Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2017

Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a Grand Cru Classé property within the Pessac-Léognan appellation that needs little to no introduction. The stunning wines from this estate captivate many a drinker and critic alike, and their expressions of white Bordeaux are some of the finest in the Left Bank. The property hosts a long history in Bordeaux that dates back over 800 years. It was initially a part of the Du Bosq holdings in the Graves region. The Du Bosq were the first to plant vines in 1365 in the graveled Lafitte plateau. The property was purchased in 1720 by a man named George Smith, who named it after himself and that is how Château Smith Haut Lafitte received its name. The property is presently owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard. The Cathiards purchased Château Smith Haut Lafitte in 1990, and that is when the true story of this estate began. 

Prior to the Cathiards involvement, Château Smith Haut Lafitte was not a well-known wine producer.  The Cathiards purchased Château Smith Haut Lafitte because they were intrigued by the fact the vineyard was capable of producing both red and white wines. The Cathiards made a series of sweeping changes to the estate and stopped the use of mechanical harvesting. Instead, they handpicked the fruit.  They made changes to the sorting process, implementing two sorting passes to make sure only the choicest fruit get selected for the grand vin. The Cathiards also invested a significant amount of funding in building their own cooperage, which allowed them to produce 70% of their own barrels. They shifted farming practices towards sustainability, and the property is now considered a leader in that respect. As of 2020, they received a Robert Parker Green Emblem for sustainable viticultural practices. A mixture of tradition and technological innovation govern the winemaking practices at Château Smith Haut Lafitte. It is one of the first properties to use Oenoview satellite imagery to find the optimum time to begin harvest in addition to using optical sorting technology. 

For white varietals, a mixture of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Semillon thrive in these vineyards. There are approximately 11 hectares of white varietals that are planted just behind the château to the North of the vineyard. Some of the old vine Sauvignon Blanc is 70 years of age.  Interestingly enough, the white varietals thrive in cooler microclimates of this diverse terroir. Native yeasts are used in vinifying, and the white varietals are farmed using a lot of biodynamic practices.  The wine is crystalline in its purity, with beautiful structure due to the slightly toasted French oak barrels that are made at the estates’ cooperage. The Cathiards have made the decision to hire Michel Rolland and Stephane Derenoncourt as consultants who guide the vinification process in the state-of-the-art gravity flow cellars. There is plenty of experimentation in the vat room, and this results in a dynamic and complex wine. Without a doubt, Château Smith Haut Lafitte is truly a classic, treasure of a white Bordeaux.

This vintage is composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Sémillon. 

The 2017 Château Smith Haut Lafitte White is a very attractive translucent, bright, pale yellow color. The bouquet goes on to reveal white fruit, citrus notes and a tremendous freshness, while swirling in the glass helps to reveal the wine's full aromatic potential: grapefruit, mandarin orange, white nectarine, lime blossom, a touch of star anise, resulting in very fine and precise wines. The wine's freshness and crystal clear character is not unlike the 2007 and 2013 vintages… Starting out crisp and firm on the palate, this wine is highly dynamic with an impressively long aftertaste. Substance and richness help balance out acidic notes and lend the wine its rich and delicious character. The palate naturally features white fruit and floral notes alongside toasty and mineral overtones reflecting the presence of flint in our gravel soils. A decidedly fine white Smith Haut Lafitte displaying excellent tension and richness, a pure reflection of its terroir!

"A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc with 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Sémillon, the Smith Haut Lafitte 2017 Blanc offers up gorgeous, super-intense scents of pink grapefruit, white peaches, kumquats and ginger with wafts of under-ripe pineapple, lime blossoms and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, it's very polished, sophisticated and wonderfully electric in the mouth, with sparks of citrus fruits, tropical notions and floral perfume exploding on the palate, finishing with epic persistence." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/27/2018, Issue 236), Ratings: 96-98+