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About Winery
Château Smith Haut Lafitte's history spans centuries, starting in 1365 with the Verrier Du Boscq family planting vines on a gravelly plateau named Lafitte. In the 18th century, the Scottish merchant George Smith acquired the property, adding his name and building the Carthusian monastery. Later, Lodi Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, elevated the estate to Grand Cru Exceptionnel status in 1842. The Louis Eschenauer company purchased the estate in 1958, and in 1990, Daniel and Florence Cathiard bought it, investing heavily in both the property and the wines.
At the end of the 18th century, the Archbishop of Bordeaux was dispossessed of his property. The papal vineyard became part of the public domain.
8 June 1937 was a dark day in the vineyard's history, when a violent hailstorm destroyed virtually the entirety of the estate. Two years later, Paul Montagne bought it and gradually brought it back to life. Thanks to his efforts, the vineyard returned to its former rank and stood up to the surge in urbanization. His descendents, Léo Montagne and Bernard Magrez, perpetuate this secular tradition so that Chateau Pape Clément wines continue to delight the wine-lovers of today and tomorrow.
