Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 33650 Martillac, France

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte has a long history in Bordeaux. In the 14th century, Verrier du DuBosc acquired the land and planted the vines on a gravelly plateau called Lafitte. Later in the mid-18th century, George Smith, a Scottish wine merchant, acquired the property and named it after himself. The chateau was finally purchased by Florence and Daniel Cathiard in 1990. It took more than a decade for the Cathiard family to enhance the quality of the wine. First, they started handpicking the grapes to select the highest quality and also to avoid the damage. The Cathiard family modernized the winemaking cellar, and also built their own cooperage to produce 70% of their own barrels. Of the 78 hectare, 67 hectares are devoted to red wine grapes, and 11 hectares of vines for the white wine grapes. The red wine grapes planted are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The terroir consists of deep gravel with the top surface covered in smaller quartz pebbles. Below that, sand and limestone lie underneath the gentle slopes. The average age of the vines are around 40 years old. After sorting and pre-fermentation cold maceration, the grapes are whole berry fermented in 30 large temperature controlled oak vats. A portion of the Merlot is vinified with the stems intact. Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of new and used oak barrels. The wines are aged in 60% to 70% new French oak barrels for between 16 to 18 months. On average, 10,000 cases of Smith Haut Lafitte red wines are produced each vintage. Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte wines are often rich, powerful, and complex with concentrated tannins and firm structure.