Château Smith Haut Lafitte - Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2018

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte has a long history in Bordeaux dating back over 800 years. The estate started out life as part of the Du Boscq holdings in the Graves region. It was Du Boscq who first planted vines in 1365 on a gravelly plateau called Lafitte. This is of course where part of the famous chateau took its name from.

Jumping ahead a few hundred years, George Smith bought the Graves estate in 1720. Smith added his name to the property, and now you know where the name Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte came from.

Today, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is owned and managed by Daniel Cathiard and Florence Cathiard. The Cathiards purchased the estate in 1990. They bought the property from the well-known Bordeaux negociant and importer to America, Louis Eschenauer.

One of the first changes the Cathiard family did once they took over Smith Haut Lafitte was stopping stop the practice of mechanical harvesting. In its place, they started handpicking their fruit. To avoid oxidation, the freshly picked grapes were placed in small trays. Specially designed ergonomic hods hold these trays until they are brought to the trailer.

The unique system of ergonomic hods developed by Daniel Cathiard is based on a design used by Sherpas in the Himalayas. These unique hods allow the fruit to avoid breaking their skins before they arrive at the reception center for vinification.

Sorting is a major part of the work that takes place at Smith Haut Lafitte. During picking, an initial sorting takes place. A second manual sorting is done after destemming on a sorting table.

Daniel Cathiard and Florence Cathiard invested considerable sums of money into modernizing Smith Haut Lafitte. One of their first major decisions was in 1995 when they built their own cooperage, allowing them to produce 70% of their own barrels in the exact manner they desired.

The grapes are hand-picked into small crates and pressed in an oxygen-free environment (to preserve the aromatic potential of the berries) and fermentation takes place in French oak barrels (50% new oak) after a cold settling of the juices. Aged 10 months on the lees with bâtonnage in barrels (50% new oak) made at the Chateau onsite cooperage.

"The 2018 Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc is a blend of 80% Sauvignon and 20% Sémillon brought up in 50% new French oak. It's a little gem of a Bordeaux Blanc offering lots of ripe lemon, toasted nut, and honeysuckle notes to go with a rich, medium to full-bodied, impressively textured style. If you like rich, textured, yet balanced Bordeaux Blanc, give this beauty a whirl.” - 93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck

"Aromas of toasted lemon, grapefruit zest, dried pineapple, flint and smoked almond. Honey, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with crisp acidity and intense layers of dried fruit. Excellent tension. Drink or hold.” - 93 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Varietal: Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc 

Appellation: Pessac-Léognan

Vintage: 2018

Size: 750ml