Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in the Pauillac region of the Médoc, producing one of the most sought-after and expensive red wines in the world. Lafite Rothschild is known for its perfume, elegance, finesse and harmony, in contrast to the more powerful Latour and Mouton Rothschild. Nevertheless, great vintages can age for 50 years or more.
The estate began to earn its reputation as a winemaking property in the late 1600s; by the second half of the following century it was known as "The King's Wine" at Versailles, and had a strong following in London. The acclaim did not diminish and in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification Lafite was ranked a first growth. It was bought by Baron James de Rothschild in 1868. Throughout much of the 20th Century, despite many sublime wines, Lafite Rothschild was regarded as an inconsistent producer but since the mid-1990s it has become more reliable – in fact, it regularly makes claims for wine of the vintage.