Castle Lafite Rothschild

The Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine field of the Médoc of a surface of 178 hectares including 103 ha of vines, located on the commune of Pauillac. It produces one of the wines of Bordeaux the most prestigious and famous in the world.

The Castle Lafite Rothschild is a “First Great wine” according to the official Classification of the wines of Bordeaux of 1855. It shares this rare distinction with the Château Margaux, the Château Latour, the Château Sheep Rothschild and the Château Haut-Brion.

History of the Lafite castle

The Lafite castle draws its surname of Fite, formerly allied at the House of Foix by the marriage of Joseph de Foix, baron de Mardogne, knight about the King, who had married Francoise of Fite, girl of Thibaud. Pierre of Fite, Intendant of the Orders of the King, Treasurer-General of Part-Accidental, owner of the viticultural field of Pauillac, was lord of Goussencourt. Required in 1734, it produced the evidence of its nobility by twelve generations, and was discharged by stop from the Council of State dated February 12th, 1740.

Jean-Jacques of Fite, the last representing male this house was born with Pau on November 5th, 1690 and died on October 20th, 1740 in Paris. Marguerite of Fite, pertaining to this family, had married Jean de Gachassin, wire junior by Adrien-Arnaud de Gachassin, captain of the Militia of Albret, become in 1555, lord of the Abbey of Orthez, set up in her Noble Ground favor by letter-licenses of Antoine and Jeanne, king and queen of Navarre.

From the 17th century, the property of the Lafite castle fell between the hands from the family from Ségur, with the manor of Lafite dating from the 16th century and which always exists. It is from 1680 that one has a first trace of the existence of an important vineyard which was planted by Jacques de Ségur. At the 18th century, the marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur improved the technique of wine making.

August 8th, 1868, the Baron James de Rothschild acquires the Lafite Castle put on sale public within the framework of the succession of Ignace-Joseph Vanlerberghe.

From 1946 to 1974, Élie de Rothschild takes the reins of the Castle Lafite Rothschild. In 1975, the Baron Eric de Rothschild, nephew of the Baron Élie, replaces it. Nowadays the technical management of the vineyard is ensured by Charles Chevallier.

The soil

The vineyard of 103 ha is divided into three pieces: slopes surrounding the castle, the plate of Carruades located at the west and a piece of 4,5 ha on the common neighbor of Saint-Est2ephe wine. The essence of the soil makes up of sand-gravel mix fines and deep frays of blow Sand on a calcareous base of the tertiary sector.

Encepagement is made up to 71% of Cabernet-sauvignon, 25% of Merlot, 3% frank Cabernet and 1% of Petit verdot. The Middle Age of the vines of the high-class wine is 40 years, the 20 ha of young vines (less than 10 years) being used for the development of the second wine. There exist also extremely old pieces of more than 80 years, one known as “the Gravel pit” going back even to 1886.

Wine

The maturation of the wine is carried out during 18 to 20 months out of barrels of oak with 100% new. Lafite Rothschild produces approximately 15.000 to 20.000 cases per annum.

The field also produces a second wine the Carruades de Lafite , for approximately 25.000 to 30.000 cases.

Great years

Mythical the 1921 and 1945. In the recent years 2000.

Vineyard of Pauillac
Castle Sheep Rothschild

External bonds

Official site of Lafite Rothschild