Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte--Vintage 2000

ParcelWineBuyers from within the EU: VAT payable … Read more

CHATEAU SMITH-HAUT-LAFITTE Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte is owned by Daniel and Florence Cathiard who purchased the estate in 1991. The name derives from George Smith who owned the property in the 1720s. The Cathiards have invested significantly in the estate and the improvements have been dramatic. They have rebuilt the château, built a new chai, a spa called Sources de Caudalie, a hotel and two restaurants among other projects. Michel Rolland and Stéphane Derenocourt have been employed as consultants who assist in the wine making along with Gabriel Vialard and Fabien Tietgen. The soil is composed of deep günzian gravel. The 55 hectares of vineyards (45 hectares of red and 10 hectares of white) are planted with 55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 33 Merlot, 10 Cabernet Franc and 2 Petit Verdot. For the whites, 90 are Sauvignon Blanc, 5 Sauvignon Gris and 5 Sémillon. The red grapes are hand-harvested and sorted twice before destemming and then twice again after. Only naturally occurring yeasts are used, and fermentation occurs with regular pumpovers and pigeage. The wine is then aged for between 16 to 18 months in oak, with approximately 80 new each vintage.

12 bottles per lot

Details

Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte--Vintage 2000
Martillac (Graves), cru classé
Tasting Note: A sensational effort, and undeniably the finest wine to ever emerge from this estate, the opaque purple-coloured 2000 offers scents of tobacco, camphor, graphite, crème de cassis, and liquorice. This full-bodied, concentrated effort possesses low acidity, a multi-layered texture, tremendous intensity of flavour, and a persistent finish with considerable ripe, well-integrated tannin. This is a brilliant example of equilibrium and finesse allied to considerable power and flavour. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 146, April 2003.
12 bottles per lot

Special notice

ParcelWineBuyers from within the EU: VAT payable at 17.5% on just the buyer's premium (NOT the hammer price) Buyers from outside the EU: VAT payable at 17.5% on hammer price and buyer's premium. If a buyer, having registered under a non-EU address, decides that an item is not to be exported from the EU, then he/she should advise Christie's to this effect immediately. Please note that all the lots in this Sale are offered in Bond Only. UK Excise duty, Clearance VAT and delivery charges will not be included on any Sale invoices. Should you require your purchases to be delivered to a UK mainland address duty paid, we can arrange for the applicable UK Customs and delivery charges to be invoiced to you separately. For more information please contact Shona McIntosh or Antonia Essex in the Wine dept. smcintosh@christies.com aessex@christies.com

More from Highlights from the Superlative Millennium Vintage

View All