LAFITE ROTHSCHILD 2022

Lafite Rothschild

Château Comments

Even though there's no need to reclassify the First Great Classified Growths, many professionals and wine enthusiasts agree that Château Lafite Rothschild holds the top spot. The word that probably best describes this legendary estate would be 'perfection'. A true example of balance, this vintage is undoubtedly the finest of the Pauillac. It stands out from its illustrious neighbors with its unparalleled elegance and surprising aromatic freshness. A Château that has given the cabernet-sauvignon its noble credentials, thanks to an exceptional terroir, and the latter reciprocates generously.

History of the Château

Château Lafite Rothschild has been producing wine for three centuries before it was acquired by the Ségur family in 1670. Under the drive of its ambitious owners, Lafite's wine enjoyed resounding success in the upper echelons of French society. Bottles of this Bordeaux wine could be found in Versailles, where the court swore by the wine they called "the king's wine".

The fate of the château found itself, a few years after the famous 1855 classification, in the hands of a family that would forever mark the history of French wine: the Rothschilds. Baron James was the first Rothschild at the helm of Lafite, but it was after World War II that the estate took a real turn under the impulse of Baron Élie. He rehabilitated and expanded the estate, while his modern approaches in terms of communication, such as organizing "Tastings" in London, allowed Lafite Rothschild to regain its place in the wine market.

Baron Éric, Élie's nephew, took over in 1974, of this Premier Grand Cru Classé and undertook several projects. The replanting work was coupled with amendments (a process to adjust the soil composition to achieve better natural functioning) and the construction of a revolutionary aging cellar designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill.

The Château's area is 112 hectares divided into three zones: the hills around the Château, the Carruades plateau contiguous to the west, and a 4.5 ha plot in the neighboring commune of Saint-Estèphe. The terroir consists of fine, deep gravel soils, mixed with windblown sands on a tertiary limestone subsoil, well-drained and well-exposed.
Cabernet dominates here with 70% of the planting. Much of the work is done manually.
Fermentations are carried out parcel by parcel thanks to a set of vats adapted to the size of each plot. All the barrels come from the Tonnellerie des Domaines with a specific adaptation of the "heating" to the characteristics of the wine during production. The wine's aging lasts from 18 to 20 months. Finally, the bottling takes place all at once in June.

Exceptional vintages follow one another at Lafite Rothschild which, more than ever, continues to approach perfection each year.