Winemaker Notes
Built circa 1860, Château des Laurets features an octagonal tower overlooking the grounds. The vineyards are planted on south-facing slopes with limestone outcrops. The excellent clay-limestone soil gives this Merlot-based Saint-Émilion wine its distinctive taste. Baron Benjamin de Rothschild acquired this superb property in 2008, aiming from the beginning to achieve its fine potential.
The passion for wine that runs in the French branch of the Rothschild family was born in 1868 when James de Rothschild purchased Château Lafite. After more than a century of family history tied to the world of wine, Baron Edmond de Rothschild (great-grandson of James) took the adventure further in 1973 by acquiring two Cru Bourgeois wines in Listrac and Moulis-en-Médoc: Château Clarke and Château Malmaison. He then founded the Compagnie Vinicole Baron Edmond de Rothschild, and has taken the business worldwide.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.