Menu
By placing bids on items you acknowledge you are entering into a binding and irrevocable agreement to purchase such items as governed by our Terms and Conditions.
By placing bids on items you acknowledge you are entering into a binding and irrevocable agreement to purchase such items as governed by our Terms and Conditions.
Bordeaux
Free Valuations
Bid for Wine offer free no obligation wine valuations. If you have similar wines to sell, or want a valuation on a collection we can help.
Start Valuation
Château Lafite Rothschild was awarded the top rank of First Growth in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. It is one of three First Growths located in the commune of Pauillac, alongside Château Latour and Château Mouton Rothschild.
Baron James de Rothschild acquired the estate and the 16th Century château in 1868 and following turbulent years in history, Baron Eric de Rothschild took the helm in 1974, spearheading the regeneration of the winery and the vineyards. In 2018, his daughter Saskia took over the management of the estate and became the first female Chairwoman of the group business, Domaines Barons de Rothschild SA.
The vineyard extends to 110 hectares and annual production averages 35,000 cases which makes Château Lafite one of the most important estates in the Haut-Médoc in terms of size alone. Typical of the Médoc, the predominant grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), then Merlot (25%), followed by Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the ‘grand vin’ is typically around 80 to 90%.
Château Lafite is blessed with a superb ‘terroir’ where the all-important gravel soils reach a depth of 10 metres in certain areas. The ‘grand vin’ represents 40% of production and comes from vines located on a gravel plateau, while Carruades de Lafite, the aptly-named second wine, is produced from vines on the Plateau de Carruades and other plots and accounts for 50% of production. Older vintages of Carruades de Lafite are labelled Moulin de Carruades.
Winemaking practices have remained true to age-old methods and the wines fermented in wooden vats dating from the 1980s. The estate has its own cooperage that makes oak barrels for all the Domaines Barons de Rothschild properties.
The ‘grand vin’ of Château Lafite displays complex aromatics and is renowned for its older vintages that showcase how effortlessly Bordeaux wines can age.
Domaines Barons de Rothschild also own Château Duhart-Milon, Château L’Evangile and Château Rieussec, as well as Bodegas Caro in Argentina and Viña Los Vascos in Chile.
© 2024 Bid for Wine. All rights reserved.
![Chateau Lafite Rothschild Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac [Believed 1966]](https://resize.bidforwine.co.uk/resized/images/w400/lots/147/256383.jpg)
![[July Lot 18] Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2003 [1 bottle]](https://resize.bidforwine.co.uk//resized/images/w400/lots/1/82424.jpg)
