Château Lafite Rothschild

Château Lafite Rothschild is a First Growth estate in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux. The Lafite name was first noted as a wine producer in the 13th century. Serious winemaking began in the 17th century with the arrival of Jacques de Ségur, who began expanding the vineyard in the 1670s; Lafite reached the English market soon after and built a reputation for high prices and prominent admirers, including British prime minister Robert Walpole, who bought a barrel of Lafite every three months for a year starting in 1732, and, decades later, future US president Thomas Jefferson. Lafite was named Premier Grand Cru Classé at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris, one of only four original First Growths alongside Latour, Margaux, and Haut-Brion; Mouton Rothschild was elevated to fifth First Growth only in 1973, after decades of effort by Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Baron James de Rothschild acquired Château Lafite in August 1868; he died only a few months later, and whether he ever visited the estate after the purchase remained unknown until DBR Lafite's own historical research turned up a two-line notice in the newspaper Le Constitutionnel: "Baron James de Rothschild has left Paris for Château Laffitte, Médoc, which he has just acquired."

• First noted as a wine producer in the 13th century; serious winemaking began in the 1670s under Jacques de Ségur
• Named Premier Grand Cru Classé at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris, one of four original First Growths with Latour, Margaux, and Haut-Brion; Mouton Rothschild became the fifth First Growth in 1973
• Baron James de Rothschild acquired the estate in August 1868 and died only a few months later
• Early admirers included British prime minister Robert Walpole, who bought a barrel of Lafite every three months for a year starting in 1732, and future US president Thomas Jefferson

The vineyard of Château Lafite Rothschild covers 112 hectares across three areas: the slopes around the château, the Carruades plateau to the west, and a 4.5-hectare plot in the neighboring township of Saint-Estèphe, included in Lafite's wines under a dérogation dating to 1868. The soil is fine, deep gravel mixed with windblown sand over a well-drained, tertiary limestone subsoil. Grape varieties grown are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot; a 2016 Decanter profile of the estate put the vineyard's planting at roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Some vines on the property are up to 140 years old and ungrafted, having escaped the phylloxera epidemic; the estate's oldest plot, La Graviere, was planted in 1886. For the Grand Vin, only vines older than 10 years are used; each barrel is tasted individually and only the best selected for the final blend, fermentation runs about 15 days at a controlled 26-27°C, and the wine is aged in new oak barrels for 15 months. Barrels for the Bordeaux estates are produced by the estate's own cooperage, the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac, which turns out around 2,000 barrels a year. Eric Kohler became Technical Manager in January 2016, succeeding Charles Chevallier, who had led winemaking at Lafite for 21 years and stepped down at the end of 2015.

• 112 hectares across three areas: château hillsides, the Carruades plateau, and a 4.5-hectare Saint-Estèphe plot included by dérogation since 1868
• Soil: fine, deep gravel mixed with windblown sand over a well-drained tertiary limestone subsoil
• Some vines are up to 140 years old and ungrafted, having escaped phylloxera; the oldest plot, La Graviere, was planted in 1886
• Grand Vin uses only vines older than 10 years; fermented about 15 days at 26-27°C and aged 15 months in new oak from the estate's own Tonnellerie des Domaines cooperage in Pauillac. Eric Kohler became Technical Manager in January 2016, succeeding Charles Chevallier

Baron James de Rothschild's 1868 acquisition began more than 150 years of Rothschild family stewardship at Lafite. During World War II the estate endured five years of German occupation, and Baron Elie de Rothschild was held as a prisoner of war at Colditz Castle. Baron Eric de Rothschild had run Lafite since 1974. His daughter Saskia de Rothschild interned at the family's Château L'Évangile in Pomerol at 19, joined the team that selects Lafite's assemblage at 20, and joined the Domaines Barons de Rothschild board in 2008; she returned to the family company full-time in 2015 after earning an MBA from HEC Paris, a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a national diploma in viticulture and enology from the agricultural school CNEAC in Argenton-sur-Creuse. In April 2018, at 31, Saskia became chairwoman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), the youngest person and the first woman to lead a First Growth Bordeaux estate. Jean-Guillaume Prats served as co-director of DBR Lafite alongside Saskia from 2017; he departed in 2021, when Saskia became the group's sole director. Domaines Barons de Rothschild's wider portfolio was built up over decades: Château Duhart-Milon (1962), Château Rieussec and Château Paradis Casseuil (1984), Viña Los Vascos in Chile (1988), Château L'Évangile (1990), Domaine d'Aussières, Bodegas CARO in Argentina, and the Les Légendes R collection (1999), Domaine de Long Dai in Shandong, China (2008, first vintage released in 2019), and Domaine de William Fèvre in Chablis (2024).

• Baron James de Rothschild's 1868 purchase began more than 150 years of family stewardship; during WWII the estate saw five years of German occupation and Baron Elie de Rothschild was held prisoner at Colditz Castle
• Baron Eric de Rothschild ran Lafite from 1974; his daughter Saskia de Rothschild became chairwoman of DBR Lafite in April 2018 at 31, the youngest person and first woman to lead a First Growth Bordeaux estate
• Jean-Guillaume Prats served as co-director of DBR Lafite alongside Saskia de Rothschild from 2017 to 2021, when Saskia became sole director
• DBR Lafite's portfolio includes Duhart-Milon (1962), Rieussec and Paradis Casseuil (1984), Los Vascos in Chile (1988), L'Évangile (1990), Aussières and Bodegas CARO (1999), Long Dai in China (2008), and Domaine de William Fèvre in Chablis (2024)

Although each vintage's exact composition varies, the Grand Vin is usually made with a large proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, then Merlot, with a small contribution of Petit Verdot. Carruades de Lafite, the estate's second wine, uses only vines under 10 years of age and typically opens with a higher proportion of Merlot, then Cabernet Sauvignon, and sometimes a touch of Cabernet Franc; the estate describes Carruades as similar in character to the Grand Vin but with its own personality, linked to the higher proportion of Merlot. Carruades is made using traditional Bordeaux methods, with alcoholic fermentation carried out in oak, cement, and stainless-steel vats and total maceration of roughly 20 days; after malolactic fermentation it is aged for about 16 months in French oak barrels from the Tonnellerie des Domaines cooperage. The Carruades plateau, whose deep clay-gravel terroir the wine is named for, was acquired by the estate at the end of the 19th century; its fruit was vinified and sold separately at first before later joining the blend, and the name became firmly linked to the second wine as Carruades de Lafite in the late 1980s.

• Grand Vin: usually a large proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, then Merlot, with a small contribution of Petit Verdot
• Carruades de Lafite: only vines under 10 years used; typically opens with more Merlot, then Cabernet Sauvignon, sometimes a touch of Cabernet Franc
• Carruades fermented in oak, cement, and stainless-steel vats with roughly 20 days of maceration; aged about 16 months in French oak from the Tonnellerie des Domaines
• The Carruades plateau was acquired at the end of the 19th century; the name became linked to the second wine as Carruades de Lafite in the late 1980s

On 29 October 2010, a bottle of 1869 Château Lafite sold for $233,972 at a Sotheby's Hong Kong auction of 2,000 bottles shipped directly from the estate's cellars, nearly thirty times its $8,000 estimate and, at the time, the most expensive 750-milliliter bottle of wine ever sold at auction; the sale totaled HK$65,473,000 ($8,440,124). The 2010 vintage was rated 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, and Decanter, 99 points by James Suckling, 97 points by Wine Spectator, and 96 points by both Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and Vinous. Across 16 vintages since 1995, Lafite has averaged a Parker score of 96.5, a consistency that one producer guide ranks second in Bordeaux only to Pétrus for perfect 100-point scores. The 2024 vintage was harvested from 23 September to 7 October 2024 with a 32 hl/h yield and 16% press wine, blended 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, and released at €336 in bond per bottle, a 29% discount on the 2023 release price of €475; Decanter's Jane Anson scored it 95 points, describing it as having "rich texture" and standing "head and shoulders above many in the vintage."

• 29 October 2010: a bottle of 1869 Château Lafite sold for $233,972 at Sotheby's Hong Kong, nearly thirty times its $8,000 estimate; the full 2,000-bottle sale totaled HK$65,473,000 ($8,440,124)
• 2010 vintage: 100 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, and Decanter; 99 from James Suckling; 97 from Wine Spectator; 96 from Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and Vinous
• Average Parker score of 96.5 across 16 vintages since 1995
• 2024 vintage: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot blend, released at €336 in bond, a 29% discount on 2023's €475; Decanter's Jane Anson scored it 95 points

Lafite earned the informal title "First of the First" at the 1855 Universal Exhibition. The Grand Vin's annual production runs 15,000 to 25,000 cases, per an industry wine-investment producer guide. Château Lafite Rothschild joined the B Corp community in December 2023, and Lafite is transitioning its viticulture to organic farming as part of a wider DBR commitment; the estate's Phare project, a conservatory plot for mass selection and varietal trials, is part of its response to climate change, and 126 hectares of surrounding marshland are classified as Natura 2000. Château Lafite Rothschild itself is closed to visitors until January 2028 for renovations; DBR is directing visit requests to its sister estate, Château Duhart-Milon, in the meantime.

• Earned the informal title "First of the First" at the 1855 Universal Exhibition
• Grand Vin production runs 15,000 to 25,000 cases a year, per an industry wine-investment producer guide
• Joined the B Corp community in December 2023; transitioning its vineyards to organic farming, with 126 hectares of surrounding marshland classified as Natura 2000
• Closed to visitors until January 2028 for renovations; DBR is directing visit requests to Château Duhart-Milon in the meantime

Primary sources (producer's own site, Domaines Barons de Rothschild / Lafite): https://www.lafite.com/domaines/chateau-lafite-rothschild/read/, https://www.lafite.com/history/, https://www.lafite.com/at-the-roots-of-chateau-lafite-rothschild/, https://www.lafite.com/our-commitment/, https://www.lafite.com/domaines/chateau-lafite-rothschild/discover/, https://www.lafite.com/meet-the-family-primeurs-style/. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (the 1855 Classification; the 1869 Sotheby's Hong Kong sale), Decanter China (producer profile by Jane Anson, 10 February 2016), The Wine Cellar Insider (November 2015), Please the Palate (November 2020), wein.plus, a 2010-vintage critic-score roundup, and a 2024 en primeur release summary. Last verified 2026-09-08. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Spot something off? Submit a correction: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdM0MsYoQFCpXb4qbSPVM2TBRuC2624pOhrffs7IGhpfGCCQA/viewform