Château
Château Lafite Rothschild
How to read this
Capitals mark the stressed syllable. The French r comes from the back of the throat. The recording is the reference.
The First Growth at the northern edge of
- Appellation
Pauillac - Châteaux
- See it among the 629
The château
Lafite sits at the northern edge of
Baron James de Rothschild bought the estate in August 1868, when the deed measured it at 63 hectares, 73 ares and 60 centiares, and the sale caught the trade in the middle of printing. Charles Cocks and Édouard Féret, whose Bordeaux et ses vins was the reference book of the Bordeaux trade, still listed the Vanlerberghe heirs in their tables of 1868 and advertised the auction, while a note slipped into the preface as the last sheet went to press recorded the estate sold on August 8 to James de Rothschild for 4,140,000 francs. The Carruades plateau, the deep clayey gravel to the west, was added before the century was out. The family has never let go.
The grand vin (the estate’s first wine) is built on Cabernet Sauvignon, then Merlot, with a little Petit Verdot, and only vines older than 10 years go into it; a few ungrafted plants from before phylloxera still stand, 140 years on.
In a vertical I tasted in December 2024, from the Carruades of 2021 back to the 1988, 2 wines tied for the night. The 2009 was opulent, mint and eucalyptus over black fruit, cherry jam and violets; the 1988 was concentrated and evolved, red fruit, plum, earth, truffle and leather, with a very long finish and an incredible balance.
At a glance
- Appellation
Pauillac - Classification
- Premier Cru Classé 1855; Michelin Guide, 3 grapes (2026)
- Owners
- The Rothschild family, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, since August 1868
- Direction
- Éric Kohler, technical director
- Vineyard
- 112 hectares, 4.5 of them in
Saint-Estèphe ; only vines older than 10 years in the grand vin - Soil
- Fine, deep gravel with wind-blown sand over Tertiary limestone Terroir of
Pauillac → - Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, a little Cabernet Franc
- Wines
Château Lafite Rothschild ;Carruades de Lafite - In history
- One of 4 first-class wines of France in 1816; sold on August 8, 1868 for 4,140,000 francs
Sources
- Institutions
- Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855,
Pauillac - Its own publications
Château Lafite Rothschild : the estate, history, at the roots, a question of etiquette- My tastings
- a tasting of 7 wines, December 10, 2024
Revised October 13, 2026. How I choose sources
The record
The 1855 Classification was published on April 18, 1855, drawn up by the brokers of the Bordeaux exchange for the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
In the Michelin Guide’s first Bordeaux selection, announced on September 8, 2026, it took 3 grapes, the highest mark, one of only 9 estates to do so.
Sources: Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 · The Michelin Guide, Bordeaux grape selection
Private
By invitation only.
Also appears in
Case 01/70
Can a wine buy its way to the top?
Case 02/70
Was the Maharajah of
Saint-Estèphe a fraud?Case 09/70
Can a name outlive the man?
Case 11/70
Did one inheritance split Pichon in two?
Case 13/70
Where is the château in Léoville Barton?
Case 14/70
Who said 'my heart is at Calon'?
Case 16/70
Why did the baron de Brane sell Mouton?
Tastings
2
In the news
20
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Bordeaux Study Links Biodynamics to Less Grape Rot
A doctoral study conducted from 2022 to 2024 at
Château Lafite Rothschild inPauillac , Bordeaux, found lower susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea among biodynamically managed grapes. In laboratory tests, 69% were infected, compared with 89% under organic management alone, according to Revista ADEGA.The findings add another measurable dimension to the debate over biodynamics, this time focused on fungal incidence and grape condition rather than philosophy alone.
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Biodynamic Treatments Linked to Higher Soil Respiration
According to Vinetur, a six-year trial in Bordeaux linked biodynamic treatments at Lafite Rothschild to a 40% increase in basal soil respiration and a 33.7% rise in microbial biomass carbon in organic plots. The study did not assess yields or wine quality.
The result adds a measurable soil indicator to Bordeaux’s debate around vineyard practices. The important question is whether that signal corresponds with durable benefits for vines and wine.
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Top estates support Bordeaux’s next vignerons
Cheval Blanc, Lafite Rothschild,
Petrus and Yquem are helping up-and-coming Bordeaux vignerons.The involvement of four prominent estates puts talent development and the next generation of Bordeaux producers firmly in view.
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Lafite 2005 leads as Bordeaux takes 39.6% of trade
According to Liv-ex, Bordeaux accounted for 39.6% of traded value during the week, with Lafite representing more than a quarter of Bordeaux activity and Lafite 2005 leading wines by value.
Demand was distributed across the EU, UK and US, each representing between 27% and 30% of traded value. That balance gives merchants a useful indication of where current Bordeaux demand is coming from.
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Jimmy Butler visits major Bordeaux wineries
Jimmy Butler spent 4 days in the Bordeaux wine region, visiting
Château Mouton Rothschild ,Château Lynch-Bages ,Château Cheval Blanc ,Château Lafite Rothschild and Pétrus, and returning to Liber Pater. -
Wine investment: Bordeaux en primeur sales up 'a little'
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur sales rose a little from the weak 2024 campaign but remained below levels seen 5 years ago, according to merchants cited by Decanter. Cheval Blanc, Batailley, Lynch-Bages and Lafite drew strong demand.
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Liv-ex finds Bordeaux labels posted the steadiest gains in a still uneven fine wine market
Liv-ex said Bordeaux produced more of the strongest performers in its latest review of fine wine trading, including 5 vintages of
Château Mouton Rothschild and rising prices forChâteau Lafite Rothschild 2015, Lafite 2021, Lafite 2019 and Lynch-Bages 2018. -
Liv-ex says the Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur campaign attracted demand for only a handful of wines
Liv-ex says Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur attracted selective demand, with buyers favoring Cheval Blanc,
Margaux , Lafite and Batailley while many other wines struggled against older, cheaper vintages. -
Liv-ex: Not all is lost after ‘tepid’ En Primeur campaign
Liv-ex said the Bordeaux En Primeur 2025 campaign produced tepid sales in the UK trade, with release prices viewed as too high, although selective demand emerged for Cheval Blanc,
Margaux , Lafite and Batailley. -
WineCap: which châteaux ‘won’ EP in terms of pricing?
WineCap said fewer than 10 major Bordeaux 2025 en primeur releases offered genuinely attractive pricing to the trade, identifying Lafite Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Léoville Las Cases,
Margaux and Ducru-Beaucaillou as sensible buys. -
En Primeur 2025: Who Comes Out on Top?
Terre de Vins highlighted
Château Lafite Rothschild , Château Pontet Canet andChâteau Canon among the leading properties of the uneven 2025 Bordeaux vintage after a difficult growing year. -
Lafite Rothschild: a masterclass not to be missed
Terre de Vins is promoting a June 9 masterclass in Paris during its Grande Dégustation Primeurs, featuring wines from the Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite portfolio. The event highlights
Château Lafite Rothschild , the First Growth estate inPauillac . -
Château Lafite from the cellar of Nathaniel Rothschild goes under the hammer
Dreweatts is auctioning a single-owner collection of Château Lafite from Nathaniel Rothschild’s cellar at Stowell Park, with vintages from 1956 to 1997.
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Pair of ‘legendary’ 1870 Bordeaux magnums sell for record £226k
A pair of ‘legendary’ 1870 Bordeaux magnums sold for a record £226,000 after bidders fought over Château Lafite bottles that had spent a century in the cellar of Glamis Castle in Scotland.
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Lafite 1870 magnums smash estimates in 'immortal' Bordeaux auction
A Decanter report says magnums of 1870 Lafite far exceeded estimates in an "immortal" Bordeaux auction. Strong bidding for rare Bordeaux helped push total sales above $2 million, underscoring continued collector demand.
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‘Legendary’ Glamis Castle Château Lafite 1870 sets new record
Two magnums of
Château Lafite Rothschild 1870 from Glamis Castle set record prices at a Sotheby's New York sale. -
Rare wines Château Lafite 1870 from Scotland castle head to sale
Two magnums of Château Lafite 1870, stored for years in a Scottish castle cellar, are heading to sale.
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Legendary Glamis Castle 1870 Château Lafite wine to be auctioned
Sotheby’s New York says 1870
Château Lafite Rothschild magnums found at Glamis Castle in 1971 are part of a private collection valued at close to £40,000 and are set to be auctioned. -
BBR auctions ‘treasure trove’ from the cellars of the Berry and Rudd families
Berry Bros. & Rudd is auctioning wine from the cellars of the Berry and Rudd families, with bidding closing on February 3. Lots include a 1966
Château Cheval Blanc , a 1979 Le Pin magnum and a 1975Château Lafite Rothschild magnum. -
Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite launches new Chilean icon wine
Viña Los Vascos, part of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBdR) Lafite, has launched Cañeten, a Chilean wine from Colchagua’s coastal foothills. The 2022 vintage, its first release, blends 54% Syrah, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.
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