Château Smith Haut Lafitte Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2019

'Le Petit' is the second label of the iconic Smith Haut Lafitte. Planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with an average vine age of 30 years, 'today Smith Haut Lafitte is one of Bordeaux's shining success stories, reflecting what hard work and conscientious proprietors can achieve in a short period of time.' raved Robert Parker. The house style combines richness and concentration with finesse and elegance. 

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte has a long history in Bordeaux dating back over 800 years. The estate started as part of the Du Boscq holdings in the Graves region. It was Du Boscq who planted vines in 1365 on a gravelly plateau called Lafitte, which is how the famous chateau was named. George Smith bought the Graves estate in 1720 and added his name to the property, becoming Smith Haut Lafitte.

Today, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is owned and managed by Daniel Cathiard and Florence Cathiard. The Cathiard’s purchased the Bordeaux estate in 1990. They bought the estate from a well known Bordeaux negociant and importer to America, Louis Eschenauer. According to Daniel Cathiard, there were numerous estates in Bordeaux for sale at the time. But a big part of the reason they purchased Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte had to do with the fact that Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the few Bordeaux vineyards producing both red and white wines.

Le Petit Haut Lafitte is vinified at Smith Haut Lafitte, and from vineyard to cellar, the entire winemaking goes through the exact same process as the Smith Haut Lafitte 'grand vin'. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the grapes are sorted twice, before and after destemming. Then the berries go through optical sorting before being gently dropped uncrushed on both wooden and stainless steel vats for fermentation. Tannins and color are extracted by pumping over.

Aging for 14 months in barrels (20% new barrels) produced in their very own in-house cooperage. Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2018 is extremely fine with silky tannins and beautiful aromas and flavours of Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium-bodied, with notes of blackcurrant, licorice and dark chocolate. A great finesse and a good structure with a lot of aging potential.