Château Smith Haut Lafitte - Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2020 Bouteille (75cl)
Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2020 is a Pessac-Léognan red wine produced by Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a Classified Growth of Graves belonging to the Cathiard family. Its blend comprises 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The Wine Advocate awards it 91/100 and recommends drinking from 2025 to 2040; James Suckling rates it 93/100. Critics describe a fresh and structured wine with chalky tannins in its youth, driven by floral notes, cassis, plum, tobacco leaf, and a smoky nuance.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Bordeaux
- Appellation
- Pessac Léognan
- Producteur / Domaine
- Château Smith Haut Lafitte
- Cuvée
- Le Petit Haut Lafitte
- Millésime
- 2020
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a wine estate in Martillac, within the Pessac-Léognan appellation, producing red and white wines classified amongst the Graves crus classés. Owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard since 1990, it cultivates a single contiguous vineyard on Günzian gravel soils.
- Owner
- Daniel et Florence Cathiard
- Maître de chais
- Yann Laudeho Leroy
- Surface (ha)
- 80.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 200 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
The earliest records of wine-growing on the site date back to the 14th century, when Verrier Du Bosq signed a deed of ownership for a few arpents of vineyards. In the mid-18th century, the Scottish wine merchant George Smith acquired the estate and gave it his name. In 1842, Lodi Martin Duffour Dubergier, then owner and mayor of Bordeaux, described it as an exceptional Grand Cru. In the early 20th century, the wine merchant Louis Eschenauer handled the distribution of the château’s wines. He subsequently acquired the estate in 1958. Daniel and Florence Cathiard bought Château Smith Haut Lafitte in 1990. They then undertook restoration work on the buildings and winemaking facilities, before moving into the 18th-century charterhouse after three years of work. The estate has had its own on-site cooperage since 1993 and a gravity-fed vinification system that came into operation in 2013. It was certified as an organic wine estate in 2019. Yann Laudeho Leroy is currently the cellar master.
Le Petit Haut Lafitte
Le Petit Haut Lafitte is documented by the estate as one of its two second wines, produced in red and white from estate-grown grapes. Both the red and white versions possess their own distinct blend and aromatic identity. Since the 2019 vintage, the wine has been presented under the name Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte.
- Style of the cuvée
- A second wine seeking to express the gravel terroir with an accessible yet structured profile; the red is generally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, while the white combines fruity ripeness, freshness, and minerality.
- Position within the range
- One of the estate's two second wines, produced in red and white below the Grand Vin.
Histoire de la cuvée
Le Petit Haut Lafitte is documented in official technical sheets at least as early as the 2009 vintage. The grapes intended for this second wine, notably coming from young vines, are vinified in the estate's Chai Furtif. The 2019 vintage marks the first documented use of the new name Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte.
