Because the winner of the 2025 Lafite Laureate wine tasting competitors, I used to be invited to Château Lafite for a tour, lunch, and tasting. Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR) Lafite, the competitors’s important sponsor, organized for Tiphaine de Rességuier, Business Director Europe, to drive us from our lodge in Bordeaux to the property in Pauillac. As a result of the château is presently present process renovations, we bypassed the well-known round cellar—which I beforehand visited in 2016—to deal with the vineyards and the cooperage.
We toured the grounds with Manuela Brando, head of R&D for DBR Lafite. Holding a PhD in biodynamic oenology, Manuela oversees scientific winery administration, sustainability tasks, and experiments in soil well being and biodiversity throughout all DBR properties.
Her remit extends past Lafite and its neighbor Duhart-Milon to incorporate Château l’Evangile in Pomerol, Château Rieussec in Sauternes, and estates in Chablis, Corbières, Argentina, Chile, and China.
In Bordeaux alone, the group manages 180 hectares of vines. Manuela defined that changing to biodynamic agriculture in Bordeaux’s humid local weather requires relying solely on sulphur and copper. This necessitates treating the vineyards quickly and regularly, supported by a fleet of 15 tractors. Whereas most of Pauillac maintains a excessive density of 8,600 vines per hectare, Manuela is contemplating reducing this to make room for extra cowl crops. Her imaginative and prescient contains making a extra pure, biodiverse panorama by integrating bushes, hedges, and ponds.
Lafite’s status stems not simply from its distinctive terroir, however from the size of it, spanning 30 hectares. Like a lot of Pauillac, the soil is gravelly, but Lafite’s particular composition incorporates extra clay, which improves water retention. Whereas vines are sometimes thought to have extremely deep roots, a latest soil erosion incident revealed that the roots right here solely prolong to about two meters.
The property additionally maintains a herd of roughly 30 “Vaches Marines,” a uncommon, traditionally endangered cattle breed native to the Aquitaine coast. These cows roam the Lafite marshes year-round, and their manure is used to naturally improve soil well being. Manuela famous that soil microorganisms are as very important to the vines because the microbiome is to human well being.
To arrange for local weather change, an experimental plot was established in 2023 using mass choice and various grape varieties. Every row is marked with a QR code to trace and catalogue outcomes. Alongside conventional Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, they’ve planted varieties from hotter climates, together with Portugal, Southern France, Greece, and Georgia. For the reason that undertaking solely started in 2023, it’s nonetheless too early to attract conclusions, however it represents a major step towards future-proofing the property.
Our subsequent cease was the cooperage, the place barrels for all of DBR’s world estates are crafted by hand. Every cooper produces just one or two barrels per day, and it was fascinating to look at them choose and prepare oak staves earlier than shaping them into completed casks.
Toasting profiles are tailor-made particularly to every property by adjusting temperatures and durations. For instance, barrels destined for the Sauternes of Rieussec endure an extended toast at a decrease temperature to develop extra pronounced coconut aromas.
The method begins with oak chosen from the well-known Tronçais Forest, which is sawn into staves and seasoned for 2 years—one 12 months uncovered to the weather and one 12 months underneath shelter. As a result of this seasoning takes place at Château Lafite, the native atmosphere immediately influences the character of the wooden.
At Café Lavinal, we loved lunch with the 2023 Duhart-Milon Blanc—the white “grand vin” of Lafite’s neighbor, which is a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon aged in oak barriques—and the 2018 Carruades de Lafite, the second wine of Lafite. To pair with these wines, we selected “snacked” scallops, seared and served with a chorizo sauce and crispy greens, adopted by a côte de boeuf (prime rib). To remain awake after this feast, we completed with espresso and a mandarin panna cotta.
Since we couldn’t go to Lafite’s cellar, we toured the cellar at Duhart-Milon and held the tasting there as a substitute. The property produces three wines: the crimson and white “grand vin” (the latter of which we loved at lunch) and a second wine referred to as Moulin de Duhart. The cellar appeared very new, fashionable, and completely spotless.
We tasted three wines:
- Anseillan 2018, the inaugural classic of a brand new Pauillac created by Lafite to deliver an reasonably priced wine to the market. A mix of 48% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Petit Verdot, it was aged in French oak barriques for 16 months. It featured velvety tannins, stability, and freshness, with aromas of ripe plums.
- Château Duhart-Milon 2017, from a cooler classic, is a mix of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, aged for 12 to fifteen months in French oak (50% new and 50% second-fill). It confirmed notes of inexperienced bell pepper and cherries, with a contemporary character.
- Château Lafite 2003, from a highly regarded classic, is a mix of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and a couple of% Petit Verdot, aged for 15 months in oak barrels (primarily new). Regardless of the warmth of that 12 months, the wine reached solely 12.7% alcohol. This wine demonstrates why Lafite is among the many most well-known estates on the earth; it was full-bodied but elegant and sophisticated, possessing nice finesse. Although clearly aged, with secondary and tertiary aromas extra highly effective than the first ones, it was certainly not previous its prime. It displayed a deep garnet colour and aromas of lead pencil, mocha, and darkish fruit. After about quarter-hour, the aromas closed off barely, leaving the lead pencil word dominant. As we solely had a style moderately than the total bottle, I’d have preferred to watch its additional growth within the glass. It was a worthy conclusion to a really particular go to.
