CHATEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD

Chateau Lafite is arguably the most revered of the First Growths, both as a wine to savour and as a secure, highly-profitable investment. Occupying the finest crests in Pauillac, Chateau Lafite has one of the largest vineyards in the Medoc, at over 100 hectares, and produces about 35,000 cases annually, of which between 15,000 to 25,000 are of the first wine.

The Chateau is steeped in history, having been cultivated by Jacques de Segur in about 1680 and had developed its reputation as the King’s Wine by the early 18th Century. The archives of Thomas Jefferson also reveal that he frequently purchased the wines of Lafite for the first president of the United States, George Washington.

In the vineyard, the grapes are hand harvested by hand from one of the three plots: one collection of vines surrounding the Chateau, those on the Carruades plain, and a tiny plot in St Estèphe. 103 hectares are under vine, with the varieties dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, with smaller quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The Cabernet dominance is reflected in the wines but blending varies from year to year: sometimes as little as 57% Cabernet Sauvignon reaches the blend but, in other vintages, it makes up 90%. At harvest time a particularly severe selection process is applied and, in plentiful vintages, as much as half of the crop is discarded.

Chateau Lafite is fermented in 27 vats of Bosnian oak and matured for between 24-30 months in Bordelaise oak barriques. The entire process, from picking the grapes to bottling, is strictly supervised by Eric de Rothschild, the present administrator on behalf of the family.

Chateau Lafite wines produced:

• Lafite Rothschild
• Carruades de Lafite (2nd wine)

Top Chateau Lafite vintages produced