Château Lafite Rothschild

Domain

The history of the Château begins in 1234 when its existence as a medieval seigneury was confirmed in the XIVth century. At that time there may have already been vines on the property, but it was not until the XVIIth century that the vineyard began to take shape. It was the Ségur family who bought the property, and it later became a large wine estate. In 1707, Lafite wines were sold in London at public auctions. They appeared in the oldest existing British newspaper, The London Gazette, where they were described as the “New French Clarets”. Prime Minister Robert Walpole bought barrels of Lafite every three months in 1732-1733 while the French were not interested in Bordeaux wines at the time. After several different inheritances, Baron James de Rothschild purchased the Château in 1868. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was one of the clients as well as wine lover and President of the United States Thomas Jefferson.  The vineyard consists of three main areas: the hillside surrounding the Château, the Carruades plateau on the west side of the property, and a 4.5-hectare plot in Saint-Estèphe. To maintain this exceptional 112-hectare terroir, the Lafite Rothschild team uses traditional methods with strict control of yields, and harvests are done manually.  Château Lafite Rothschild is a great wine for ageing and has a dark colour to it. The nose is very discreet with aromas of black and red fruits. The attack on the palate is fresh and it has a long finish. The wine is a perfect symbol of the excellence of Bordeaux’s mythical wines. All bottles also have an authentication seal on the capsules. The seals are unique and non-reproducible, consisting of a bubble code that ensures the authenticity of the wines.