Florence and Daniel Cathiard wanted to turn the forest of Château Smith Haut Lafitte into a place of expression for young local contemporary artists. The vineyards of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Les Sources de Caudalie already house several artworks from international artists.

Since the 1rst of July, the 8 hectares forest is now an open sky museum. All the artworks are exposed to natural elements and live in total harmony with the environment or in contrary in a creative opposition and they all represent the philosophy of Château Smith Haut Lafitte: the respect for the environment and the biodiversity.

This stroll will get you immersed in the heart of an artistic, esthetic and definitely poetic path. With friends or family, this is a truly  unique experience!

Monumental sculptures amidst vine rows, what an idea! The “art and vine” tour offers you an innovative blend of contemporary art and fine wines at Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

You enjoy wine and art intrigues you; or the other way around. The Château Smith Haut Lafitte invites you to unveil the secrets of its sculptures at the heart of the vineyard. Walking through the rows of cabernet and other iconic grapes of the property, you will discover through interesting anecdotes the reasons behind the presence of these masterpieces in the vines.

You can activate a metallic sphere that spreads out like a vine flower transforming into a grape… guaranteed to impress.

If rabbits, which feast on young vine shoots, are no winemaker’s friend; the hare which doesn’t eat the vines and scares away the rabbits, is the protector of the vineyard. With this iconic animal begins the discovery of the sculptures of the Château: the bronze hare by Barry Flanagan protecting its plot of cabernet. Florence and Daniel year after year adorned their vineyard with magnificent sculptures for intimate reasons and through personal encounters. Caduto a Ragione by Mimmo Paladino was a coup de cœur revelation for Florence who saw in the multitude of birds perched on the slender body of this metallic man, the multitude of wine connoisseurs, merchants and other professionals who come to taste the wines of the Château during the frenetic en primeurs future week.

A tour full of surprises from contemporary art to great 'grand cru' wines

Daniel, on his side, a huge fan of U2, met the engineer, artist and creator of the scenography of the group, Chuck Hoberman, at a concert and asked him to symbolize the nouaison berry setting of the vine with an animated sculpture. You can now activate a metallic sphere that spreads out like a vine flower transforming into a grape… guaranteed to impress. Finally you will have to find out by yourselves some of the other secrets, such as the nickeled bronze crinkled paper by Wang Du in front of the Château cooperage, where they make the wine barrels. Will you discover from which magazine the page comes?

A dreamy and amusing promenade among vine rows becomes an initiation to the pleasure of art. And to pursue the reverie: a tasting of Château Smith Haut Lafitte white and red wines and the discovery of paradise - Florence and Daniel’s personal cellar, with bottles from the 19^th century, whose entrance you will have to find…

Understanding the various aspects of the winemaker’s work through action:  experience the day-to-day life of the chef de culture vineyard manager or the maître de chai cellar master of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a ”grand cru” vineyard near Bordeaux.

A wine tasting and tour enthusiast, you are looking for something different. Put yourself into the shoes of a winemaker at Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Depending on the season, the tour “in the winemaker’s path” allows you to participate in the outdoor vineyard work or the indoor activities at the cellar.

The almost alchemistic experience of composing a great wine by blending several varietal wines from the same vineyard.

Guided by the chef de culture vineyard manager, you will discover, clippers in hand, les petites façons, the techniques of vine pruning, removing unwanted new shoots, trellising or thinning leaves, inherited from the ancestors. Technical explanations will allow you to fully understand all the steps of the life cycle of the vine, its intimate link with the terroir on which it blossoms and the phases of its growth until the harvest, where you will be able to taste, pick and sort the grapes for the production of our renowned vintage wines known as grand cru in the French wine classification system.

A complete experience from grape growing to wine making, wine blending to tasting

If you prefer cellar rather than vineyard activities, you will experience the pigeage or the punching down of the cap, of grape skins and pulp, during fermentation, the bâtonnage or stirring the lees during ageing or even the magic of an atelier d’assemblage blending workshop: the almost alchemistic experience that consists of composing a great wine by blending several varietal wines from the same vineyard. Thanks to samples taken directly from the barrels and after visiting the cellars, you will carry on in-depth tastings in order to understand the emblematic varietals of Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard. Then, as an oenologist apprentice, you will implement your own blends to create, under the advice of the maître de chai cellar master, a personal blend according to your tastes and convictions.

After discovering the job through practice, you will have earned the pleasure to pursue your winemaking experience with a tasting of the white and red wines of the property at the Orangerie of the Château.  This is a convivial moment to exchange impressions and experiences and bring to a close the two hours spent “in the winemaker’s path”.

Co-owner of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard Florence Cathiard is also president of the Conseil Superieur de l’Oenotourisme (the wine tourism board). She and her family have created a new wine tourism experience at the hot springs at Caudalie. 

Before devoting her third career to wine, Florence Cathiard visited the Napa Valley which provided the inspiration to build, with her husband, daughters and their respective husbands, an innovative new location for wine tourism. "When we sold all our businesses to buy Château Smith Haut Lafitte, 25 years ago, the region was magnificent, but the château was run down", says this vivacious woman and "Leading Woman Entrepreneur of the World".

"After two years of major work, on the winery buildings and the 17th century manor house, we focused on the development of our great vintage wine Graves, (known in the French wine classification system as a "grand cru classe"). During a period when the famous vineyards of Bordeaux seemed like ivory towers, inaccessible to the public, conducting tastings ourselves seven days a week was already audacious. Then opening, in 1999, a spa offering vinotherapy, we really did seem like aliens from another planet ", the former skiing champion recalls. (Vinotherapy uses grape and vine extracts to create unique spa and beauty treatments).

A wine tourism experience to practise the art of French living

Today, 25,000 visitors each year come to the prestigious 78-hectare vineyard, of whom 5,000 are met in person by Florence Cathiard. "We offer a a number of themed visits with wine tastings ranging from the renowed vintages to new, young wines, which satisfy every budget."

At only 20 minutes from Bordeaux, this complete wine tourism experience allows you to savour the art of French living. "At the luxurious hotel ‘Les Sources de Caudalie’, you can taste the gourmet delights of south-west France and the best wines of Bordeaux in a Michelin 2-star rated restaurant, a country-style restaurant, or over a tapas of local foods," said Florence Cathiard, who is just as comfortable describing the monumental sculptures which adorn the vineyard as she is talking about its positive energy, or ‘bioprecision’, a new approach to traditional wine making which brings together ‘the best of nature and the best of science’. And to confirm to wine tourists that France is the most beautiful country in the world. "Come via Paris, but then come straight to the vineyards! There you’ll find the good and the great wines, including those from the small vineyards. "

Today, Caudalie supports the Arbres et Paysages en Gironde association by comiting to replant 5 000 seedlings of forest and rural hedges by june 2017. The seedlings will be planted around plots of land owned by small wine growers such as David et Jacques Lators' s vineyard on the pilgrimage road to St-James of Compostela.