Château Smith Haut Lafitte

Harmony with Nature: Château Smith Haut Lafitte's Philosophy

Praise for the balance in life is an enduring mantra at Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Everything comes from the soil and at Château Smith Haut Lafitte, they do their utmost to respect nature and biodiversity, both within the vineyards and the cellar.

Sustainable Practices: Respecting Biodiversity

Château Smith Haut Lafitte plants new vines propagated from their own vineyards thanks to their vine nursery on Île de Lalande. This island’s protected ecosystem enables them to maintain their vine’s genetic diversity and thus the complexity of their wines. The Château, in Pessac Léognan, Graves, is surrounded by forests, hedges and hives; their single 87ha vineyard stands alone as one block on the estate, a beautiful green island.

Terroir: A Unique Expression

The top soil comprises mainly gravels, Graves Gunziennes, which forces the vine roots to dig down more than 6m to find the necessary resources, whilst the grapes benefit from the stones’ mirror effect from the sun allowing for perfect ripening. This terroir gives the wines extraordinary characteristics; whites are subtly smoky, reds are smooth and complex.

Celebrating Tradition: The 2015 Vintage

The Grand Vin from 2015 vintage celebrates the 650th anniversary of Smith Haut Lafitte since 1365. Whole berries are fermented in small wooden vats at 28°C with manual pigeages (punch-downs). Ageing lasts 18 months on the lees in French oak barrels which are crafted by the Château’s on-site cooperage - sixty percent of which are new.

Tasting
NOTES

The nose has moderate intensity but great elegance. Ripe dark red and blue fruit are dominant and underscored with intense baking spices. Use of oak is evident on the nose. Leafy aroma alongside green bell pepper note hints are emblematic ov the varieties used. The palate is elegant yet tasty with many different layers of complexity. The wine shows great balance and has a long finish. Wonderful mix of the dark berry fruit with the cloves, brown mushroom and dark chocolate qualities.

Food
PAIRINGS

This wine would pair well with beef wellington with a strong mushroom glaze. It would also delight with pan seared foie gras. More exotic - beef Galbi - a Korean stew made from short beef ribs marinaded with Asian pear, onion, ginger and soy sauce. That integration of the savoury beef and soy flavours, coupled with this wine, would make a fine marriage.