Wine News ArchiveChateau Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Daniel Cathiard is perhaps best known as a former ski champion – he was a member of the French Olympic team with Jean-Claude Killy from 1965 to 1968.
The estate is located in a single block on a gravelly rise; 55 of the 72 hectares are planted with vines. The soil, consisting of gravel dating from the Gunz (or Nebraskan glacial) period, has two unique features. The noble Bosq family started growing grapes here as early as 1365. The property was purchased in the 18th century by Scotsman George Smith, who gave the estate its present name. He also built the manor house and exported his – by now famous – wine to England on his own ships. Impressed by Smith Haut Lafitte's excellent quality, the Louis Eschenauer company distributed the wine all over the world as of the early 20th century, deciding to buy the estate in 1958. Since the Eschenaueur period came to an end, a great deal of money has been invested in the estate, notably in the construction of a superb underground cellar holding over 2,000 barrels. In 1990, Daniel Cathiard fell in love with the property and joined the list of prestigious owners, firmly intending to further enhance Smith Haut Lafitte's tradition of excellence. He combined the most modern winemaking techniques and age-old traditional methods: organic compost, return to small wooden vats, ageing on the lees in barrel, etc. Famous around the world for its wonderfully elegant red wine and the sophisticated bouquet of its white, Smith Haut Lafitte undoubtedly deserves the special care that is lavished on it.
WHITE WINES Chגteau Smith Haut Lafitte has its own cooperage, which is where we will end the tour. RED WINES
Bגtonnage, or stirring: This practice consists of using a stick to stir the wine to put the lees into suspension. It is done twice a week for the first two months after fermentation and then on a less regular basis. The sticks used at Chגteau Smith Haut Lafitte were invented by Daniel Cathiard, inspired by a type of bent ski pole with blades. CHATEAU D'YQUEM - Sauternes, Bordeaux France.
1st Growth Classified More than four centuries of history are summed up in the words "Chateau d'Yquem Lur Saluces" round on every bottle of Yquem. Wine lovers from around the world who come to visit the estate often ask about the secret of this great wine? My initial, slightly provocative reply is that there can be no answer, that the truth is shrouded in mystery, and what are dealing with one of nature's enigmas. However, there are several logical explanations to offer. One of them is undoubtedly the winemaking passion shared by the family who owned the château for twelve generations. Another is the unique terroir and carefully matched premium grape varieties. Furthermore, Chateau d'Yquem time-honoured vineyard management and winemaking practices have an important role to play. Last, but not least, there is the amazing alchenty brought about by Botrytis cinerea, the remarkable fungus that, here in Sauternes
and here alone, paradoxically transforms decay into gold. Above and beyond these reasons, Chateau d'Yquem must actually be smelled, tasted and appreciated to understand its magic. In doing so, one realises that this wine is and will always remain a msystery. Perhaps this is the bes way of summing up the spirit of d'Yquem. Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces (November 2002) Chateau d 'Yquem is difficult to miss. Surrounded on all sides by sloping vineyards, it stands proudly atop the highest point in the Sauternes region. A complex structure dating from several periods, the chateau is made up of round towers with loopholes, square towers, crenellated walls, tec. Constructed in the 15th century and completed in the 16th and 17th centuries, its style is halfway between the simple, rural architecture of the era and that of an impressive medieval castel. The chateau is build around a large square courtyard, with south-east and north-west gates and a well covered with dimbing roses in the centre. Constructed in the early 19th century, the cellar is located to the east of the chateau. The estate covers a total of 188 hectares, including 113 under wine. The rest consists of meadows and pine forest. Yquem is fermented in oak barrels (100% new) and is ageing to mature for up to 36 months. Intensely opulent when young,
Yquem develops an extraordinary complexity and exotic richness when fully mature, with the best vintages lasting for over 50 years. Château d'Yquem is classified as a 1er Cru Classé supérieur. Chateau d'Yquem can only be understood within the framework of time. Life seems to pass very slowly at Yquem, reflecting the chateau's history and traditions handed down from generation to generation over more that four centuries. Times helps keep track of the meticulous work in the vineyard and gives rhythm to long, late harvests. It seems endless during the wine's fermentation and barrel ageing stages,and takes on an air of mystery in the half-light of the cellars as the wine is slowly transformed. At every moment in its life, d'Yquem is above all an affair of time and therefor patience. Chateau d'Yquem has a very long life span: twenty, fifty, a hundred years or more. Bollinger is one of my favorite Champagne Houses, since a friend of mine, Didier Laurent, helped me to understand it better, back in 1990, when I was working in Champagne as a sommelier.
On January 13th, 2006, my friends and I found a little time between our marathon Champagne tastings and the perspective of a fine dinner at the “Assiette Champenoise”. We were staying at the “Hotel Casteljeanson” ANTHONY VERIFIE NOM EXACT, in Ay and decided to taste MORE Champagne. Why not, I ask you We requested a visit to Champagne Bollinger. After a warm, and informal, welcome by Christian Dennis, we were lead directly to the back of the offices, in the “Chaudes Terres” vineyard. I would like to share with you some, not so widely known, facts about Bollinger. Bollinger is one of the last family - owned Champagne Houses in its category. It is also the last Champagne House to employ a full time cooper. Furthermore, Bollinger is the only Champagne House to keep all their reserve wine, from the different vineyards, in magnums with a cork. Champagne Bollinger has the only pre-Phylloxera vineyard in Champagne, deserving of such recognition, and this is what I wish to inform you about. Most of my friends know, by now, that I love great wines. I am not a label drinker, but my passion as a professional sommelier tempts me to try everything that is made from the grape. However, when I first had the privilege to taste the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises”, with Didier Laurent, I experienced a deep and humble feeling, facing a wine with such distinction. But what is the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises” Until the end of the 19th Century, the French vineyards were still planted and cultivated “en foule” (aka “provinage”, aka “marcottage”), a system allowing for the self-regeneration of the plants by pushing a young branch into the soil and thus propagating a new vine. Since Phylloxera attacked the vineyards and the plants, the only solution has been to graft French vines onto American rootstocks. This method virtually excluded the use of the self-generating system, which does not graft onto an exterior rootstock. Champagne Bollinger owns small plots of non – grafted vines, from which the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises” cuvee is made. The cuvee was started, in 1969, when an English friend and great wine writer, Cyril Ray, came to visit Miss Bollinger. He was so impressed by the quality and uniqueness of the wine made from these plots, that he convinced her to bottled a special cuvee of the wine. Until 2004, the Champagne “Vieilles Vignes Françaises” cuvee was made from 3 parcels : the “Chaudes Terres” (0.6 acres); the “Clos St Jacques” (0.5 acres); and the “Croix Rouge” (0.3 acres), all in Bouzy and all inexplicably untouched by Phylloxera. and is no longer part of the blend now. All three parcels are “miraculously” Phylloxera free. The fact is that Phylloxera does not flourish in sandy soil, nor on high lying, very windy areas, in cool altitude. The only unsolvable mystery remains in that, here in this specific Champagne vineyard, conditions and the soil are essentially similar to that of the rest of the Champagne region. So there is no real or logical explanation as to why those plots of vineyards have survived in this particular area. Only 2,500 to 3,000 bottles of the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises” are produced annually and then only in the greatest years. These vineyards are planted uniquely with Pinot Noir. A couple of years are needed for the root to undergo its transformation and become a new vine, in soil which is quite often oxygenated. When you look at the vineyard, it resembles tiny mounds of so many small hills from where the vines will emerge. The vineyard does not appear either well managed or well controlled, it seems relatively crowded and uneven. This makes the mechanization of these vineyards impossible and increases the labor, which in turn augments the production cost by 250 – 300%, with a yield of at least 35% less than a drastically monitored and selective modern vineyard. The wine ferments in small 225 liters oak barrels of at least 4 years of use, to avoid the wood flavors from overwhelming the natural, fine flavors of the Pinot Noir from these non-grafted vines. Consequently, the wine ages for a minimum of 5 years in the cellars, on their lees, under cork pressure, prior to disgorgement. You can imagine how exceptional the wine can taste, not only because of the tremendous quality of the wine, but also because of the memories provoked by tasting a wine made through traditional methods that do not exist nowadays. I have been very fortunate to taste a few vintages of the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises” and they all show a gold color with the slightest hint of a tinge of color – in fact, a mere shade (from the Pinot Noir skin), the bubbles are so fine, regular with a “cordon”, ring that lingers forever in your glass. The extraction of aromas, reminiscent of spices, black teas, toast breads, black fruits, and truffle is so long and so complex that it inevitably marks ones memory. The palate develops and shows another expression, which is tremendously long lasting, rich, concentrated with intense flavors and a wonderful touch of those bubbles, popping with elegance and power at the same time. The duration of the persistence is such that ones senses continue to tingle well after finishing the sip. Ladies and gentlemen, if you have not experienced the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises”, please try, if only once… Follow my advice, start by enjoying the “Special Cuvee Brut”, then the “Grande Année”, before moving on to taste the “R.D.” (Aka “Recently Disgorged”), in order to really appreciate what Bollinger is capable of producing. Then, when the time comes to discover the “Vieilles Vignes Françaises”, you will truly appreciate the beauty in its perfection. Herve Pennequin |
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