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Château Smith Haut Lafitte Winery Guide

Cellar Tours Insight — Since 2003, Cellar Tours has planned private wine journeys through the world’s leading wine regions, pairing tailor-made itineraries with VIP winery visits, fine dining, and expert regional guidance.

Winery Overview

Beautiful Château Smith Haut Lafitte is far more than simply a top-flight wine estate in Bordeaux. It symbolizes how passion and investment can transform a once-obscure property into a beacon of superlative winemaking and high-end wine tourism. Smith Haut Lafitte is now one of Pessac-Léognan’s benchmark estates, admired for red and white wines that combine concentration, polish, and Graves finesse. Unlike their compatriots further north in Médoc, white production is equally important to the growers in the Pessac-Léognan region south of Bordeaux; Smith Haut Lafitte’s white is widely regarded as one of the finest around. But as if excellent winemaking wasn’t enough, the estate also serves as a center of luxury tourism and gastronomy, home to La Grand’Vigne at Les Sources de Caudalie, one of Bordeaux’s leading Michelin-starred restaurants that attracts foodies from miles around on a delicious food-and-wine pilgrimage through this historic and very scenic region.

Vines were first planted south of Bordeaux by the Romans; wine has been made in Graves for far longer than in the Médoc. The property we know today as Smith Haut Lafitte was named after Georges Smith, one of the first owners of this magnificent Château. After Smith died, the estate, as is often the case in Bordeaux, passed through a succession of new owners until 1902, when it caught the eye of a major merchant house, Eschenauer. At first, the firm was unwilling to buy the Château outright, so they leased Smith Haut Lafitte for decades before finally deciding to take the plunge and buy it in 1958. They took good care of the estate for many years; however, its reputation and the wines remained sound rather than lauded. Smith Haut Lafitte’s true Renaissance came in 1991, when the Cathiard family bought it; the new owners, the late Daniel Cathiard and Florence Cathiard, brought entrepreneurial energy, investment, and ambition to the property, who knew how to elevate Smith Haut Lafitte to greatness. An exciting chapter in the estate’s history would begin.

Since taking ownership of the property in the 1990s, the Cathiards have invested unprecedented time and money in reinvigorating winemaking and installing a fine hotel and restaurant on the grounds. Of course, their priority was winemaking, and to that end, they renovated the winery and built a new barrel cellar. More recently, the cellar was renovated again in 2014, and a new Stealth Cellar was constructed – a unique building in Bordeaux – to reduce energy consumption. The project reflects the estate’s broader focus on lower-impact, precision-led winemaking. The family also sought out legendary wine consultants Michel Rolland and Stephane Derenoncourt, who helped raise Bordeaux’s standards to the highest level. However, this was only part of the Cathiards’ master plan. They set their sights on completely rebuilding the Château, which now serves as their primary home. They sought to bring an exciting new level of tourism to the region, which had traditionally ignored such endeavors. After discovering a disused mineral spring on their property, Florence Cathiard opened the Sources de Caudalie Spa and luxury hotel, featuring two award-winning restaurants and a line of prestigious beauty products.

Today, it’s hard not to lavish high praise on this shining example of how outsiders can transform a once humdrum Château. The hotel and restaurant spread the region’s renown. Still, more importantly, both the red and white wines are consistently superb, a testament to the expertise of technical director Fabien Teitgen. They remain exquisite, quintessentially refined for all their richness and concentration, and, yes, unmistakably Graves.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte can be included as part of a private Bordeaux itinerary with Cellar Tours, featuring expert-led tastings in Pessac-Léognan, Graves, and other landmark Bordeaux appellations.

Private Bordeaux Wine Tour

Private Bordeaux Wine Tour

Visit Château Smith Haut Lafitte on a private Bordeaux wine tour, with expert-led tastings in Pessac-Léognan, Graves, the Médoc, and other landmark appellations.

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Further Reading

Author

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James Lawrence

With a passion for food & drink that verges on the obsessive, wine writer James Lawrence has traveled the world in search of the perfect tipple. To date, nothing has surpassed the 1952 R. López de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva, tasted in the cobweb-filled cellars with owner María José. Meanwhile, James has been writing for a wide variety of publications for over 12 years, including Telegraph, Decanter, Harpers, The Drinks Business, and Wine Business International. He lives in South Wales and returns to his former university city, Bilbao, as much as possible.

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