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More Recent History
World War II caused a
great ordeal for the Château, with the June 1940
defeat leading to the occupation of Médoc.
A German garrison was
entrenched for the entire length of the
occupation at Château Lafite Rothschild and
Château Mouton Rothschild. The Rothschild family
properties were confiscated and placed under
public administration.
To avoid German greed, and
through the care of provisional administrators,
the winemaking estates were finally dismissed in
1942 to serve as agricultural vocational
schools. The shortages and restrictions were
made worse by requisitions and veiled ransacking
of ancient vintages: these were painful blows to
the Château.
The Barons de Rothschild
recovered possession of Château Lafite
Rothschild at the end of 1945, and Baron Elie
was responsible for recovering the estate’s
business. A series of excellent vintages in
1945, 1947, and 1949 would welcome the
reconstruction effort.
Baron Elie: restructuring
Baron Elie led a program to
restore the vineyards and the buildings, and to
fully restructure the property’s administration.
He took practical steps, like
adding a herd of dairy cows in the 1950s in
order to use the prairies below the château as
organic fertilizer supply.
Baron Elie was a major shaper
of events in the difficult reconstitution of the
fine wine market. He was an active member of
“tasting” events in London, and one of the
founding members of the Bordeaux wine guild,
Commanderie du Bontemps of the Médoc, in 1950.
The very fine 1955 year was
evidence of the wine’s renewal, but the Bordeaux
vineyard suffered terrible frosts in February of
1956 before producing a new cycle of exceptional
vintages in 1959 and 1961. The 1960’s rounded
out the renaissance with new markets,
particularly the United States. Prices rose, do
in part to a healthy rivalry between Château
Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild.
Baron Eric: renewal
After the 1973-1976 mini-crisis that hit
Bordeaux, the recovery was heralded by very fine
1975 and 1976 vintages and the management of
Château Lafite Rothschild by Baron Eric de
Rothschild, nephew of Baron Elie.
Baron Eric’s
management of the estate made strides forward
through research for excellence and the gradual
addition of a new technical team. In the
vineyard, the replanting and restoration work
was mirrored by reevaluated fertilizing and
limited herbicide treatment.
In the chais, a
stainless steel tank complex was installed
alongside oak tanks, and a new circular aging
chai was constructed under the supervision of
Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill. This new
design style would be acclaimed for its
innovative character and uncompromising spirit,
and can hold 2,200 barrels.
In the same artistic
spirit, in 1985 Baron Eric began a tradition of
inviting fine-arts photographers to photograph
Château Lafite. These include such artists as
Jacques Henri Lartique, Irving Penn, Robert
Doisneau, and Richard Avedon.
He would also
extend the horizons of the Domaines through new
acquisitions both in France and abroad (see
History of the Barons de Rothschild Domaines).
The very fine vintages from the 1980’s (1982,
1985, 1986, 1989, and 1990) would be lauded by
soaring market prices.
Promising new vintages
These good market conditions continued
throughout the 1990’s. The turn of the century
was very peaceful, and many fine new vintages
were aging in the chais and cellars. Among them,
1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 will reveal
their splendor with age. This reasonable
optimism is based on continuous research for
excellence that is so much a part of Château Lafite Rothchild’s history.
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