The de Rothschild family celebrates 150 years since Baron James de Rothschild’s acquisition of Lafite-Rothschild in 1868 with three intimate dinners. Each soirée is bejeweled with unique combinations of vintages: young and old, renowned and derided, famous and forgotten, as well as varied groups of guests. The notes in this article originate not only from the tasting at the property, but also a dinner in Hong Kong that I attended a few weeks earlier, and several other recent tastings. Together they offer a time-arching overview of Lafite-Rothschild and the wines as the château enters a new era under the stewardship of Chairman Saskia de Rothschild and CEO Jean-Guillaume Prats.
