Château Smith Haut-Lafitte blanc 2016 - Grand Cru Classé de Graves

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Delicately fruity, mineral and spicy on the nose, with hints of boxwood and acacia honey. Voluptuous on the palate, with fatness, flavor, great fruit and a lively finish that balances the whole. Great persistence.

About the domain :

A flagship property in Martillac for the quality of its facilities and its openness to wine tourism with the superb Sources de Caudalie establishment (5-star hotel-spa and 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, the aim being to combine the best of nature with the best of science. Florence and Daniel Cathiard, who acquired the property in 1991, can be proud of the work accomplished on the 78 hectares of vineyards. Respect for the terroir, precise winemaking, integrated cooperage, dynamic communication: in just a quarter of a century, the Cathiards have become part of the Bordeaux legend! The wines have found their true personality: no more woody excesses, they are now racy, perfectly expressing their terroir and bursting with energy. Hauts-de-smith and le-petit-haut-de-smith receive the same attention as the grand vin, and it shows!

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the domain :

The Cathiards are a success story in the French wine industry. After buying the estate in 1990, they turned it towards a quality approach, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and established it as a top-of-the-range business - including the creation of a vinotherapy center. Like a growing number of châteaux, Smith Haut-Lafitte has adopted a "bio-organic" approach, using organic anti-botrytis agents, massal selections, horse-drawn ploughing, composting...

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Smith Haut Lafitte 2016 Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Sémillon aged in 50% new oak. It reveals gregarious notes of pineapple and green guava giving way to scents of fresh grapefruit and mouthwatering green apples, as well as touches of orange blossom, crushed rocks and peaches drizzled with honey. Medium- to full-bodied with a gorgeous satin texture, the palate is full of tropical and citrus flavors, with a long, deliciously savory finish.

About the domain :

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

About the domain :

This estate has come a long way since Florence and Daniel Cathiard bought it in 1990. From a ruined cru classé and a virtually abandoned vineyard, these two neo-winegrowers, trained in the school of supermarket distribution in the case of the former and in communications in the case of the latter, have made a name for themselves. Firstly, to produce a wine that is undoubtedly among the elite of Bordeaux production, and secondly, to make Smith Haut-Lafitte an essential stopover for wine tourism. If the wines were at first a little too mature and woody, their style has been greatly refined over the last ten years. The texture of the reds, the measure of extractions and the more delicate tannic masses are all part of a more contemporary, less demonstrative taste. The whites have also followed this trend, with the influence of ageing much less pronounced in recent vintages. Smith Haut-Lafitte wines are enjoying international success and strong price growth.

James Suckling

About the wine:

Fabulous aromas of white peach pie, lemon, grapefruit and cream. Complex. Full-bodied, dense and linear. Bright, creamy texture. Superb grace and complexity.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

Complex nose, yellow fruit, citrus, hints of iodine, quince paste, very long, honeyed, camphorated, saline, lemony finish, lots of substance.