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Producer profile: Château Smith Haut Lafitte

The past three decades have seen the fortunes of this historic estate renewed, becoming a pioneer in both environmental initiatives and wine tourism thanks to the collective imagination and dedication of one family. Jane Anson pays a visit.

Famously, Château Haut-Brion was the only red wine outside the Médoc region to be recognised in the 1855 Grands Crus Classés ranking. But there was a second estate, just a few miles to the south in the (then) region of Graves, that played an equally important if less high-profile role. This was Château Smith Haut Lafitte, whose owner Lodi-Martin Duffour-Dubergier was mayor of Bordeaux at the time. He was the man who decided to illustrate Bordeaux’s exhibition space in Paris with a classification of the region’s best wines. He instructed the local brokers to come up with a list, so giving the world a set of names that still dominates fine wine today.


Jane Anson’s Château Smith Haut Lafitte picks


See all Smith Haut Lafitte reviews and scores here

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