Château Smith Haut-Lafitte 2008 - Grand Cru Classé de Graves

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Martillac’s flagship estate, renowned for the quality of its facilities and its commitment to wine tourism, featuring the superb Sources de Caudalie resort (a 5-star hotel-spa and the two-Michelin-starred restaurant La Grand’Vigne), Smith Haut-Lafitte is also a pioneering vineyard in its category for its viticultural philosophy, which Daniel Cathiard describes as “bio-precision,” with the goal of combining the best of nature with the best of science. Florence and Daniel Cathiard, who acquired the estate in 1991, can be proud of the work accomplished across the 78 hectares of vineyards. Respect for the terroir, precision in winemaking, an on-site cooperage, and dynamic communication: in just a quarter of a century, the Cathiards have firmly established themselves as legends of Bordeaux! The wines have found their true personality: gone are the days of excessive oak; they are now racy, perfectly expressing their terroir and brimming with energy. Hauts-de-Smith and Le-Petit-Haut-de-Smith receive the same care as the grand vin, and it shows!

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the estate:

The Cathiards are a success story in the French wine industry. After purchasing the estate in 1990, they shifted its focus toward quality—both in the vineyard and in the cellar—and positioned it as a high-end brand, notably by establishing a wine therapy center on the premises. Like an increasing number of châteaux, Smith Haut-Lafitte has adopted a "bio-organic" approach: using organic anti-botrytis treatments, practicing massal selection, plowing with horses, and making compost...

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

What a journey this estate has been on since 1990, the year Florence and Daniel Cathiard bought it! Starting with a classified growth in ruins and a vineyard that was virtually abandoned, these two new winemakers—he trained in the retail sector and she in communications—have built a name for themselves that matters. First, they set out to produce a wine that undoubtedly ranks among the elite of Bordeaux production, and then to make Smith Haut-Lafitte an essential stop on any wine-tasting tour. While the wines were sometimes a bit too ripe and oaky in their early days, their style has greatly refined over the past decade. The texture of the reds, the balanced extraction with more delicate tannins, result in wines that fit within a more contemporary, less ostentatious style. The whites have also followed this trend, with the influence of aging being much less pronounced in recent vintages. The success continues unabated: Smith Haut-Lafitte wines are enjoying international success and experiencing strong price growth.