Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte Le Petit Haut Lafitte Pessac-Leognan 2017

Situated at the gateway to Bordeaux, Château Smith Haut Lafitte is one of the most essential Cru Classé de Graves properties in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Managed by the couple Daniel and Florence Cathiard since 1990, Smith Haut Lafitte shines bright among the elite wines of Bordeaux with a reputation that knows no boundaries. Power, volume, concentration, perfect maturity and delicate smoky notes testify to the imprint of the terroir, and the wines of Smith Haut Lafitte offer a brilliant display of this unique style and identity.

The stunning 78-hectare vineyard is planted in Günz gravel soils that have earned Château Smith Haut Lafitte the nickname "More Graves than Graves". In order to express the beauty of this exceptional terroir and because "the winemaker is the architect of the landscape", the philosophy of the field is based on the concept of "bio-precision", which combines innovative winemaking techniques with a viticulture that respects the environment.

A vintage unlike others, 2017 will be remembered by Smith Haut Lafitte as an emblematic year. With a vineyard spared by the frost that swept through Bordeaux at the end of April, the vegetative cycle of the vine enjoyed favourable climatic conditions with grapes presenting at the harvest a perfect sanitary condition, with a good balance of sugar and acidity.

The triumphant Smith Haut Lafitte 2017 is one of the most beautiful references of Graves in this vintage. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), the blend is rounded out by Merlot (35%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%). This Cru displays superb aromatic concentration with notes of black berries. Large and full-bodied, the wine is elegantly structured with velvety tannins, coating the palate in a succession of flavours, stretching forth into a deliciously persistent finish. A superb vintage that will endure the years to come.

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a waft of candied violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic core of densely packed red and black fruits, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.