Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte

One of the oldest estates in Bordeaux, for most of the 20th century the wines, under the ownership of negocient Eschenauer, were unispiring at best. Purchsed in 1990 by Daniel and Florence Cathiard, their program of heavy investment began to pay dividends in the late 90s and from 2000 the wines have been consistently good, stepping up towards greatness in the last decade. The property is cru classé for red only, which makes up three quarters of the 88 hectares of vineyard and has around two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon as its base. The barrel fermented white is quite full and aromatic and has, in recent years, become one of the most sought after in Bordeaux.