Owners Daniel and Florence Cathiard met while on the French Olympic ski team in 1960’s, finding love on the Alpine slopes. Together they managed an extensive number of supermarket stores and a chain of sporting goods businesses. In 1990, they pivoted, selling their business and purchasing the historic 14th century Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte and its vineyards. They spent three years tediously renovating the property with the conviction “to do everything possible to make each vintage of red and white wine worthy of our magnificent terroir.”

By 1995, they employed the talents of Fabien Teitgen as vineyard manager, who would become the beacon of the estate, propelling the wines to prominence on the international stage.

This bottling has a noble pedigree and is a benchmark among the great wines from the appellation of Pessac-Leognan in Bordeaux. The wine is a blend 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon aged for 12 months on the lees in 50% new French Oak barrels. The average age of the vines is 38 years old. This wine reveals a pale greenish-yellow hue with a faint perfume of star fruits and honeysuckle. The wine unfolds on the palate with Asian pears, lemon curd, white peach and mint delicately woven into the texture. There is also an interplay of caramelized citrus fruits with crushed herbs within the core. It has just the right amount of mineral tension throughout, keeping everything in balance. This well focused wine leaves behind a long and memorable finish. With a few years of cellaring, this youthful bottling is certain to evolve even more.

By W Peter Hoyne