Château Lafite-Rothschild

Château Lafite-Rothschild is one of the world’s most famous wine estates, producing outstanding and age-worthy red Bordeaux that are highly sought-after amongst wine aficionados.

Lafite-Rothschild appeared at the top of the list of the four First Growths in the 1855 Classification. It remains a leading estate that consistently produces some of the finest expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blends anywhere in the world. The estate has been in the Rothschild family since 1868 and today is under the expert leadership of Saskia de Rothschild, daughter of Baron Eric de Rothschild.

The 112-hectare estate is situated at the northern end of Pauillac, close to the border with St-Estèphe. The vineyard consists of three major areas: the hillsides around the Château, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west and 4.5 hectares in neighbouring Saint Estèphe (which is entitled to the Pauillac appellation).

The name Lafite comes from the Gascon dialect ‘la hite’, which means ‘hillock’. This helps to explain the fantastic well-drained soils, which are composed of fine, deep gravel mixed with windblown sand over a tertiary limestone subsoil that contributes to creating their magical wines.

Their finest terroir is on slightly raised land known as the plateau, which is just south of the winery where the gravel is very deep and has excellent drainage. Where there are dips in the land, Merlot is typically planted and drainage channels have been installed. There are many variations of aspects and soils and consequently the winemakers try and vinify as many lots separately as possible.

The classic red Bordeaux varietals Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are planted. The Grand Vin de Chateau Lafite-Rothschild typically comprises a higher proportion of Cabernet-Sauvignon than Merlot with a dash of Petit Verdot, whereas their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, has a higher proportion of Merlot than Cabernet-Sauvignon, occasionally with Cabernet Franc.

Vines younger than 10 years old are not used in the Grand Vin. Vinification is carefully controlled, with fermentations maintained under strict temperature control. Wines are transferred into new oak barriques for maturation for approximately 16 months.

The Grand Vin de Lafite-Rothschild is a wine that ages extraordinarily well yet has an elegance and finesse that other Châteaux rarely match. It is a quintessential Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Pauillac with power, concentration and finesse, with flavours and aromas of cassis and hints of bell pepper and menthol which develop into aromas of cedar, tobacco and pencil lead. It has harmonious, mouth-wateringly vibrant acidity and a powerful tannic structure that enables the wines to age incredibly well.

With a higher proportion of softer and fleshier Merlot, Carruades are approachable at an earlier stage of evolution, but share the superb quality of the Estate.

Legendary historic vintages that demonstrate Château Lafite-Rothschild’s exceptional longevity and outstanding quality include 1858, 1864, 1865, 1870, 1875, 1899, 1900 and 1929. Of the post-war vintages, the standouts are 1945, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2018 and 2019. Of these superlative vintages the 1865, 1870, 1959, 1982 and 2010 are arguably the greatest Lafite ever made.