Château Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac Leognan 2017 - original wood case set of 6

Description

Although wine has been produced there since the middle of the 14th century, Château Smith Haut Lafitte really saw the light of day in the 18th century with Georges Smith, its founder. As for the name “Lafitte”, it comes from the Latin “ficta” (“the stone”), which has become “fitte” in Gascon dialect to designate a gravel ridge, similar to that on which the vineyard is located. In front of the superb quality of its production, Georges Smith last decided to export it to England to satisfy the many amateurs of "New French Claret". After several changes of owners over the next two centuries, and a certain decline in quality, the arrival of the Cathiard family at the head of the estate in 1990 will breathe new life into production. This is how Smith Haut Lafitte rediscovers, from the following vintage, all its former splendor in the eyes of amateurs, mostly foreigners because the owners continue to favor the export path which was dear to the founder.

The estate's vineyard covers 56 hectares, 45 of which are dedicated to the production of red wine. To meet its concern for excellence, the château now has its own cooperage: it can thus control the barrel-making process. Similarly, an integrated weather station helps prevent the consequences of bad weather on the vines. The castle has become one of the pioneers of luxury wine tourism in Bordeaux. And the Cathiard family is also at the origin of the Caudalie brand. Smith's terroir is made up of Günz gravel. These are poor soils of serious alluvial deposits on a limestone base of the tertiary sector. Here the clay mixes with the quartz pebbles and traces of iron oxide. This subsoil is soft enough for the root system to draw on mineral salts and give the plant all the vigor it will need. Château Smith Haut Laffite produces a superb red Pessac-Léognan from a majority of Cabernet-Sauvignon. The cru continued to progress until the 2009 vintage, awarded a 100 points by Robert Parker. The nose is elegant, generous, marked by notes of black fruits and evolves towards autumnal notes. The palate is superb, concentrated and distinguished. Recent vintages will certainly go a long way.