Ep 2348 Discovering Château Smith Haut Lafitte Florence Cathiard | On the Road with Stevie Kim

In twenty twenty three, we had the visit of the King of England. Here. Yes. Yeah. Because it was the end of the harvest with a cabernet, and, he wanted to touch everything. Because he wanted to test the berries. I called majestic sticky fingers. You know, he was he he helped to make the barrel. Oh, really? Yes. And he's very simple, nice. So he was very affable. Oh, yes. Welcome to another episode of On The Road Edition, hosted by Stevie Campbell. Each week, Stevie travels to incredible wine destinations interviewing some of the Italian wine scene's most interesting personalities, talking about wines, the foods as well as the incredible travel destinations. Welcome to Italian wine podcast. My name is Stevie Kim, and we are continuing our journey into border. Yes. Not an Italian wine, but Bordeaux. So I have the greatest pleasure of being here in the house of Juan's Katihad, who is of course the owner of Chateau Smith haute, haute, haute, haute, haute, haute, haute, haute, haute haute, haute haute haute, haute, haute haute haute, haute, So, welcome. How is your Italian? Okay. So, wants to tell us a little bit about there's so much to tell Right? But for someone who doesn't know anything about your chateau, your winery, tell us maybe few things that would be make it clear what your winery is all about. I think my inquiry is unique because it's, one block estate, and, you have a very few now in the great names of Bordeaux. It has been the same for more than six centuries. And, we have, also a nice chain of prestigious winemakers and owners. And second point would be maybe, but, on top of his story, of his prestige, our DNA is organic. And, we have dropped abandoned our comfort zone many years ago to the one hundred percent in, organic and biodynamic agriculture. And it's not easy here. With climate, you know, which is sometimes rainy with the attacks of mildew. We have low yields. We have high cost, but, we are very proud of not putting any chemical entrant in our plants. And we are proud to respect the energies of our soil, which is a great soil. So when did you start wine business? We start wine business thirty four years ago, but I met my husband Daniel more than half a century ago when I was skiing in the French National ski team. Oh, you're wearing the ski team. I had no idea. That's how we met. Oh. Because And he was on the ski team? Yes. He was a downhill racer. I was a slalom girl. But we were happy. We were the only students. And, we were friends with some Italian girls. Some of them were good at the time. Where were you skiing? Everywhere because we were with a white circus Oh, and it started in Valizaire. And then it was only rock, but fifty years ago, you have snow everywhere. Yep. And by A younger daughter, she used to be on the ski team. Ah, yes. Yes. Well, small ski team in Italy. I did. The telemetis. So I never know. Are you still skiing? Of course. We come back from, Mary Bell where we have a nice chalet in the heart of the three valleys, you know. And, no, I remember, La Blancet, famous downhill because we were obliged even if I was to to make the downhill as well. Oh, I see. And La Banqueta in Sestriere or her madonna de Camille of this one is awful. So so how did you go from skin to wine? After that, we did not inherit this chateau. So we had to have a business life. We launched a chain of big sports shops. And it was like this with Decat Long at the time. Oh, I see. What was it called? It was Ghostport. Is it still? Yes. But when we saw we had also supermarkets. Yeah. And after twenty years of very hard work, we decide to change our life because we want something with less people and more true to what we'd really like. And, we decide to go in wine. And the only alcohol we knew was Red Bordeaux, so we came here. Were you from originally? I am from provence, from the other south. Well, there's wine in provence. Yes. And But you didn't like it very much. Yes. But my grandfather was making an awful wine if you want to know. And, you know, at the team, we were second best, because we had, Jean Clarkini, who won three mediums, and the grandchildren sisters, who were also free gold medals. And I was replacing you. So we're gonna be a bit of drinking a glass of red nodo because we were obliged to rest the downhill. And the the slalom girls. We were free of us, and we did not sleep all night. Right. Right. And so with a glass of red border, we slept like stone. Right. Okay. Very nice story. So that's the And that so when did you start? In nineteen in the last day of nineteen ninety. And why is it cosmic? Because George Smith came in the eighteenth century. And, before the name and one t because it means hill and, like, course or, like, it stands for quality somewhere. Yeah. Because it's a hill. Right. For here, it's like a double hammock, you know. Right. And the George Smith came and he put four big seating rooms and the rooms above on the other side of this seventh century farm, where we are now. Mhmm. And this was for his beautiful Bordeaux mistress. He had a wife in Perth, Scotland. He has a business in Bristol, but he was a well organized guy. Oh, I see. That's okay. That's very funny. He put himself on the label. Right. He did not dare to put himself in gold. Right. Like the Lily Flowers would date it back to thirteen sixty five. Right. Because it was very debauch connected to the Duke of Valua. He put himself in silver. That means he was first son of the family Okay. Because you have three pillars, and that stands for the harbor of the moon in Bordeaux, where he had his selling boat with canons and barrels. So that's a special bottle, right? So that's a little bit about that. This one is very special because in twenty twenty three, we add the visit of the King of England. Uh-huh. Here. Yes. Here. And it the only chateau he choose to visit. How did how did that happen? First, they came four times two hundred people. And, one hundred from France, one hundred from England. And this first, they said it's an ambassador. We said, no, it's not an ambassador. We received maybe four ambassadors per year, not too many people. Then they say it's a minister, we say and there'll be a prime. And then after they say it's a royal. And I was jumping. I say, I hope it's prince's child. It was prince at the time. Alright. Alright. Alright. Yeah. Just before And then he became king. And then he became king. And I was afraid he would not come and he came. And And that was last year. It was just last year. Yes. That was fourteen months before. Yeah. Yeah. Because it was the end of the arrest with a cabernet, and, he wanted to touch everything. Because he wanted to test the berries. I called my gestic sticky fingers, you know. He he he he helped to make the baron. Oh, really? Yes. And he's very simple, nice. So he was very laughable. Oh, yes. We really like team a lot because I have this passion because we share the same idea about being organic, trying to have live in soil, being in biodiversity, a lot of edges, many animals, his wife Camilla loved our lambs. She loved our horses. So, you know, I stayed here in Cadetti a few times. Yes. So tell us about codetti, how it began. That's the story of our daughters and son-in-law. So you have two daughters. Two daughters. One is, maybe the Starwood family because she takes twenty five times at work turnover. That, with her husband, they founded LaVoratua Caudali, and, they used the most active vegetal ingredient. And if you remember, they launched it at the time, where it was the mad cow problem. Right. Where nobody put animal on his face, and she has the most active, in the beginning, it was very young. But, they were young. Were determined. They lived in what they did and ended up. And they're very successful now. We see totally everywhere. Yes. Everywhere. Yeah. Everywhere. And, the other girl with her husband, she is now owner of, the best beautiful hotel in the best places of prestigious french wine. I mean, bordeaux, we've lessors de Colalie, with free restaurant to establish lunch chef, free kids for their hotel, beautiful. Vante has also the, afterward between Chambour and Sunoso in the Loire Valley. And then they just bought that they have to refit it totally for one year, one year and a half le chateau gile in burgundy, and, chateau, So they are in-depth sky rocketing. So, but so neither of them went into wine business? No. I have to wait for my grandchildren. And, Okay. There are five of them, three jobs in the family. One has come with me. But there's they're you even purchased a winery during COVID in California and motherfuckers. Yes. We are knowing What were you thinking? No. Crazy. Because, we are not so young. And, we fought we had dropped the project. And then out of the blue guy called us and say, it's not officially for sale, but I used for to sell Miss Salafit when I was younger, and I love your place. And you will like it better if you come because it's misal effort, history, one block dedicated to being organic, beautiful terroir, but it's vertical, and you like mountain. And, in fact, It's aft sedimentary and aft volcanic. It's in, the famous river for dust. Straddle between two lanes next to Saint Helena. It's beautiful. And is your husband Danielle also working with you in the wine business? Yes. But, now he has taken a more remote, place because he has put me president for both, and I am, I am not sure who your government is. But he likes to be president of council of survey. Oh, okay. And he liked to travel with me to see our friends and colleagues, one maker in Italian, because that's the other country where we should have liked to have an estate, but now it's too late. Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you so much for having us. It's a pleasure. It's really lovely to be to be at your home. And would you is there anything else you would like to say before we close to our audience? Oh, please come and visit. Because, I think we are very good ambassadors for the best French art of, food and and life. Yes. And, of course, they have an a permanent outdoor exhibition in mist of the vineyards. I think many of you recognize the rabbit, right? The Yes. The hair. The hair, which is the symbol of the. So So we have a Mimo Paladino. Yeah. We met with a famous Italian artist and he made a signature sculpture just for us. Yeah. And that is it from Smeidot Lafite. Cheers. Cheers. Thank you for coming. And that's a wrap. I vote Sante. Thank you for joining us on another episode of On The Road Edition, hosted by Stev Kim. Join her again next week for more interesting content on the Italian wine scene. You can also find us at Italian wine podcast dot com or wherever you get your pods. You can check out our YouTube channel, Mama jumbo shrimp to watch these interviews and the footage captured at each location. Changing.