Chateau Lafite Rothschild

In the glass

Aroma: creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, unsmoked tobacco, cedar, graphite, dark cherries

Palate: crème de cassis, blackberries, violets, cigar box, warm spices, gravelly minerality

The archetype of Pauillac first-growth: Cabernet-dominant, with penetrating lead pencil and cassis aromatics, precise fine-grained tannins, and a finish that evolves over decades.

What it pairs with

• Roast rack of lamb with herbs de Provence
  The wine's grippy tannins and cassis core cut the rich fat of lamb while the herbal notes find an echo.
• Aged Comté or Mimolette
  The crystalline salt of aged hard cheese amplifies Lafite's cedar and pencil shaving register.
• Roasted Pauillac lamb (agneau de Pauillac)
  The local AOC lamb is classically paired with first-growth Pauillac; the wine's structure mirrors the lamb's sweet, fine-grained flesh.
• Truffle-crusted beef fillet
  Black truffle's earthy depth resonates with Lafite's mushroom and graphite tones in mature vintages.

History

Records of Lafite Rothschild winemaking stretch to the 17th century; the estate was already renowned at Versailles in the 18th century. The Rothschild family acquired it in 1868. The oldest surviving confirmed bottle dates to 1797. The grand vin is one of five original Premier Cru Classe wines in the 1855 Medoc classification.

1. 1855 — Classified as one of four original Premier Cru Classe in the Medoc classification (alongside Latour, Margaux, and Haut-Brion)
2. 1868 — Purchased by Baron James Mayer de Rothschild at auction
3. 2024 — Estate achieves full organic certification (Ecocert) across all 112 hectares under Saskia de Rothschild

Facts

Producer

Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon (87%), Merlot (8%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Petit Verdot (2%)

Classification

Pauillac AOC, Premier Cru Classe (1855 classification)

Oak

18 to 20 months in 100% new French oak barriques

ABV

13.5%

Price

$700-1200 at retail

Drinking window

10-50 from vintage

First vintage

1797

Organic

ECOCERT

Scores

• Wine Advocate 100 (2019 vintage, reviewed 2022)
• Wine Advocate 100 (2018 vintage, reviewed 2021)
• Wine Spectator 100 (1996 vintage, reviewed 1999)

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