Ch Smith Haut Lafitte
Pessac Leognan Blanc
2021

The producer

A chateau with ancient history dating back to 1365 and with connections to the French Valois royal family and a Scottish navigator, Georges Smith, who added the “Smith” to the name in the 18^th century. But the modern history started in 1990, when Daniel and Florence Cathiard (Daniel, a former Olympian skiing champion) acquired the estate. They fully restored the estate and vineyards, converting the vineyards to organic farming (certified from the 2019 vintage) with some biodynamic practices used as well. They established and on-site barrel cooperage and have, altogether, made every possible effort to be as sustainable an operation as possible.

With Cru Classe de Graves status for the red wine, Smith Haut Lafitte has 55 hectares of vineyards located directly east of Ch Haut-Bailly. The Grand Vin is usually a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The white wine is mainly Sauvignon Blanc, with a touch of Sauvignon Gris and Semillon, and is consistently one of the best white wines in the area.

Daniel and Florence’s daughter, Alice Toubier Cathiard, runs a luxury hotel and spa – Les Sources de Caudalie – which is located in the middle of the vineyards. Other daughter, Mathilde, along with her husband, Thomas, run the skincare range ‘Sources de Caudalie’ which is made from recycled grape seeds and vine cuttings, while also being a member of 1% for the planet.

This is one of the best Bordeaux vineyards to visit – also with a ten-hectare open air museum (the walking trail “Forest of the Senses”) which is dotted with contemporary artworks, mainly by Bordeaux artists – and meanwhile, the Cathiards never lose any focus.

The wine

Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is sourced from vineyards surrounding the chateau and with an average vine age of 38 years. The blend varies with vintage conditions but usually includes 90% Sauvignon Blanc, with the remainder Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels and is followed by ageing for 12 months on the lees in barrels – 50% new and 50% one year old – from the estate’s own cooperage.

A dynamic white Bordeaux, with multi-layered complexity and heightened aromatic expression, Smith Haut Lafitte has a smooth texture and a long saline and citrusy finish. It is consistently one of the best white wines in the area. A refreshing, if occasional, alternative   to white Burgundy. Definitely one to try.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.