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DBR

Abbreviation for "Domaines Barons de Rothschild"; the wine-growing company of the French branch of the Rothschild family ; see there.

The name of the widespread and very influential Rothschild family empire is inextricably linked with the European banking and economic history of the last 200 years. In viticulture, members of the family are also well known for owning two of the most famous châteaux in the French commune of Pauillac in the Médoc. These are the two estates classified as "Premier Cru Classé", Château Lafite-Rothschild (French branch) and Château Mouton-Rothschild (English branch). Due to the partly very close relationship as well as the proximity of the two wineries, which are located directly next to each other, there have been close ties and a common history for over 200 years. There has always been an open rivalry between the two, long before the Rothschild families took over (Mouton 1853 and Lafite 1868). One of the first causes of conflict was the fight over a plot of land called "Les Carruades", which is located exactly on the border between the wine estates. A fierce dispute broke out between the two vineyard managers over the property in 1845, which was then decided in favour of Château Lafite.

Bordeaux Classification 1855

The second major cause of conflict ten years later was the famous Bordeaux classification carried out in 1855, in which Lafite was classified as Premier Cru and Mouton only as Deuxième Cru. From the beginning, Mouton did not want to accept this "disgrace" and Lafite savored the triumph. The third reason occurred in 1953. Elie Robert de Rothschild (1917-2007), as 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 even vehemently opposed. It is a gag that during the German occupation, the two wineries were confiscated by the Vichy government in 1942 and run together.

Rothschild - Porträts Mayer Amschel, James, Nathaniel, Philipp de Rothschild

French branch of the family - Château Lafite-Rothschild

On behalf 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 bank branch in 1817. In 1822 he and his four brothers were granted the hereditary title of "Baron" by Emperor Francis I (1768-1835) of Austria. In 1868 he bought the "Château Lafite" and added the family name "Rothschild". However, he probably never saw his property, as he died the same year. His three sons Gustave, Edmond and Alphonse left the management to a manager and their children also only had the balance sheet shown to them every year. Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934) revived viticulture in Palestine (now Israel) in 1882 with an endowment of 60 million gold francs, but likewise cared little for the property in France.

Elie Robert de Rothschild

His great-grandson Elie Robert de Rothschild (1917-2007) served as an Allied soldier in World War II and was a leader in the family bank after his return. He also transformed the former Paris-Lyon-Marseille railway company into a travel group with hotels and restaurants. He took over the management of Château Lafite-Rothschild in 1946 and was the first in the family to become personally active in the wine business. He always regarded Château Mouton-Rothschild as a hostile competitor and disparagingly called it "this Deuxième Cru" as an allusion to the fact that it was not classified as Premier Grand Cru until 1973.

Eric de Rothschild

In 1974, the fifth generation, his nephew Eric de Rothschild(*1940), took over the management. He graduated in engineering from the ETH in Zurich and is now the full-time head of the family bank in Paris. For his new job, he completed some oenology courses. His wife Béatrice Caracciolo, who comes from Italy, is an...

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