Lafite Rothschild 2018 Bottle Label

Unlike their cousins at Mouton Rothschild who release a new wine label every year featuring a new artist's design, Lafite Rothschild almost never tinkered with its label's classic design, until the special occasion of 2018.  In celebration of the family's 150th Anniversary of ownership (1868-2018), Saskia de Rothschild, the chairwoman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, who took over the executive management role in 2017 from her father, imagined a symbol playing on Lafite’s historic and centenary label, which has two women in the foreground looking into the distance. A hot air balloon was chosen to disrupt the label, sketched by Black Adder, a creative duo of illustrators.  Initials CL (150 in Roman numerals) are sketched on the balloon and inscribed in red on the shoulder of the bottle.

Saskia de Rothschild explains, “In 1868, hot air balloons were the absolute symbols of modernity and adventure. In 2018, we still see them fly but they have become the symbol of slowing down, of taking the time to move more steadily. With no rush. Just what we have been doing at Lafite for 150 years: steadily standing the test of time as we head towards the future.”

This storied vintage, rated 100 points by various wine critics, has the potential to become a prized selection in many wine lover's cellars.

In addition, the chateau also released 300 limited edition cases  containing a magnum of the 2018 Grand Vin and the impeccably compiled scrapbook - “Almanach Château Lafite”, accompanied by a signed letter from Saskia de Rothschild.  “We built this book to tell the story of Lafite since the Rothschild family has owned it, but also to share more stories about the life of a vintage,” the chairwoman says. “We hope readers will come out of reading it with a better understanding of how a wine grows, from the soil to the vine to the bottle.”