Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc 2018

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.  It is one of the few properties within the Left Bank that produces both red, white, and rosé wines of excellent quality.  The Second Wine, Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2018 Blanc is an excellent and beautifully integrated example of their winemaking – a perfect choice for those looking for a crisp, beautifully honeyed expression of white Bordeaux.  Château Smith Haut Lafitte hosts a long history in Bordeaux that dates back over 800 years.  The property was initially a part of the Du Bosq holdings in the Graves region.  The Du Bosqs were the first to plant vines in 1365 in the heavily graveled Lafitte plateau.  The property was purchased in 1720 by a man named George Smith, who added his name to the property and that is how Château Smith Haut Lafitte received its name. Château Smith Haut Lafitte is presently owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard.  The Cathiards purchased 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 purchased Château Smith Haut Lafitte because they were intrigued by the fact the vineyard was capable of producing both red and white wines.  They made a series of changes and stopped the use of mechanical harvesting.  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.

The sprawling 78 hectare vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.  For white varietals, a mixture of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Semillon thrive in these vineyards.  Interestingly enough, the white varietals are planted in cooler microclimates in this versatile terroir.  The vines are an average of 35 years old, and they are diligently tended to by the team.  A lot of biodynamic techniques are implemented here to achieve perfection in the vineyard.  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.  Just the slightest kiss of oak gives this beautiful white wine structure and complexity.  Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc is a gorgeous white wine, at a reasonably affordable price.

“2018 was quite a difficult year because of the wetness, wetness, wetness,” Smith Haut Lafitte’s winemaker Fabien Teitgen sighed. “We are organic growers, so we lost a bit to mildew. May to mid-June, it was very depressing. But the abrupt change in the weather was amazing. The very dry, sunny conditions gave fantastic evolution of the grapes. The berries were very fresh and fruity with thick skins." "We are very focused on the sorting," Teitgen continued. "We pick by hand, do an initial sorting using a vibrating table and then finish the sorting by hand. There was more work to be done on sorting the Merlot. We used no stems this year. We had enough tannin in the skins this year, so we didn’t use the stems. Then, we had to take great care with the extraction. We just focused on extracting the round tannins, none of the harsh tannins. We had to stop fermentation as soon as we detected any bitterness.” Average yields for the vintage were 21 hectoliters per hectare for the reds and 28 hectoliters per hectare for the whites. Tiny quantities, but the wines—and the grand vin in particular—are simply stunning." - Robertparker.com

 "The 2018 Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc is a blend of 80% Sauvignon and 20% Sémillon brought up in 50% new French oak. It's a little gem of a Bordeaux Blanc offering lots of ripe lemon, toasted nut, and honeysuckle notes to go with a rich, medium to full-bodied, impressively textured style. If you like rich, textured, yet balanced Bordeaux Blanc, give this beauty a whirl." - Jeb Dunnuck, Jebdunnuck.com, Rating: 93, Drink: 2021-2029 

"The 2018 Le Petit Haut Lafitte Blanc is made up of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sémillon, aging in 50% new barriques. It delivers pronounced notes of green guava, mango and fresh grapefruit with hints of lime zest and orange blossom. Medium-bodied, the palate offers very good tension with a light bit of phenolic grip and wonderful vibrancy of tropical and citrus layers, finishing chalky." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, Rating (90-92)