2020 Château Smith Haut-Lafitte Le Petit Haut Lafitte Rouge

The Château Smith Le Petit Haut Lafitte Bordeaux Rouge is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The 2nd wine of this top house is made from the younger vines that are used for the big brother or sister after some years of development. The Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is made and aged in the same wine cellar and with the same care as the estate's Grand Vin. From the vineyard to the cellar, the entire winemaking process is exactly the same. Again, the grapes are sorted twice, before and after de-stalking and are not pressed before undergoing fermentation in barrels. The tannins and color are extracted by punching and/or pumping over. Then the wine is aged for approx. 14 months in barrels (20% new barrels) produced in its own cooperage.

The Le Petit Haut Lafitte has a deep intense ruby red color. The wine is already nice and even a bit creamy. 2020 was of course a fantastic year and this will definitely come back /. Present but refined tannins. The wine has a nice dry mineral aftertaste.

ABOUT SMITH HAUT LAFITTE

Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a Grand Cru Classé property within the Pessac-Léognan appellation that needs little to no introduction. The wines from this estate captivate drinkers and critics alike, and the versatility of this remarkable terroir should be celebrated. It is one of the few estates in Bordeaux to produce excellent quality red, white and rosé wines. The property harbors a long history in Bordeaux dating back more than 800 years. It was initially part of the Du Bosq property in the Graves region. The Du Bosqs were the first to plant vines on the gravel plateau of Lafitte in 1365. The property was bought in 1720 by a man named George Smith, who named it after himself and thus Château Smith Haut Lafitte got its name. The property is currently owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard. The Cathiards bought Château Smith Haut Lafitte in 1990, which is when the true story of this estate begins.

Prior to the Cathiards' involvement, Château Smith Haut Lafitte was not a well-known wine producer. The Cathiards bought Château Smith Haut Lafitte because they were intrigued by the vineyard's ability to produce both red and white wines. The Cathiards made a series of sweeping changes to the estate, ending the use of mechanical harvesting. Instead, they picked the fruit by hand. The Cathiards also invested a considerable amount of money in building their own cooperage, which enabled them to produce 70% of their own barrels. They have shifted farming practices towards sustainability, and the property is now considered a leader in that regard. As of 2020, they received a Robert Parker Green Emblem for sustainable viticultural practices. A blend of tradition and technological innovation governs the winemaking practices at Château Smith Haut Lafitte. It is one of the first properties to use Oenoview satellite imagery to find the optimal time to start harvesting in addition to using optical sorting technology.

The Cathiards have made the decision to employ Michel Rolland and Stephane Derenoncourt as consultants to oversee the vinification process in the state-of-the-art gravity flow cellars. There is plenty of experimentation in the barrel space, resulting in a dynamic and complex wine. The Les Hauts de Smith Rosé is an excellent, affordable wine that exceeds in quality. This Bordeaux rosé is slightly more fruity than its Provencal cousins, but that doesn't mean it isn't bone dry, with a pleasant thirst-quenching acidity. With a beautiful salmon color that shimmers in the glass, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is a delicious rosé perfect for warm summer evenings.