Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in France, owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century. The name Lafite comes from the surname of the La Fite family.
Lafite was one of four wine-producing châteaux of Bordeaux originally awarded First Growth status in the 1855 Classification, which was based on the prices and wine quality at that time. Since then, it has been a consistent producer of one of the world's most expensive red wines.
Situated in the wine-producing village of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bordeaux, the estate was the property of Gombaud de Lafite in 1234.[1] In the 17th century, the property of Château Lafite was purchased by the Ségur family, including the 16th century manor house that still stands. Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1680, Jacques de Ségur planted the majority of the vineyard.
In the early 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de Ségur refined the wine-making techniques of the estate, and introduced his wines to the upper echelons of European society. Before long he was known as the "Wine Prince", and the wine of Château Lafite called "The King's Wine" thanks to the influential support of the Maréchal de Richelieu. Towards the end of the 18th century, Lafite's reputation was assured and even Thomas Jefferson visited the estate and became a lifelong customer.
Following the French Revolution, the period known as Reign of Terror led to the execution of Nicolas Pierre de Pichard on 30 June 1794, bringing an end to the Ségur family's ownership of the estate which became public property.[1] In 1797 the vineyards were sold to a group of Dutch merchants.
The first half of the 19th century saw Lafite in the hands of the Vanlerberghe family and the wine improved more, including the great vintages of 1795, 1798 and 1818. In 1868 the Château was purchased by Baron James Mayer Rothschild for 4.4 million francs, and the estate became Château Lafite Rothschild. Rothschild, however, died just three months after purchasing Lafite. The estate then became the joint property of his three sons: Alphonse, Gustave and Edmond Rothschild.
The 20th century has seen periods of success and difficulty, coping with post-phylloxera vines, and two world wars. During the Second World War the Château was occupied by the German army, and suffered heavily from plundering of its cellars. Succeeding his uncle Élie de Rothschild, Lafite has been under the direction of Éric de Rothschild since 1974.
Robert Parker 97 "One of the fabulous surprises, although I had suggested last year that it could jump in quality, of my tastings, the 2006 Lafite
Wine Enthusiast 100 WE TOP 100 2013 Cellar Selections Rank 85 "Almost black in color, this stunning wine is gorgeous, rich and dense. It's grand and powerful,
James Suckling 100 "The second you put your nose in the glass, you know that it is 100 points. The combination of sweet tobacco, fresh flowers,
Only 2 Bottles Remaining Robert Parker 96 "As I have indicated in the past, under the administration of Charles Chevalier, Lafite-Rothschild has produced a tremendous succession of
Robert Parker 95 "This beautiful, stunningly dense purple-colored effort (includes about 90% Cabernet Sauvignon) offers up precise notes of graphite, black cherries, cassis, scorched earth, and
Wine Spectator 98 "Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry
Robert Parker 97 "One of the fabulous surprises, although I had suggested last year that it could jump in quality, of my tastings, the 2006 Lafite
Wine Spectator 98 "Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry
Wine Spectator 100 "Subtle aromas of currants, leather, tobacco and cedar. Classic cigar box nose, with fruit. Full-bodied, with an amazing texture of silky, ripe tannins.
Wine Spectator 95 "The 1999 Lafite Rothschild sports an engraved "1999" on the bottle along with an eclipse to mark that significant historical event of August,
Robert Parker 95 "The 1995 Lafite-Rothschild (only one-third of the harvest made it into the final blend) is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot,
Robert Parker 98 "A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, this wine represents only 34% of Lafite's total harvest. In a less than perfect
Robert Parker 95 "The 1999 Lafite Rothschild sports an engraved "1999" on the bottle along with an eclipse to mark that significant historical event of August,
Labels are slightly soiled! Wine Spectator 95 "Bubbling over with crushed berries, currants and spices, with tobacco notes. Beautiful. Full-bodied, with gorgeously velvety tannins and a long
Robert Parker 97 "One of the fabulous surprises, although I had suggested last year that it could jump in quality, of my tastings, the 2006 Lafite
Robert Parker 97 "One of the fabulous surprises, although I had suggested last year that it could jump in quality, of my tastings, the 2006 Lafite
Wine Spectator 98 "Delivers blackberry, dried porcini, tobacco and licorice aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of velvety tannins and loads of dark chocolate, cigar box, currant, berry
Robert Parker 98-100 " The 2008 Lafite Rothschild is one of the most profound young wines I have ever tasted. From a taster’s perspective, it is
Wine Enthusiast 96 "The wine shows the power typical of a Lafite but within the context of the fruity 2011 vintage. The immensely dense tannic structure
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