The name of the extensive and highly influential Rothschild family empire is inextricably linked to the European banking and economic history of the last 200 years. In viticulture, members of the Rothschild family are also known for owning two of the most famous Châteaux in the French municipality of Pauillac in the Médoc. These are the two classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé, Château Lafite-Rothschild (French branch) and (only later) Château Mouton-Rothschild (English branch). Due to their close kinship and the proximity of the two neighboring estates, there have been close interconnections and a shared history for over 200 years.
Battle for Les Carruades
There has always been an open rivalry between the two, long before the takeover by the Rothschild families (Mouton 1853 and Lafite 1868). A primary cause of conflict was the battle for the plot "Les Carruades," which lies exactly on the border between the estates. In 1845, a fierce dispute erupted over ownership between the two estate managers, which was decided in favor of Château Lafite.
Bordeaux Classification 1855
The second major cause of conflict occurred ten years later during the famous Bordeaux Classification conducted in 1855, where Lafite was classified as Premier Grand Cru and Mouton only as Deuxième Grand Cru. Mouton was unwilling to accept this "humiliation" from the start, and Lafite reveled in the triumph.
The third reason occurred in 1953. Elie Robert de Rothschild (1917-2007), as the owner of Lafite, initiated the exclusion of Mouton from the "Association of Five" (the then four Premiers and Mouton) on the grounds that it was not a Premier Cru. The effort to elevate Mouton to the first rank was not supported by Lafite but vehemently opposed. It is a quip that during the German occupation, the two estates were confiscated by the Vichy government in 1942 and managed together.
French Branch - Château Lafite-Rothschild
At the behest of his father Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), Jakob Mayer Rothschild (1792-1868) settled in Paris in 1812, where he changed his first name to James. Here he founded the French banking branch in 1817. In 1822, he and his four brothers were granted the hereditary title of "Baron" by Emperor Franz I of Austria. In 1868, he purchased the "Château Lafite" and added the family name "Rothschild".
However, he likely never saw his estate, as he died later that same year. His three sons, Gustave, Edmond, and Alphonse, left the management to a managing director, and even their children only had the annual balance sheet shown to them. Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934) did revive viticulture in Palestine (modern-day Israel) in 1882 through a foundation of 60 million gold francs but also took little care of the estate in France.
Elie Robert de Rothschild
His great-grandson Elie Robert de Rothschild (1917-2007) served as an allied soldier during World War II and was a leading figure in the family bank upon his return. In addition, he transformed the former railway company Paris-Lyon-Marseille into a travel corporation with hotels and restaurants. He took over the management of Château Lafite-Rothschild in 1946 and was the first in the family to personally engage in the wine business. He always regarded Château Mouton-Rothschild as hostile competition and derogatorily referred to it as "this Deuxième Cru," alluding to the fact that the classification as Premier Grand Cru only occurred in 1973.
Eric de Rothschild
In 1974, his nephew Eric de Rothschild (*1940) took over in the fifth generation. He studied engineering at the ETH Zurich and managed the family bank in Paris. For his new role, he took several oenology courses. His wife Béatrice...
