Champagne Barons de Rothschild

A name with tradition in viticulture

If you talk about French wines, you can hardly avoid the name Rothschild. The winegrowing tradition in the Rothschild family goes back several generations. It all started with Amschel Rothschild, born in 1744 in Germany, who founded the dynasty. It was his grandson Nathaniel who was the first to enter the winegrowing business. He bought land in Pauillac in 1853, but it was his great-grandson Philippe who turned Château Mouton-Rothschild, as the estates were called, into the world-renowned winery it still is today. Other family members also entered viticulture, as for instance with Lafite-Rothschild.

Today, there are three family businesses under the Rothschild name in viticulture. These three branches of the family with a total of numerous wine estates have finally joined together for a project: Barons de Rothschild Champagne. For this purpose, they have joined forces with other champagne families. Thus, a lot of know-how and quality flows into the champagnes. In 2009, the Rothschilds finally presented their first 3 champagnes. Involved are Baron Eric de Rothschild of Lafite, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and his mother Baroness Philippine de Rothschild of Mouton as well as Baroness Ariane de Rothschild and her husband Baron Benjamin de Rothschild of Clarke and Peyre- Lebade.

Champagne with character

The roots of the champagne house Barons de Roth schild are found in Vertus at the Côte des Blancs. Here the Chardonnay thrives particularly well, the soils are particularly rich in chalk. The champagne house plants the Pinot Noir in the Montagne de Reims.In contrast to the sparkling Chardonnays, the wines from here are particularly gentle. The Chardonnay - although rare and thus particularly precious - is the dominant grape variety in all champagnes at Barons de Rothschild. It makes the champagnes fresh, modern, sparkling, at the same time acidic and graceful, with low dosage. The grapes, which come only from the best Grand Cru and 1er Grand Cru vineyards, are harvested by hand, without the use of a harvester. The Chardonnay grapes are grown in the renowned Côte des Blancs (Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger & Oger), while the Pinot Noir grapes come from Verzenay, Ay, Mareuil-sur-Ay and Ambonnay. 

After harvesting and vinification, the wines are aged on their lees for at least 15 months. The total aging time is at least 4-5 years, which is significantly longer than the normal aging time for Champagne. The result is very multilayered and complex champagnes.

Excellence as a family tradition

The meticulous care with which each Barons de Rothschild Champagne is treated reflects an exceptional commitment to quality that gives it such rarity value. Just as it did two centuries ago, each bottle rests in cellars hewn from rock where darkness and silence reign.

In 2007, the House of Barons de Rothschild moved into its headquarters in Reims, on the corner of Boulevard Lundy and Camille Lenoir Street. The headquarters is located in the heart of the city in a 19th century building, close to the most famous champagne houses. Then followed the acquisition of Maison Prieur in Vertus, with the development of a production facility conducive to the objectives of excellence and quality. The strength of this young house lies in its size: small quantities in line with carefully selected supplies and in particular: Time.

Of the 312 villages or growing areas that are part of the Champagne appellation, only 17 are classified as Grands Crus and 44 as Premiers Crus. On these exceptional soils, the most sought-after in the growing area, the Rothschild family has built solid relationships to supply the best grapes. Just as they have for their famous Bordeaux wines, where the proximity of expert winemakers and the best terroirs have been core family values for over 160 years.

The different champagnes

• Brut (60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir): fresh, complex, long reverberation
• Extra Brut (60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir): fresh, complex, long reverberation
• Rosé (85% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir): particularly rich fruit
• Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay, with 40% reserve wines from previous vintages)
• Millesimés (100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru sites): vinified only in vintages with particularly expressive grapes, powerful yet graceful sparkling wine with fine acidity