the Château was occupied by the German army, and suffered heavily from plundering of its cellars. Succeeding his uncle Élie de Rothschild, Lafite has been under the direction of Éric de Rothschild from 1974 to 2018, when he was succeeded by his daughter, Saskia de Rothschild. She is the youngest woman leading a Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux estate. At the 5 December 1985 Christie's auction, a new record price of approximately was paid for a bottle of wine a 1787 Château Lafite which was thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson. The authenticity of the bottle has been challenged. On 29 October 2010 the record was broken at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong three bottles of 1869 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild were sold for (US$232,692) each. Vineyard The vineyard is one of the largest in the Médoc at 107 hectares, and produces around 35,000 cases annually, of which between 15,000 and 25,000 are first growth. Its vines are around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, whereas the final wine is between 80% and 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% and 20% Merlot, and up to 3% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Occasionally exceptions are made, such as the 1961 vintage which was 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. A second Château Lafite Rothschild vineyard was established in the Chinese province of Shandong, where 250,000 vine stocks from France are planted on 30 hectares. Its vines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Marselan. In 2019, the estate debuted its first vintage from its Domaine de Long Dai winery in Shandong. Wines In addition to the first growth, around a third of the wine is released as a second wine under the label Carruades de Lafite. Price Across all vintages Lafite Rothschild is one of the most expensive wines in the world, with the average price per 750 ml bottle reaching $1175. Prices for Carruades de Lafite rose dramatically due in part to Chinese demand, with the prices of its 2005 and 2000 vintage fetching over £10,000 per case. After peaking in 2011, however, the price of some vintages halved in two years. See also Bordeaux wine French wine Château Mouton Rothschild Domaine de la Romanée-Conti References External links Château Lafite Rothschild official site Rothschild family residences Bordeaux wine producers Châteaux in Gironde Monuments historiques of Gironde Comité Colbert members