when Verrier du Bosq signed the deed of ownership for a few “arpents” of vines. This was during the time of the Crusades, which explains the presence of the fleur-de-lis on the estate's coat of arms, still visible today on the flags and in the cellars of Smith Haut-Lafitte.
This vineyard soon became known as the “most Graves of the Graves” because of the smoky aromas in its red wines, an expression of its gravelly soil and the semi-precious stones that litter the vineyard, a soil characteristic that many of the crus of the Pessac-Léognan appellation can also lay claim to.Then, the Verrier family, owners of the noble house of Bosq, cultivated a vineyard at a place called “Lafitte.
In the 18th century, the estate became the property of a Scottish sailor, George Smith, who settled there. He built the splendid Carthusian monastery we still know today, and considerably developed the commercial side of the wines in Europe and as far afield as England. George Smith's commercial development gradually built the reputation of the cru beyond the borders of France. It was also at this time that the name Smith Haut-Lafitte became official, on June 29, 1720 to be precise. The Scotsman added his name to that of one of the château's best plots (“Haut-Lafitte”), renaming it Smith Haut-Lafitte. In the 19th century, in 1842, the estate passed (by inheritance) to the mayor of Bordeaux, Count Lodi Duffour-Dubergier, who acquired the château through his mother, Marie-Françoise du Bergier. The Mayor of Bordeaux and President of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a wine enthusiast. He was to invest a great deal of time and effort in further enhancing the reputation and quality of the wines. Thanks to his dedication and efforts, the estate's wines were elevated to the rank of “Grand Cru Exceptionnel”. The château was subsequently passed on to Sylvio Duffour in 1882.
In 1902, Bordeaux wine merchant Louis Eschenauer became the exclusive retailer of Smith Haut-Lafitte wines. In 1906, the property became German when it was bought by the Bremen wine merchant Reidemeister & Ulrichs. But war broke out, and the French state confiscated this German property in 1914. From the 1920s onwards, the Louis Eschenauer trading house obtained a lease on the Smith vineyard. The château changed hands in 1933 with Charles Paris, Paymaster General of Indochina.
Smith Haut-Lafitte was sold in 1958 to Louis Eschenauer, a leading figure in the Bordeaux wine trade, who had already been marketing Smith wines exclusively for decades via his trading house, and decided to buy the estate from Charles Paris. When he bought Smith, the property was in excellent condition and the wines enjoyed a fine reputation thanks to the successive owners who had preceded him. Nevertheless, the Bordeaux merchant decided to carry out a number of improvements, one of the most important and beneficial for Smith's wines being the construction of the famous and splendid underground barrel cellar. At the time, and still today, few châteaux in the Bordeaux winegrowing region have underground barrel cellars. But Smith Haut-Lafitte joins a fairly closed circle of châteaux to have such a facility, following in the footsteps of Châteaux Margaux and Lafite-Rothschild.
In 1959, the classification des Crus Classés de Graves was created. Smith was included in the classification for his red wines, but not for his dry whites.
Louis Eschenauer, the exclusive marketer of Smith Haut-Lafitte wines, quickly damaged the reputation of his own cru by applying a productivist policy to lower production costs. The consequences were scathing. The quality of the wines plummeted, and the reputation of the chateau's wines and of the chateau itself, which the Classification des Crus Classés de Graves was unable to protect, suffered a long period in the wilderness due to the owner's fault. By 1986, the vineyard had grown to 51 hectares and was gradually abandoned. At the end of 1988, Louis Eschenauer's trading house was sold by the multinational conglomerate Lonrho to an English wine and spirits group, Brent Walker, enabling the English merchant to acquire Smith Haut-Lafitte. He also took the opportunity to acquire Château Rauzan-Ségla, a Grand Cru Classé in 1855 in the Margaux appellation. But here it is! Smith Haut-Lafitte did not last long in the hands of the English wine merchant, who decided to sell it at the end of 1990.
On January 29, 1991, Smith Haut-Lafitte was sold, after lengthy negotiations, to the Cathiard family, a couple from Grenoble who were keen to get into the wine business (an unknown world for Florence and Daniel Cathiard at the time). Until then, the Cathiard family had been majority shareholders in the Genty-Cathiard retail group, which also owned the Go Sport stores. After the sale of their group to Rallye, Florence and Daniel Cathiard were in a position to invest in the Classified Growth they had quickly fallen in love with, and literally changed their professional universe, arriving in Bordeaux as wine neophytes. Their career is not an ordinary one, since it all began with a brilliant career in high-level sport (skiing) - both were ski champions in the 60s - before moving into the family business. The estate was not in good shape, nor were the vineyards, and the reputation of the wines had plummeted as a result of the choices made by Eschenauer. But no matter! The Cathiards love a challenge and still have the soul of great competitors. Smith's terroir is there and has retained all its potential. It needs to be reawakened. Bringing this ruined cru classé up to scratch doesn't frighten them, despite the colossal task ahead. They have a fighting spirit and the means to achieve their ambitions. The couple know nothing about wine, but are curious about everything. They return to university to train in viticulture, and keep themselves well-informed by devouring specialized books. After all, these neo-winegrowers have only been trained in retail (an essential asset for commerce and therefore business) and communications (also a great advantage for managing Smith's brand image). Florence was in fact the director of a communications agency in Grenoble, after having worked in an agency in New York. This experience will stand her in good stead when it comes to making the Smith Haut-Lafitte brand shine.
Daniel and Florence quickly decided to surround themselves with the best experts, starting with the famous oenologist-consultant Michel Rolland, who became the in-house consultant like his illustrious predecessor, the great professor Emile Peynaud, who worked before him at Smith from 1981 to 1988.
The Cathiards are bursting with energy and ideas, and spare no expense to achieve their goals. There are many projects to be undertaken to turn this “sleeping beauty” around.
Their vision was a holistic one, since wine production was to be combined with body care and the creation of the famous Caudalie skincare products (now an internationally recognized brand). An idea of genius! It was their eldest daughter Mathilde who came up with the idea. This famous cream was to be combined with a luxury hotel-spa, as part of a relentless drive to create an unprecedented wine tourism offering. This led to the creation in 1999 of Les Sources de Caudalie with its revolutionary vinotherapy treatments, a complex - now considered in the “Palace” category - adjacent to the Smith Haut-Lafitte estate, right in the heart of the vineyards. This wine-themed hotel complex is managed by their youngest daughter, Alice Tourbier, and her husband. Finally, as if to make the place even more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing (it already was), monumental works of contemporary art (on Florence Cathiard's initiative) are scattered around the winery and vineyard, like Barry Flanagan's famous hare (now almost an emblem of the estate).
The couple, seeking to control as many things as possible and optimizing every aspect of the business, equipped the estate with its own cooperage in 1995, producing around 550 barrels each year. In the Bordeaux region, this is a rarity, and few châteaux can still boast one. Smith thus joins the very select circle of grands crus equipped with an in-house cooperage, following in the footsteps of Châteaux Haut-Brion, Margaux and Lafite-Rothschild.
On the technical side, in 2001, another famous Bordeaux oenologist, Stéphane Derenoncourt, became Smith Haut-Lafitte's consultant oenologist, working alongside Fabien Teitgen, the estate's Technical Director, who was later promoted to General Manager for all the properties owned by the Cathiard family, including Château Cantelys in the same appellation, as well as Château Le Thil Comte Clary (17.4 hectares), acquired in 2012.
Florence and Daniel Cathiard continue to improve Smith Haut-Lafitte, equipping it in 2013 with a new vinification cellar (thermo-regulated wooden vats) designed to vinify reds other than those used for the Grand Vin. These are the second wines Les Hauts de Smith and Le Petit Haut Lafitte. The creation of these two wines (destined for different distribution networks) has obviously contributed to enhancing the excellence of the Grand Vin red and white wines, which are among Bordeaux's finest dry white wines.
In July 2014, the Cathiards, in association with the Moulin family (Galeries Lafayette Group), took over the management of Châteaux Beauregard (Pomerol), Pavillon de Beauregard (Lalande de Pomerol) as well as the Bastor Lamontagne (Sauternes) and Saint-Robert (Graves) estates, the latter two belonging to the BPCE (Banque Populaire Caisse d'Epargne) banking group.
Florence and Daniel Cathiard, keen to broaden their horizons even further and make wine on the other side of the Atlantic, also bought a wine estate in California, in the heart of Napa Valley, the Rutherford estate, at the start of 2020.
The road travelled since the purchase of Smith Haut-Lafitte in 1991 is colossal and commands respect. The recognition and success enjoyed by the estate's wines is no accident. Florence and Daniel Cathiard Cathiard have pulled out all the stops, and in their unwavering determination, have succeeded in once again elevating this Graves Cru Classé, once of excellent reputation until the mid-50s, into the elite of the appellation's wines. Even more so, as the brand enjoys a high profile internationally in the most dynamic, promising wine markets.
The winemaking system developed at Smith Haut-Lafitte is a skilful blend of tradition, cutting-edge technology and common-sense principles in the service of nature. Of the estate's 87 hectares, 78 are dedicated to the vines, which thrive on poor, perfectly draining soil that never sinks in the event of heavy rain, but returns water to the vines when they need it. The estate's terroir - which Florence and Daniel Cathiard, surrounded by their technical team, have awakened with brio - produces magnificent dry whites (5% Sauvignon gris, 5% Sémillon and 90% Sauvignon blanc over 11 hectares) and signature reds (63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot over 67 hectares) that perfectly reflect the subtleties of the soil on the parcels, in other words, the pedology. This is the Graves region, let's not forget! This is the oldest vineyard in the Bordeaux region, with a very characteristic soil composed of alluvium, sand and gravel, all resting on a limestone subsoil. But Smith's special feature is undoubtedly a rare croup of Günzian gravel, rich in iron oxide. From ripening to maturity, the grapes very rarely lack the freshness and humidity they need to grow in the decisive phases, as the limestone and clay provide everything they need, starting with the water retained in the subsoil.
Florence and Daniel Cathiard were also quick to implement a vineyard management strategy aimed at respecting the living world. As a result, they chose to manage their vineyard organically and part of it biodynamically. In 2019, their vineyard will be certified organic, but that's not enough. Smith Haut-Lafitte is committed to a more precise, more singular, more holistic approach: “bio-precision”, as the owners call it. This viticultural and winemaking approach combines total respect for the vines and their soils with innovative techniques to better protect the environment. How does it work? Like many Bordeaux vineyards, Smith favors natural grassing between the rows of vines to encourage competition between the vines. Then, in keeping with the principle of the circular economy, the estate reuses as much waste as possible to make natural compost (a mixture of grape marc, crushed vine shoots and horse and cow manure) and uses solar energy to power the property, as well as recovering rainwater and wastewater, which is treated on site.
But the ecological approach doesn't stop there. Some plots, mainly for white wines, are ploughed by horse to avoid compacting the soil (as has long been the case in Burgundy, the Loire and now increasingly in Bordeaux), or to protect fragile old vines that could be damaged by high-clearance tractors. Finally, the vines come from massal selection using home-grown seedlings and rootstocks produced on the island of La Lande: a protected ecosystem located on the Garonne River, just 10 minutes from the estate. The Cathiards are also redeveloping an entire ecosystem to encourage the expression of living things: planting beehives (for pollination), planting hedges (agroforestry), etc. Furthermore, no chemical inputs are used to treat the soil or any vine diseases. Organic control is Smith's only hobbyhorse, with the introduction of predatory insects against red spider mites, sexual confusion against eudemis (a butterfly), and bacillus subtilis to prevent the risk of grey rot contaminating a harvest and jeopardizing the quality of the vintage. In this more nature-friendly approach, viticulture becomes permaculture.
Finally, one of the latest innovations to be mentioned is the capture of CO2 to be recycled as reusable bicarbonate. Fermentations produce large quantities of CO2. Capture of this, mixed with sodium or potassium carbonate, produces bicarbonate. This process is unique in the world. Smith is one of the initiators of this process with the second Grand Cru Classé in 1855, Château Montrose in Saint-Estèphe, which had already tested it in 2018 with the aim of capturing 100% of the CO2 by 2020.
This holistic approach to combining winegrowing activities with respect for the environment is quite unprecedented, making Smith, so to speak, a pilot estate, in other words, a model. So much so, in fact, that at the 21st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, held in Paris in December 2015, Smith Haut-Lafitte was invited to COP 21 on December 7, 2015 by the United Nations Secretariat to take part in the Climate Neutral Now round table. This shows the extent to which the estate is cited as an example for all its environmental policy aimed at considering the best solutions to meet climate challenges.
In terms of innovative technological processes, Smith Haut-Lafitte uses thermal drones to precisely map plots, and satellite images to better monitor grape ripeness. On this subject, and as with all self-respecting crus that have the means to finance heavy financial charges, Smith Haut-Lafitte manages its harvests entirely by hand, the grapes being harvested in small crates to avoid the risk of crushing the berries and compromising the aromas through premature oxidation and fermentation. As you can see, this estate is all about precision, with the aim of achieving excellence in the wines it produces.
All the efforts made by Florence and Daniel Cathiard over more than 30 years have finally paid off, and it shows in the wines. If, at the outset, the wines they produced could sometimes present profiles that were a little too woody and overripe (grapes often harvested late) in the reds, the wines have ended up being more precise and closer to the expression of the terroir, thus refining the Smith Haut-Lafitte style. In the 90s, the era of massive wines (with excessive tannic mass) and even over-extracted wines was conditioned by a certain fashionable trend. Thank God, this is now a thing of the past at Smith, as it is in the other crus of the appellation and more widely in the Bordeaux region. The reds are more delicate, refined, with a lot of wine weight (the opposite of massive) but all intensity and density, and above all more aromatic (to be appreciated more easily). The aim is to make wines with a more contemporary taste - we'd say “more modern” - because it's the consumer who decides - without denying or erasing the identity of the cru. As for the dry whites, which also make the estate's reputation, the whites are purer, more elegant, tauter, more complex and more balanced.
The estate produces around 200,000 bottles a year. In addition to the two Grands Vins (red and white) from Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, two second wines in both colors are also available. One is called Les Hauts de Smith and is aimed at the CHR (Café Hôtel Restaurant) circuit. The other, Le Petit Haut Lafitte, is specific to the American market. The latter has a lot of personality, with good volume on the palate and clear aromatic expression, and is best consumed after 4 to 5 years in bottle.
Château Smith Haut-Lafitte (red) is one of the appellation's tenors, and has steadily gained in class and precision (Robert Parker gave it a 100/100 for the 2009 vintage). Château Smith Haut-Lafitte (white) is one of the finest wines to be found in the Pessac-Léognan appellation and, depending on the vintage, can be laid down to discover another world of tertiary aromas that the young whites, although very sensual and seductive in their prime, do not offer.
In a vintage favorable to great white wines, Smith Haut-Lafitte 2021 dry white is immediately a wine of tension, balance and freshness. The crystal-clear pale yellow color with green highlights gives way to an aromatic expression of white flowers, exotic fruit and refreshing citrus. It's full-bodied and rich, but at this stage of the tasting, the wine doesn't tell the whole story. On the other hand, agitation reveals, in greater depth, scents of star anise, fruity notes of yellow and white-fleshed fruit (apricot, white peach, yellow nectarine), underpinned by some racy expressions of gunflint (a very gravelly side, in fact mineral). The attack on the palate is chiselled, precise and straightforward, with good acidity giving the wine energy and balance. The mid-palate is full-bodied, fat without heaviness, with a dominant expression of perfectly ripe Sauvignon and a few spicy accents (white pepper, even ginger). Airy, invigorating, cerebral. The finish, still greedy with white-fleshed fruit and a hint of salinity, displays dazzling tension and length, auguring good cellaring potential for this most majestic of dry whites.
Smith Haut-Lafitte 2020 red, in one of the most successful vintages of the second decade of the 21st century, is one of the most astonishing and concentrated wines in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. The wine is reminiscent of the successes of 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2018 (or even 2019), in other words of the great to exceptional Bordeaux vintages. The wine is massive without lacking refinement. The color is dark, inky. The nose is incredibly rich, with notes of black cherry, blackcurrant and licorice unfolding with great intensity and aromatic freshness. The agitation expresses that legendary “fumet” typical of Smith red wines, with accents of damp gravel (in rainy weather) and rubbed flint, giving it great breed and character. The palate is full-bodied and lively, with an impressive mid-palate weight and tight but creamy tannins that are silky and caressing. A sensation of suavity and power mingled with an impression, once in the mouth, of biting into the grape. Intense. The finish is persistent and the wine as a whole looks set for a long ageing period, typical of great wines in great vintages. A sumptuous wine! What a success and what character!
Les Hauts de Smith (white as well as red) is the second wine of the estate, which vinifies and ages it separately in the “furtif” cellar (“furtif” because the cellar is hidden in the vegetation), which is entirely ecological because it functions almost autonomously (to limit the impact on the environment) in “positive energy” mode. The Hauts de Smith dry white 2022 took full advantage of this astonishing vintage, for both reds and whites. Although slightly less taut than the 2021, this second dry white wine gives complete satisfaction. Exuberant on the nose, the wine expresses notes of grapefruit and tangerine, accompanied by expressions of white flowers. Fresh, clean and frank. Agitation brings out the freshness of delicately mentholated aromas. On the palate, the wine's balance and freshness are confirmed, with good fatness. The finish is greedy and fresh. A fine second wine, quite invigorating, which will allow us to wait for the big brother, more complex, denser and less “immediate”.
In this dense, sun-drenched vintage, Les Hauts de Smith red 2020 is a second wine that's no slouch when it comes to sensations. Talkative and richly endowed with red and black fruit, the wine is not lacking in complexity for a second wine. In other words, the selection process for the Grand Vin is drastic, and the batches selected for the second wine are in no way inferior. Quite the contrary! Sensual nose of raspberry and crushed blackberry with hints of red rose petals. The palate offers good density without being massive, with fairly creamy tannins but without the weight of Grand Vin wine (normal!). The whole is well-balanced and the finish offers fruit to spare. A lovely second wine that shows the seriousness of the estate, even with younger vines.
Red: 1928-1929-1945-1947-1949-1953-1955-1959-1961-1975-1982-1989-1995-1996-2000-2003-2005-2009-2010-2014-2015-2016-2018-2019-2020-2022-2023
Dry white: 1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-1999-2000-2001-2002-2004-2005-2007-2009-2010-2011-2012-2013-2014-2015-2017-2019-2020-2021-2023
With over 25 years of expertise in the wine industry, our platform Wine BHM - Wine Business Hub Market offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services dedicated to professionals in the Wine & Spirits sector, all at an unbeatable price of $99 for 36 months. Say goodbye to the hassle of travel everything you need is at your fingertips. Access a global database of professionals in the wine and spirits industry, updated daily by our team of around twenty dedicated specialists. Also benefit from the expertise of Raimonds Tomsons, World’s Best Sommelier 2023, streamline your labeling process with the creations of artist DYANI, add QR codes for direct access to product information, and much more...
© Copyright 2024 - All rights reserved by Wine BHM Ltd
Website under construction
Available Soon
Download on
Download on
Got a Question ?
Subscribe to