Martillac (Pessac Leognan), Bordeaux, France
Visited 24-12-2010
“Give me good grapes, and I will make you good wines.”-Emile Peynaud
How simple, how famous, how true. At the true core of beliefs the essence of what rings true with all winemakers is this, you cannot make good wines from bad grapes. The ground must be nurtured and kept pure-unmolested. The vines must be tended to like a child, paying attention to every action and reaction of each individual plant. The grape berries must be looked after, not only when on the vine, but throughout the entire process. Only after fermentation can the canvas begin to be take shape, and the masterpiece materializes. The finished product, the bottle, is this masterpiece, lying dormant only to wake and show its true form with the pull of a cork.
The morning of Christmas Eve was something of an adventure to say the least. I love Bordeaux, but damn if they could put up a sign or two for highway roads that would be helpful. It took quite some time to find the correct road and thus we were late to the appointment and tour. Upon arrival I was feeling a bit worried that we had missed the boat and were not going to be able to become acquainted with Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, and then our host Xavier emerged from a door and warmly greeted Margaux and myself. We luckily were able to join the tour, already in progress, and began in the vat room.
It is interesting because here I immediately had the impression that innovation and tradition met with great harmony. New age ideas and technologies like an optical sorting system for the grapes when they enter the winery and satellite photo mapping of the vineyards met with traditions like gravity flow and press which went into the old style French oak fermentation casks. Grapes go through a cold maceration for 2 days prior to the onset of fermentation at 8-10 Degrees Celsius. This allows for stronger development of aromas in the wines. Fermentation for the wine takes place at about 28-30 Degrees Celsius, with the red wine getting about 1 pump over a day for the 20 days of skin contact, including daily manual pigeage (punch downs). In winemaking there is 2 wines, Vin de Goutte (1st wine) which is the free run juice off of the skins, and Vin de Presse (2nd wine) which is a much denser darker wine that is pressed off of the skins after the 1st wine is run off. At Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte only the second label red will receive any of this 2nd wine, their Grand Vin is composed strictly of the 1st wine. The wines are kept completely separate throughout the aging period, both the reds and the whites, and only assembled at the end of the process before bottling will take place.
“Inter Spinas Floret.”-Flowers Between the Spines
Often one will see rose bushes planted on the end of rows in vineyards. When in bloom this of course adds to the beauty, but they perform a second, more important role as well. Rosebushes are in the same family as the grape vines, and they are actually a warning sign to a vineyard manager of disease and pests. The bushes will show the signs of these dangers much before the grape vine, thus acting as a defense mechanism, bravo. The vineyards at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte total 67 Hectares, 56 red and 11 white. The red vines are divided to about 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petite Verdot. The white vines are 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Sauvignon Gris. The average age of the vines are 38 years, with small plots of old vines up to 62 years of age. The soil is the traditional gravelly/rocky composition of the top layer, which goes down up to 10 meters. At this level there begins to be a much heavier composition of limestone and sand intermixed with a little clay. One of the best features of the tour is being able to see the strata of the soil from the chai, quite an educational and interesting aspect to help people understand. Another great part of the tour of the property is a stop into the cooper house. Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte has its own cooper on hand, and you get to meet him and see his ‘office’ while there. One man can do about 3 barrels a day, and so this truly is still a craft that is vital to the winemaking process. This allows the staff to be able to control just one more aspect of the process. Of course it is 100% French oak, Allier Troncais, and the barrels for the blanc receive a light+ toasting level while the rouge will receive a medium+ toasting.
The estate itself originates back to the 17th Century and the Du Boscq house. This was the original family to select the hill, the haut, named Lafitte for the planting of the vineyards. In 1720 and Englishman named George Smith purchased the property and continued its growth and prosperity. He chose to affix his name to the title, and thus Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is born. The current owners, the Cathiard family, acquired the site in 1990 and since then have worked diligently to improve the vineyards as well as the chateau. The studying of the various vineyard plots has improved site selection, and their work with the winemaking process has raised the level of quality in the cellar. The grounds and buildings have also been renovated, and Mrs. Cathiard has definitely added a wonderful artistic touch to the property with her keen eye. I have to include the design of the private cellar in this category, a wonderful secret room that very few people I imagine get to see.
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2007 Grand Cru Classe
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petite Verdot
80% New French oak, Duration 18 Months
Production: Around 8500 Cases
2007 is considered by many a winemaker’s vintage. The season did not fully cooperate and so it was up to the management team and the winemaker’s skills to craft a wine of high quality.
The wine is Daybright with a garnet color which has a medium concentration. There is no gas or sediment and the wine overall has a youthful appearance with only a minor rim variation beginning to form. The tears have a slight staining, a softer extraction, and the viscosity of the tears is moderate.
The nose of this wine is clean with a medium intensity. The aromas give clues to the quality of the wine, but also the difficulties of the vintage. The fruits are black in character, black berries and black currants, but remain fresh and not overripe from a lot of sunlight during the season. There are also smoky and gamey qualities on the nose and I detected hints of menthol on the finish.
The palate on this wine shows the skill of the winemaker in the ability to deliver a wine of great balance. The fruits turn a bit towards the red side with the introduction of fresh cherries and red currants, while the smoky gamey quality remains. The wine is dry with medium tannins and acids, a good length to the finish. A spicy, peppery, taste mixes with soft minerals on the back end.
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2008 Grand Cru Classe
90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Gris
50% New French oak, Duration 12 Months
Production: 2008 1300 Cases, normally around 2500 Cases
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is regarded by many as having one of the better white wines in all of Bordeaux. I was very excited to be able to taste the 2008, considered a strong vintage, and get to experience it firsthand. And yes, we tasted it after the red wine.
The wine is Starbright with a light straw yellow color. The wine has a medium concentration and does throw hints of green hues towards the rim in light. The wine looks very youthful with almost no rim variation formed and the tears have a medium plus viscosity.
The nose of this wine is clean with a medium plus intensity, strongly dominated by the Sauvignon Blanc aromas. Green flavors of gooseberry and green beans jump out of the glass, some lime citrus and grassy smoky undertones. The nose was complex and inviting.
The palate of this wine is ripe and focused, concentrating the ripeness of the Sauvignon Blanc while enhancing the flavors with the oak influence. For people that enjoy a white wine with proper oak influence, this is it. There were lemon and sweet lime notes over a creamy mouth feel. The wine was dry and medium bodied, with bright juicy acidity on a long, lingering finish. There was a great essence of grilled tropical fruits, mangos, on the back which only added wonderful character to this wine. Well done indeed!
Once again I would like to send a sincere thank you to our host Xavier Feuillerat for his hospitality and understanding of our tardiness. I found our conversation enlightening and enjoyable. I will credit his time spent in California for his laid back attitude towards the miss-step and the opportunity to view the ‘bottle cave.’ I definitely recommend seeking these wines out and trying them firsthand. I promise you will see the name pop up fairly soon in another article, Salute!
www.smith-haut-lafitte.com
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