Château Lafite Rothschild

Like in a precious game of Chinese boxes, Chateau Lafite-Rotschild is located in the municipality of Pauillac, a municipality of just over 5 thousand souls in the Mèdoc, the most important wine production area in the Bordeaux region. In addition to Chateau Lafite-Rotschild, the Pauillac AOC appellation includes some of the most important Chateaus in the entire French and world panorama, such as Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton-Rotschild. The history of the Lafite winery was born in the second half of the 1600s at the hands of Jacques de Sègur and less than a century later it is already one of the most prized wines in the Bordeaux area. Towards the end of the 19th century, it was purchased by Baron James de Rothschild and thus definitively named Chateau Lafite-Rotschild. Up until the Second World War, the Baron and his successors deserved credit for their rigorous defense of the terroir, refusing to increase yields and protect the old vineyards, which were not very productive, but capable of producing grapes that form the very soul of this wine. . Chateau Lafite Premier Cru Classé, what is usually referred to simply as Chateau Lafite, is made with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot: it is a wine that must be waited for , while the recent tendency of the many new enthusiasts from emerging markets (China, India, etc.) as well as the inevitable Americans, to grab the bottles as soon as they are released on the market, risks not making it properly appreciated. The main characteristic of Chateau Lafite-Rotschild Premier Cru Classé is in fact neither the vigor of Chateau Latour nor the opulence of Chateau Mouton-Rotschild: it is instead the most refined, fine and elegant of all Crus Classés, a characteristic that struggles to emerge in youth, but which is enhanced not only from year to year, but from decade to decade! The winery's overall vineyard is one of the largest in the Médoc at 107 hectares and produces approximately 35,000 liters of wine per year, of which between 15,000 and 25,000 are first choice. Its vines are approximately 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, while the final wine is between 80% and 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and up to 3% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A true legend in the wine world, for those lucky enough to be able to taste it as one of the greatest producers in the world.