1. Following the French Revolution, Imperial Wines Of London the period known as Reign of
Terror led to the execution of Nicolas Pierre de Pichard on June 30, 1794, bringing an end to the
Ségur family's ownership of the estate which became public property.
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. On August 8, 1868,
the Château was purchased by Baron James Mayer Rothschild for 4.4 million francs, and the
estate became Château Lafite Rothschild. Baron James, however, died just 3 months after
purchasing Lafite. The estate then became the joint property of his three sons: Alphonse, Gustave
and Edmond.
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 Eric de Rothschild since 1974.
Situated in the great 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. 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.
Imperial Wines Of London Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in France owned by
members of the Rothschild banking family of France. The name Lafite comes from the Gascon
term "la hite" meaning "small hill" Imperial Wines Of London.
Only four wine-producing Châteaux of Bordeaux achieved First Growth status in the 1855
Classification, which was based on recent prices. Of those, the first one in the list is Château
Lafite Rothschild, a consistent producer of one of the world's most expensive red wines.
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.