The name Chateau Lafite Rothschild frequently comes to mind when one thinks of Bordeaux wines, as it is well known for creating what many view as the pinnacle of Bordeaux quality. A significant component of Bordeaux’s winemaking legacy, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is widely recognized as one of the most opulent and well-known wines in the world. Its fascinating history dates back to 1234.
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
33250 Pauillac, France +33 5 56 73 18 18
Gombaud de Lafite, whose name lives on in the chateau’s name even after over a millennium, owned the estate in the early 13th century, although he had not yet turned it into a winery. The majority of the vineyards that shaped the Lafite Rothschild that we know today weren’t established until about 1680. Contributing significantly to the cultivation of these vineyards, Jacques de Segur laid the groundwork for the estate’s viticultural fame.
Bordeaux wine was further influenced by the Segur family when, in 1695, Alexandre de Segur married Marie-Therese de Clauzel, the Chateau Latour heiress, uniting two of Bordeaux’s most recognizable estates under one family. But destiny had other plans, and Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour parted ways after the death of Nicolas-Alexandre, the son of Alexandre and Marie-Therese.
Another change of ownership occurred at Chateau Lafite in 1797, which was a significant moment in the wine’s history. Under the careful administration of the Goudal family, some of the estate’s earliest bottles—including the highly valued 1797 Lafite—were preserved. During this time, the third American president, Thomas Jefferson, demonstrated his admiration for Chateau Lafite by bringing back many cases of wine from the estate when visiting France.
When Baron James de Rothschild purchased Chateau Lafite Rothschild at a public auction in Paris in 1868, the Rothschild family became associated with the estate. Given Lafite’s earning potential, this calculated action was not only a clever investment but also a show of familial rivalry.
Parts of the Chateau itself date back to 1562, making it one of Bordeaux’s oldest buildings. With an emphasis on quality over quantity, the vineyard expanded to 135 hectares by 1868, producing 4,000–5,000 cases per year. Baron James Rothschild died three months after the purchase, leaving his three sons, Edmond, Gustave, and Alphonse, to share ownership.
Over the years, the Rothschild family’s influence grew to include other Bordeaux assets. When they bought Chateau Duhart-Milon in 1962, they started restoring the Fourth Growth vineyard, which had been neglected. More developments followed, including the 1984 acquisition of Chateau Rieussec in Sauternes.
Lafite Rothschild commemorated the opening of its contemporary cellar, created by Ricartdo Bofill, a Catalan architect, in 1987. Completed in 1988, this underground circular masterpiece holds 2,200 barrels, a testament to the chateau’s dedication to innovation.
With the purchase of Vina Los Vascos, Domaines Baron Rothschild ventured into foreign lands and became among the first Bordeaux properties to invest in South America. They added Chateau L’Evangile in Pomerol to their portfolio as they carried on with their expansion.
Rothschild’s Chateau Lafite in the Modern Age
Chateau Lafite Rothschild began a new chapter with the advent of the modern era. Baron Eric Rothschild, who belonged to the fifth generation of Rothschilds, took over the estate in 1974. The Rothschild family underwent significant changes in leadership and acquisitions as it developed over time.
Charles Chevallier oversaw Chateau Lafite Rothschild’s vineyard operations and winemaking from 1994 until Eric Kohler took over in January 2016. When Jean Guillaume Prats took over as President of Domaines Baron Rothschild in 2017 to succeed Christopher Salin, the change in leadership continued. When Saskia de Rothschild became the first female chairwoman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild in April 2018, it was a historic moment.
Saskia, a former investigative journalist who has worked full-time with Lafite Rothschild since 2015, provided a new viewpoint to the position. Her selection, which emphasized the estate’s dedication to diversity and innovation, signaled a historic moment.
The Unique Style of Rothschild’s Chateau Lafite
The renowned Chateau Lafite Rothschild is renowned for creating a sophisticated Pauillac that embodies notes of lead pencil, spice, tobacco, truffle, cassis, and cedar. Lafite, in contrast to some of its contemporaries, emphasizes aromatic nuances and breadth of flavour over intensity or strength. Like its contemporaries, this First Growth wine ages over decades to exhibit exceptional longevity.
Among the first Bordeaux estates to bottle their wine is Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which is notable in its own right. This practice dates back to 1890 and was repeated in 1906. It was implemented in response to negociants’ demands and as a deterrent to piracy, which involved merchants trying to pass off subpar wines under the Lafite Rothschild name.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild: A Story of Adaptability and Acknowledgment
Despite difficulties in the middle of the 20th century, including instability in the 1960s and 1970s, Chateau Lafite Rothschild saw significant transformations. When blending vats were added in 1970, excessive bottle variance was reduced, which improved the quality of the wine.
Regaining its reputation as one of the greatest wine producers in its history, Chateau Lafite Rothschild has produced some of its best wines since 1996. Remarkable years like 2003, 2009, 2010, and 2016 have shown the estate’s persistent dedication to quality. But pursuing excellence has a cost; Lafite Rothschild has become a status symbol, available to a privileged few only because of its high price.
When Lafite Rothschild emerged as the most valuable Bordeaux wine in 2008 due to growing demand from China, the Bordeaux wine’s market dynamics took an intriguing turn. The cost rise was caused by early brand development activities in China and a well-timed commercial placement in a well-known Chinese soap opera. Still, prices corrected in the following years, highlighting the wine market’s cyclical character.
Starting with the 2012 vintage, Chateau Lafite Rothschild implemented anti-counterfeiting procedures in response to widespread counterfeiting. The wine’s authenticity was guaranteed by the estate by the use of a genuine seal on the capsules. This seal consists of a distinct, numerical code that can be checked online.
Winemaking, Terroir, and Vineyards at Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (3%), and Petit Verdot (2%) are the main varietals planted in Chateau Lafite Rothschild’s expansive 112-hectare vineyard. Although Merlot’s share has risen somewhat since the mid-1990s, the estate has always maintained Cabernet Sauvignon as the predominant grape variety—it frequently approaches 90%.
The Jalle de Breuil stream divides Chateau Lafite Rothschild’s vineyards from the St. Estephe appellation, which is located far to the north of the Pauillac appellation. The vineyards of the estate are split into three areas, each consisting of about 100 individual parcels.
The excellent terroir, located just south of the castle, boasts a thick layer of gravel coupled with sand, clay, marl, and limestone. The soil, which is primarily composed of gravel despite being in the northernmost region of Pauillac, adds to the wine’s refined and feminine textures. Lafite Rothschild attains the desired feeling of minerality with more than 50% of the soil made up of gravel.
At Lafite Rothschild, vines are almost forty years old on average; in the La Graviere region, some of the vines are almost a century old. A tiny portion of the estate’s vines, some dating back to 1886 and 1922, are preserved, while the bulk of the vines are only 20 years old.
A combination of grapes at different stages of ripeness is harvested at Chateau Lafite Rothschild in order to provide distinctive textures, rich aromatics, and overall freshness in the wine. The estate has been switching to 100% organic farming since the 2017 vintage, and by 2021, the entire vineyard is anticipated to be 100% organic.
Vinification takes place in a combination of concrete, stainless steel, and wood vats at Chateau Lafite Rothschild; each vat is customized for a particular grape variety and parcel. The wines are aged for 18 to 20 months in barrels made entirely of new French oak, a testament to the estate’s dedication to producing wines of the highest calibre.
Extending My Views: The Second and Third Wines of Chateau Lafite Rothschild
In addition to its namesake wine, Chateau Lafite Rothschild’s collection now includes a number of noteworthy wines. The second wine, Carruades de Lafite, is named after a particular area of the vineyard next to Mouton Rothschild. Initially manufactured in the middle of the 1850s, Carruades de Lafite has grown to be extremely valuable on its own.
Reintroduced in 2018, Chateau Lafite Rothschild’s Anseillan is a third wine made from declassified fruit from Chateau Duhart-Milon and Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Anseillan was made for a short time between the mid-1980s and 1991, but it was brought back with a fresh emphasis on varietal composition and distinctive terroir for the 2018 vintage.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild, the biggest of the First Growth vineyards, is dedicated to environmental sustainability in addition to winemaking. The estate preserves over 50 hectares of marshes and vegetation for an endangered species of wild cow. It boasts breathtaking scenery, lakes, forests, and parkland. This distinctive strategy is a reflection of the estate’s commitment to preserving the property’s historical charm and harmony.
The wines
