Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a Bordeaux wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, ranked among the ''Crus Classés'' for red wine in the

Classification of Graves wine The wines of Graves in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified in 1953 by a jury appointed by Institute National des Appellations d'Origine, and approved by the Minister of Agriculture in August of that year. The selection was revised w ...

of 1953 and 1959. The winery and vineyards are located south of the city of Bordeaux, in the commune of

Martillac Martillac (; oc, Martilhac) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde department The following is a list of the 535 Communes of France, communes of the G ...

History

The estate originates in the 14th century with the house of Verrier Du Boscq, who planted vines on a gravelly plateau named ''Lafitte'' already in 1365. In 1720, it was bought by the Scotsman Georges Smith, who added his name to the ''

lieu-dit ''Lieu-dit'' (; plural: ''lieux-dits'') (literally ''said-location'') is a French toponymic term for a small geographical area bearing a traditional name. The name usually refers to some characteristic of the place, its former use, a past event, ...

'' ( en, place-name) and who built the manor house of the property.Château Smith Haut Lafitte: Background
accessed 2012-04-08 The Louis Eschenauer company bought the estate in 1958, after having already distributed the wine from the early 20th century. In 1990, Daniel Cathiard bought Smith Haut Lafitte and embarked on an investment programme, including the building of a new cellar.

Production

The vineyard area consists of , 56 hectares of which are planted with grape varieties of 55%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

, 35%

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

and 10%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

. The remaining 11 hectares are cultivated with white varieties of 90%

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon gris. The ''Grand vin'', Château Smith Haut Lafitte, is annually produced in 10,000 cases of the red wine and 2,500 cases of the dry white. The second wine, Les Hauts de Smith, has a production of 5,500 cases and exists in red, white and rosé versions. The rosé is produced as a Bordeaux AOC. There is an alternative second wine called Le Petit Haut Lafitte, which is produced exclusively as a red wine, with a higher mix of Cabernet grapes for a more left bank feel; this wine is steadily gaining popularity

Gallery

Château_Smith_Haut_Lafitte_2007.jpg, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, 2007 vintage Les Hauts de Smith 2004.jpg, Les Hauts de Smith, the second wine of Château Smith Haut Lafitte

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith Haut Lafitte, Chateau Bordeaux wine producers