A legendary name, that of the Rothschilds, a family of bankers elevated to nobility whose activities were intertwined with many important moments in the history of Europe. A name that also has its relevance in the world of wine thanks to the production of great Champagne wines, a dream that brought together for the first time – miracles of good drinking – the three branches of the family and their respective wineries: Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild, Ariane de Rothschild and Château Clarke of the Edmond de Rothschild Group and Eric del Rothschild with his daughter Saskia de Rothschild of Château Lafite Rothschild. A project born in 2005 to embody the warmth of the family summarized in the motto “Concordia, integritas, industry” and to bring a touch of innovation and contemporaneity to the tradition of Champagne.
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the project, Champagne Barons de Rothschild inaugurated in the year that is about to end the first of two new plants, in Oger, intended to host all the final phases of production, from refinement to shipping. A sustainable and architecturally powerful structure designed by Giovanni Pace, who partially buried the structure in plaster, ensuring ideal conditions for the maturation of wine. In 2025 it will instead be the turn of the Clos de Vertus winemaking cellar, whose design was personally followed by Lété, who wanted an area dedicated to stainless steel tanks for high-precision parcel vinification and wooden and concrete containers designed to enhance every single plot.
The maison has been directed since 2010 by Frédéric Mairesse, oenologist and engineer, who is supported by the young chef de cave Guillaume Lété. The production philosophy is based on some pillars: the use of Chardonnay as a distinctive feature (70 percent of the total production and no less than 50/60 percent of each blend); the use of predominantly Grand Cru and Premier Cru grapes (90 percent of production) coming from villages located between the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims; collaboration with the vignerons who work the vineyards respecting the territory and sustainability; the use of reserve wines which make up at least 40 percent of the blends, giving maturity and depth of expression and which are kept in Réserve Perpetuelle created starting from the first harvest and kept separate by reference vintage as well as the “Terroirs Pure”, wines divided by parcel; the very limited dosage, a maximum of 6 grams per litre, which guarantees stylistic integrity and purity; the long refinements on the yeasts and the rest in the bottle after the dégorgement which allow the release on the market of already evolved and complex products.
The soul of Barons de Rothschild is best represented by Concordia Brut, a blend of Chardonnay (60 percent) and Pinot Noir (40 percent) composed of 40 percent reserve wines and 85 percent Grand and Premier Cru mostly from Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Vertus, Trépail, Ay, Vérzenay, Ambonnay and Avenay. A wine that undergoes at least three and a half years of aging on the yeasts and at least six months in the bottle after disgorgement and which has a dosage of 6 grams per liter.
It has a bright yellow color with fine and persistent perlage, an elegant and fresh nose with aromas of fresh and ripe fruit and in the mouth it has a solemn, round and generous, very vertical progression. A sample of finesse that lends itself to a wide range of combinations, from fish dishes to risottos and soft cheeses.