Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

from the Pessac-Léognan

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

, ranked among the ''Crus Classés'' for red wine in the Classification of Graves wine of 1953 and 1959. The

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

and

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s are located south of the city of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, in the commune of Martillac.

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 ''location-said'', "named place") is a French language, French toponymic term for a small geographical area bearing a traditional name. The name usually refers to some characteristic of the plac ...

'' () 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 Lebano ...

, 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 , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

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 (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

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

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

, 5%

Sémillon Sémillon () is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in French wine, France and Australian wine, Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea, botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region S ...

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 Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

, 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

of Château Smith Haut Lafitte

References

External links

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