Chateau Lafite Rothschild: The most remarkable wine in the world?

The renowned estate of Lafite Rothschild situated in Bordeaux France is owned by members of the Rothschild family who are famous as bankers. The name Lafite originates from the Gascon expression 'la hite' which means small hill.

Lafite's vineyard is one of the largest in the M?doc making around 35,000 cases of wine yearly. Of this around 15,000 to 20,000 are for the acclaimed first growth. Lafite Rothschild also produces a second wine of less significant quality called Carruades de Lafite.

Initially, only four wine estates of Bordeaux were granted First Growth status in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines, Lafite was one of them. Chateau Lafite was and remains a persistent maker of the world's finest and most expensive wines.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is positioned in Pauillac which is in the Medoc region of Bordeaux. The estate has existed since the 13th century and was purchased in the seventeenth century by the Segur family. It is probable that vines already existed on the estatehowever in 1680 Jacques de Segur planted the majority of the vineyard which still exists today .The Segur family went on to refine the wine making techniques of the estate and promoted Chateau Lafite Rothschild to the most affluent families of Europe. Lafite Rothschild went on to be known as the King's wine, thanks to the endorsement of royal families. Thomas Jefferson was a notable fan and buyer.

After the French revolution (known as the Reign of Terror), Nicolas Pierre de Pichard was executed and this brought an end to the Segur family's possession of Lafite as in 1794, the estate became the property of the public . In 1797 the property was sold to a group of Dutch traders.
It wasn't until 1868 that the vineyards were sold to Baron James Mayer Rothschild at a value of 4.4 million francs. It was then that the estate was named Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Unfortunately Baron James died just three months after purchasing the famed property and Lafite was passed to his three sons Edmond, Alphonse and Gustave. The 20th century saw high and low periods for Lafite Rothschild . The estate was occupied by the German army during the Second World War who were responsible for the depletion of wines from the cellars of the property .


During recent times Lafite Rothschild has gone from strength to strength , cementing its reputation as one of the world's finest wines. In fact the record price paid for a single bottle of wine was a 1787 bottle of Chateau Lafite which was believed to be owned by Thomas Jefferson. It was sold for $156,000at auction .
Lafite Rothschild is also a firm favourite in the Far East where the new found wealth has seen a tremendous surge in demand both for drinking and investment.

If you would like to taste this extraordinary wine, Lafite Rothschild can be purchased at specialist wine merchants throughout the world . Alternatively, why not hold on to it , Lafite can be a fantastic wine investment!


Chateau Lafite and other exceptional wines of Bordeaux can be bought from classic Bordeaux vintners and auction houses. Classic Bordeaux Vintners, can be located throughout the world with the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong being the largest and most active fine wine markets.