{"id":23737,"date":"2022-02-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insidelaplace.rcassocies.com\/2022\/02\/08\/inside-la-place-inside-smith-haut-lafitte\/"},"modified":"2022-02-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T00:00:00","slug":"inside-la-place-inside-smith-haut-lafitte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insidelaplace.rcassocies.com\/en\/2022\/02\/08\/inside-la-place-inside-smith-haut-lafitte\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside La Place – Inside Smith Haut Lafitte"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Florence CATHIARD<\/h2>\n

Owner
\nWorking at the estate since 1990
\nMet by Gerda at the Ch\u00e2teau<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e2teau Smith Haut Lafitte<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0Cru Class\u00e9 of Graves – Red & White
\nPessac L\u00e9ognan<\/p>\n

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Florence Cathiard<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Gerda<\/span><\/strong>: <\/strong>Tell us about you…<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Florence Cathiard<\/strong>: My husband and I have decided to work in the wine industry in 1990. Before that, we were in the distribution of high-level ski accessories through shops such as Genty-Cathiard and Go Sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gerda<\/span><\/strong>: What are the main challenges you personally face, in the practice of your work?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Florence Cathiard<\/strong>: We have faced many challenges in the past 30 years: the frost in 1991 followed by low yield and a difficult and unstable climatic environment.<\/p>\n

We are working in the respect of the environment. Indeed, since the beginning, we have had a phytotherapy approach. We have honed our own Bio-Precision philosophy, with the aim of combining traditional and innovative techniques in the vineyard and the cellar. We received the organic certification in 2019.<\/p>\n

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Harvest 2021<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Gerda\u00a0<\/strong>: How did your harvest go?<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Florence Cathiard<\/strong>: <\/b>The capricious spring and summer weather was corrected by beautiful autumn that allowed our vines to mature perfectly. The white grape harvest took place from 2 to 18 September, and the red from 22 September to 14 October.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The brand Smith Haut Lafitte today and tomorrow<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Gerda: What positioning (s) do you want for your brand (s)?<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Florence Cathiard<\/b><\/strong>: Everyday we have a motivated, committed team that sticks together. We want to keep maintaining our level of excellence without being elitist.<\/span><\/p>\n

G: How do your wines stand out, and are unique?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

FC<\/strong>: Our wines belong to a specific area, they are unique and secant by their organoleptic characters. They are unique by their tensions and their minerality that comes from our terroir.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are not looking to control nature but only find harmony with it. We are just pawns in a history that lasts for more than 655 years. The organic and biodynamics specifications force us to reinvent ourselves every day. We must know how to remain simple and keep the peasant character of our elders.<\/p>\n

G<\/span>: Which of your recent accomplishments would you like to share with your customers?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

FC<\/strong>: Our environmental processes especially on the biodynamic, and the plants’ studies.<\/p>\n

G: What future project are you currently working on?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

FC<\/strong>: We have two main goals:<\/span><\/p>\n