The WTA winners are truly treated to royalty when reward with a visit to Château Smith Haut Lafitte
Smith Haut Lafitte, WTA nominee & the Prize Fund Sponsor, to host the visit of King Charles III!
King Charles III made his first state visit to France. Bordeaux was on the program, including Château Smith Haut Lafitte. As it important to add that 10 WTA winners 2022-2023 were awarded a Private tour and tasting of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a cult place for Bordeaux wine culture and its Land Art Forest of the 5 senses.
The visit to France by King Charles III concludes with a stop in Bordeaux dedicated to the environment. He chose Château Smith Haut Lafitte for an immersion into the Bordeaux vineyards, highlighting his passion for plants and organic agriculture.
He arrived in the afternoon of Friday, September 22, during a beautiful break in the weather, and took the time to greet the entire team of the estate, shaking hands with owners Florence and Daniel Cathiard as well as with tractor drivers, oenologists, and winemakers, with whom he exchanged a few words, showing a genuine interest in each of their professions.
King Charles III, considered a great gardener across the Channel, deeply concerned about topics related to the land, “asked very pertinent questions about vineyard management, old vines, and our commitment to biodynamics,” recounted Florence Cathiard, who had the opportunity to meet Charles when he was a Prince twenty years ago during a polo tournament.
Perhaps it’s the memory of that moment and their shared commitment to the land and ecology that led His Majesty to choose the château from a select list of great wines. Perhaps it’s also the international appeal of wine tourism beyond borders for over two decades and the renown of the Vineyard Palace Les Sources de Caudalie, pioneers of green luxury, that motivated this happy encounter.
“We are extremely delighted with this meeting, and we hope to see them again. Queen Camilla was very keen to discover the Caudalie spa. The greatest compliment is that the King has invited us to visit his majestic gardens at Highgrove.”
After an extensive tour of the estate guided by owners Florence and Daniel Cathiard, during which he discovered the manual punching down of wines in fermentation, “built a rose” (the first step in barrel assembly before toasting) with the estate’s cooper, met the teams, the family, a llama, and a draft horse working in the vineyard, the King was able to taste a Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2005, the year of his marriage to Camilla. “It is still very young, perfect,” he said.
He graciously accepted a gift box of Château Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2022, which celebrates the year of his ascension to the throne. A wine that will carry the memory of this royal encounter.
Florence Cathiard was on air with BBC Breakfast to talk about the visit and we’re happy to share with you the video footage.
Photo: sources-caudalie.com, gala.fr, lifestyle.livemint.com, sudouest.fr