Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge
Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a property located in the small commune of Martillac in the Pessac-Léognan appellation (Left Bank), just south of the city of Bordeaux. The history can be traced back to 1365, when the house of Verrier Du Boscq planted vines on a gravel plateau named “Lafitte”. In 1720, the vineyard was bought by Georges Smith from Scotland, who added his name to the name of the vineyard. Georges Smith also built the manor house on the property.
In 1958, the Louis Eschenauer négociant firm who already sold the wine from Château Smith Haut Lafitte, bought the property and they invested a substantial amount into the winery and its vineyard. In 1959, Château Smith Haut Lafitte was classified as a Grand Cru Classé, but the overall quality of the wines was unfortunately below standard until 1990, when Daniel and Florence Cathiard bought the estate.
They again renovated Château Smith Haut Lafitte for 3 years, built a new cellar and are currently living in the 18th century mansion. The Château holds 78 Ha of vineyards, 67 Ha have been planted with red grape vines (55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot) and 11 Ha with white grape vines (90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon). Both the red and the white wines are capable of ageing for 15 - 20 years or more, especially from 1995 onwards.
Its annual production is 10.000 cases of the red wine and 2500 cases of the dry white wine. Top recent vintages for Château Smith Haut Lafitte are: (Red) 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. (White): 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017.
They also produce 2 different “second” wines in both red and white, named “Les Hauts de Smith” and “Le Petit Haut Lafitte”. Furthermore, the Cathiard family owns a company which produces beauty care products made from grape seeds and vine cuttings. The Cathiard family also owns two luxury hotel facilities.
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