Blending notes
Behind every great wine lies a series of choices, doubts, and shared intuition.
In the cellars of Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite, the 2024 blending process demanded careful listening—and a great deal of passion. This is the story, from up close, of those who taste, debate, compose…and ultimately hear the wine speak.
A very eloquent nose
An interview with assemblage expert Alexandre Schmitt.
Alexandre Schmitt made a dramatic shift from the world of haute parfumerie to another field equally bound to aroma: wine blending. He shares the essence of his sensory-driven approach—and explains why training your nose is essential to tasting wine.
2025: a Five-Star Vintage
The grape harvest, that annual event, a story that is halfway human, halfway fruit.
Fermentations: The invisible revolution
An interview with philosopher Anne-Sophie Moreau.
Philosopher and journalist Anne-Sophie Moreau explores, in her latest book, Fermentations, the deeper reasons behind today’s passion for micro-organisms.
Grape glossary
ASSEMBLAGE - An A-Z of grape-related expressions and proverbs from across the world.
In our cellars, we blend grape varieties; in this article, we blend proverbs. From Japan to Italy, from Greece to Spain, the grape runs through languages and imaginations. Each line reveals a shard of culture, a flavorful metaphor, a way of naming this fruit that brings us together. Like a blend of voices from across the world.
The notes between the notes
Why music and wine make the perfect duet.
A wine can be tasted with the ears as much as with the palate. And that’s why music can alter the way we perceive a vintage.
2023: Taking the Bull by the Horns
In our Bordeaux vineyards, 2023 began with rain, and that was very reassuring! The legendary drought of 2022 was still on everyone’s minds, and the 500 millimeters of water we received between the end of the harvest and spring did our reserves a world of good.
Guiding lights: the art of mentorship
When it comes to learning, theory alone isn’t everything. The people working across our estates know that the right encounter can sometimes change the course of a career. Here are three stories of winegrowers passing on their expertise.
Duhart-Milon: the winds of history
How did a Louis XV privateer come to give his name to one of Pauillac's greatest wines? Historian Laurent Chavier discovers an answer in the Lafite archives.
DBR Lafite joins the B Corp community
After more than two years of efforts, we are honored to announce that all of our estates (Châteaux Lafite Rothschild, Duhart-Milon, L’Evangile, Rieussec, Paradis Casseuil, Domaine d’Aussières, Vina Los Vascos, Bodegas CARO, Domaine de Long Dai) have been labeled as B Corp.