The Faces of Bordeaux

At The Bordeaux Concierge, our aim is to introduce our clients to the real Bordeaux. This includes meeting the people that make Bordeaux what it is today. As part of this effort, we will bring these vibrant personalities to our audience at home through our new series, The Faces of Bordeaux.

Florence Cathiard
President/Co-Owner
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Grand Cru Classé de Graves

In our latest Faces of Bordeaux interview, we present to you Florence Cathiard, President and Co-Owner of Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, one of the oldest châteaux in Bordeaux, is located south of Bordeaux in the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Nicknamed the "Graves des Graves" by its atypical soil, Château Smith Haut Lafitte was acquired in 1990 by Florence and Daniel Cathiard, with the ambition of bringing it to the top of the appellation.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte has been a part of your life since the 1990s. What is your current role at the estate and what does this role entail?

I am President and, along with my husband Daniel, Co-Owner of Château Smith Haut Lafitte. This means that I am fully involved in all aspects of the business including, but not limited to, examining the vineyard with our chief-viticulturist in the morning, lunching in our 18th century chartreuse with wine merchants and importers, communicating with our clients all over the world in the afternoon, and, in normal times, holding receptions in our beautiful château at night.

Prior to owning Château Smith Haut Lafitte you had several different careers. Please tell us a little about these experiences and what you have learned from them that you brought with you to Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

In fact, you can say I have had three lives. First, I was a member of the French National Ski team where I met my husband, Daniel, back in 1965. Then for 10 years, I worked with Daniel by managing his family’s supermarket chain, Genty, as well as Go Sport, a chain of sporting good shops, before launching my own advertising firm and becoming Vice President of McCann Europe. Finally, and perhaps the largest part of my life and the most gratifying, we purchased Château Smith Haut Lafitte where I became President and Co-Owner. I have spent 30 passionate years focused on improving one of the best wines of the world.

How has Château Smith Haut Lafitte changed under your ownership?

Everything has changed at Château Smith Haut Lafitte except the terroir which is made up of Gunzian gravels - the Rolls Royce of terroir! This terroir gives precision, energy, length and freshness to our white and red wines. Our philosophy is “to do everything possible to make each vintage of red and white wine worthy of our magnificent terroir with the focus on quality instead of quantity.”

One of the first things you did at Château Smith Haut Lafitte was to stop the use of chemicals and pesticides. The vineyards have been certified organic since 2019 and you are in the process of moving over to biodynamic viticulture across the entire vineyard. What initiatives have been implemented to become organic/biodynamic and why was this change so important to you?

Our Family has always lived this way. My daughter Mathilde's Caudalie beauty products are free of parabens, phenoxyethanol, phthalates, mineral oils, sodium laureth sulfate and ingredients of animal origin. My other daughter, Alice, has a huge organic vegetable garden for Les Sources de Caudalie, the “Palace des Vignes” located next to Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

What, in your opinion, particularly sets Château Smith Haut Lafitte apart from the other châteaux in Bordeaux?

We are pioneers in many realms including in the vineyard where we grow hedges and trees for the biodiversity, in the cellar where we invented a unique system to recycle CO2 (we were invited to speak at COP21 in 2015 about this specific system), as well as by offering a singular experience to our customers with new and original visits each year.

How was the 2020 harvest and what are your expectations for the 2020 vintage?

A mild, wet winter was followed by early bud break and flowering, which required a great deal of vigilance. The use of organic treatments and biodynamic preparations helped reduce the risk of disease and our vines coped very well. Excellent conditions during the summer were favorable to vine growth and ripening, which was very quick and even, and resulted in the harvest taking place earlier than usual.

The wines from Château Smith Haut Lafitte consistently receive high marks from wine critics. What is your definition of a great wine?

A great wine, when tasted, must send the mind in unpredictably delightful directions.

You were one of the first châteaux to install pieces of art throughout the vineyard. What is the story behind this? Can you tell us about some of the pieces that visitors can enjoy when visiting the estate?

At the beginning it was an emotion shared by two, an esthetic shock, a power of fascination, an enigma, a nature exalted by a few works chosen for our places. One of the joys of a sculpture is that you can go around it endlessly - on foot, by bicycle, in the heart of our vineyards or our forest, at dawn or at dusk, in the autumn mists, the winter frosts or the July sun, under the great ever-changing skies of Aquitaine and the clouds - the wonderful clouds.

Then arose the desire to answer the questions of friends and amateurs, seduced by our bottles, but intrigued by these bronze or steel silhouettes viewed from afar or caressed from close-up feeling their roughness and softness.

Finally, the revelation of the magic of our sculptures: they speak to us, intimately, but we do not feel like owners. They keep their share of unknown and mystery. One of our joys is to see the impact that some of them have on our visitors including the giant hare by Barry Flanagan, The Venus by Jin Dine and the mystic sculpture by Mimo Palladino.

You also have other projects including being a part owner of Château Beauregard in Pomerol as well as opening a winery in Napa. What is the drive behind these projects and why are they as important to you as Château Smith Haut Lafitte?

We are entrepreneurs and we love new challenges. At each of our projects we try to keep a similar esthetic and focus on being organic.

What are the major differences between running a winery in Bordeaux and a winery in Napa?

It is very similar: 50% terroir and 50% human talent. The only difference is the cost – which is higher in Napa with the same red tape.

Do you have any other major projects in the pipeline?

At Château Smith Haut Lafitte we are still improving our land art by adding new pieces of art. We also continue to develop our Tisanerie, a unique pharmacie in the vines where we grow herbs and wild plants, used in biodynamic preparations. Additionally, we are adding new hives to develop our honey factory.

As for the experiences at the estate, we recently created a new visit called “In the winegrower’s footsteps” in which the visitors will get the chance to experience the daily life of a vineyard manager or cellar master by taking part in the various works according to the seasons. Finally, this year we shall open a special small terrace above the vineyard for exclusive lunches.

2020 was a strange year with lockdowns, social distancing, and travel restrictions. What impact did this have on you personally and professionally and also on Château Smith Haut Lafitte?

There was not too much impact on the vines and the cellar, but the loss has been huge in regard to wine tourism.

We expect there to be increased demand for private experiences as a result of Covid. What types of private experiences can be enjoyed at Château Smith Haut Lafitte?

In addition to our normal offerings, we are now planning garden parties for the summer, as well as very exclusive lunches in our Forest of the Senses.

What is your favorite thing about Bordeaux?

The beautiful 18th classicism everywhere that was cleaned and restored by the previous mayor Alain Juppe, a friend of ours and ex-Prime Minister.

What is the number one thing visitors to Bordeaux should see/do while they are here?

Visitors must enjoy a walk on the banks of the Garonne and the Chartrons market. And of course visit us, 20 minutes from the center of the city, awarded for the second time the best vineyard of France in a competition ranking the world’s top wine tourism destinations.

Château Smith Haut Lafitte, located in the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, has been classified Grand Cru since 1953. The vineyard totals 78 hectares (67ha red and 11ha white) with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc grown for the red wines and Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris grown for the white wines. In addition to the first wine, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, the estate also makes a second and third wine called Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte and Les Hauts de Smith, respectively. Château Smith Haut Lafitte is open to visits 7 days a week. The property also features a world class hotel and spa, Les Sources de Caudalie, as well as three restaurants - all within walking distance of the winery.

Let us introduce you to Château Smith Haut Lafitte on your next visit to Bordeaux

The Faces of Bordeaux - Florence Cathiard, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Grand Cru Classé de Graves