Les Hauts de Smith Second Vin 2015

Lot presentation

Les Hauts de Smith Second Vin 2015

The wine

The white Hauts de Smith is the Château's second white wine, produced with just as much care as the grand vin. It is barrel-aged for 10 months. It is an extremely fresh wine with a pronounced mineral character, well-suited for the table (seafood, poultry) and apéritifs. It has a bouquet of white fruit and stoned fruit (white peach, apricot), along with floral notes (broom, acacia) and subtle maturation notes (vanilla). The palate is well balanced, with plenty of freshness and a certain richness, with the fruity scents from the nose also evident in the mouth. A very pleasant finish, with great length and a mineral peak.

Although wine has been produced here since the mid-14th century, the story of Château Smith Haut Lafitte began in earnest in the 18th century with Georges Smith, its founder. As for the Lafitte part of the name, it comes from the Latin ficta (stone), which became fitte in the Gascon dialect, referring to a gravel hilltop of the type the vines are planted on. Given the superb quality of the production, Georges Smith decided to export it to Britain to satisfy the growing demand for the New French Claret. After a number of changes of ownership over the following two centuries, accompanied by a certain decline in quality, new life was breathed into the wine when the Cathiard family took over the domaine in 1990. And a mere year later, connoisseurs were reporting that Smith Haut Lafitte had rediscovered its former splendour; most of whom were foreign buyers, given that the owners continue to favour the export channel so dear to the estate's founder. The domaine's vineyards cover 56 hectares, 45 of which are devoted to the production of red wine. In its quest for excellence, the château now has its own cooperage, giving it control over the barrel manufacturing process. With the same aim in mind, the estate's on-site weather station enables it to predict the effects of bad weather on the vines. The château has become a pioneer in Bordeaux luxury wine tourism. The Cathiard family is also responsible for creating the Caudalie brand.