Château Lafite Rothschild A Family of Fine Wine Estates
With one of the oldest and most celebrated histories in Bordeaux, the Château Lafite name appears in records stretching as far back as 1234. One of only five classified First Growths, it was purchased by Baron James de Rothschild in August 1868 and has remained in the Rothschild family fold for six generations.
Château Lafite’s wines have graced many tables, including those with heads of state and celebrities (noted devotees have included Thomas Jefferson and Francis Ford Coppola), and it is unequivocally one of the most sought-after names in all of wine. But to the Rothschilds, who have been stewards of the property for more than 150 years, the most interesting chapters of their estate’s story have yet to be told.
Family is central to everything the Rothschilds do. Beyond the multiple generations who’ve been at the helm, “family” also includes their close network of vintners, with whom they’ve worked through war and peace, heatwaves and frosts. The vineyards themselves are part of the family, too. Today, the properties of Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite reach across France and extend beyond to exciting frontiers like Argentina, Chile, and China — each domaine and each vineyard possessing a sense of place and personality as distinct as the original Pauillac locale. And of course, “family” also includes those who choose to open a Lafite Rothschild wine to mark an occasion. To the Rothschilds, it is all one family, around the same table.
Sixth-generation Saskia de Rothschild has been chair of the Domaines since 2018, after taking up the reins from her father, Baron Eric de Rothschild. She has her eyes fixed on a future that is as brilliant as their past — and with the exciting confirmation of B Corp status across the entire fold of DBR properties in 2024, it is obvious she is steering this grand family of estates in the right direction.
Terroir
Château Lafite Rothschild benefits from truly exceptional terroir, a defining element of all top-quality wines from Bordeaux. In Pauillac, the property consists of the slopes surrounding the château proper, the adjacent Carruades Plateau to the west, and a 4.5-hectare / 11-acre plot in the neighboring commune of Saint-Estèphe. The vines are planted in well-drained and well-exposed soil comprising gravel, gravel, and more gravel — some pockets are up to 10 meters / 32 feet deep — along with caches of aeolian black sand and limestone bedrock. These precious soils retain heat, which helps grapes ripen to perfection, and force vines to bury their roots deep for nutrients, resulting in greater complexity.
Viticulture
Château Lafite Rothschild cultivates 112 hectares / 277 acres of vineyards. As with every property in the Domaines’ fold, Saskia de Rothschild has taken a firm stance on sustainable viticulture practices. The grape varieties planted include cabernet sauvignon (70%), merlot (25%), cabernet franc (3%), and petit verdot (2%), with an average vine age of 35 years. The property’s oldest plot, “La Gravière,” was planted in 1886.
For the Grand Vin, only vines older than 10 years are used, making the average vine age 45 years. Although each vintage is unique, there is usually a large proportion of cabernet sauvignon, then merlot, with a small amount of petit verdot. Carruades de Lafite, the estate’s second wine, typically features a higher proportion of merlot than the Grand Vin, with less cabernet sauvignon, occasionally complemented by cabernet franc, and petit verdot.
A Precise Expression of Terroir
In order to reveal the magic of Lafite’s terroir, every step of winemaking is carried out with extraordinary precision. Depending on their provenance and ripeness, grapes are transferred into wooden, stainless steel, or concrete vats. Alcoholic fermentation is conducted at controlled temperatures, with regular pumping over to gently release the grapes’ phenolic compounds. After malolactic fermentation, the wines are aged in French oak barrels made by La Tonnellerie des Domaines, Lafite’s own cooperage in Pauillac.
