Château Smith Haut Lafitte Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2020

Le Petit Haut Lafitte is the second wine of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, a Pessac-Leognan estate on a gravel plateau south of the city of Bordeaux, farmed organically by Florence and Daniel Cathiard. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The deep gravel soils that name the estate drain quickly and store daytime heat, helping Cabernet Sauvignon ripen fully and giving the smoky, mineral character typical of the Graves. Cooler nights hold acidity and keep the aromatics fresh. The wine ages around twelve months in French oak barriques of two hundred and twenty five litres, a shorter, lighter regime suited to a second wine, where slow oxygen exchange firms the tannin and adds cedar and gentle spice. Malolactic fermentation rounds the acidity into a softer, lactic profile. Colour is deep ruby. The nose leads with blackcurrant and black cherry over cedar, pipe tobacco and a smoky, gravelly note. The palate is medium to full bodied and elegant, with fine tannin, fresh acidity and an earthy, savoury finish. Decant for half an hour and serve at around seventeen degrees. It suits roast lamb, beef and hard cheese.