Smith Haut Lafitte Rues Hail Damage in Spring Amid Bordeaux 2018 Harvest

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac Leognan lost 50 percent of its crop to a hailstorm which struck on May 26 this year, leaving the estate with a ``half-harvest'' this year even with the good weather at the end of the season, according to winemaker Fabien Teitgen.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan. Photo: Guy Collins

``It was a Saturday, 12:30 p.m., '' he said. ``Everything was black.'' It was all over in 10 minutes. Speaking at a Bordeaux tasting in London Oct. 16, he said the estate also suffered some mildew as a result of wet spring weather, but most of the damage was done by hail. ``Next year we'll be fairly normal,'' he said, saying damage sustained this year shouldn't have any lasting effect.