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Daniel Cathiard passed away on January 29 at the age of 81. Under his leadership, the Château Smith Haut Lafitte**** in Pessac-Léognan became a showcase of the region with white and red wines as well as tourist offerings. Cathiard was the son of a wine merchant from the Grenoble region and initially began a successful career as a ski racer. He was a member of the French national team. He then took over the management of the family business, the supermarket chain Genty-Cathiard, which he primarily expanded with the sporting goods brand Go-Sport. In the late 1980s, he sold the company and, together with his wife Florence, acquired Château Smith Haut Lafitte: a Cru Classé de Graves, whose origins date back to the 14th century.
The couple transformed the then little-known winery into one of the top addresses in the region. They introduced biodynamic farming and made the Château, with its hotel and restaurant, a center of wine tourism. Their daughters Mathilde and Alice manage the companies that emerged from Château Smith Haut Lafitte. These include the wine cosmetics group Caudalie and the hotel group "Les Sources," which also operates properties in Burgundy and Alsace. The Cathiard wine group also includes Château Beauregard in Pomerol and the Cathiard Vineyard established in 2020 with 26 hectares in Napa Valley.
The Cathiard couple received special recognition through the visit of British King Charles III. in September 2023, for which a special batch of Château Smith Haut Lafitte was produced.