In 1744 Mayer Amschel Rothschild was born in Judengasse of Frankfurt, Germany. At the age of 13 he began his banking career and by his 20's was serving in the Court of the Crown Prince. He turned this opportunity into a considerable fortune. He had 10 children, 5 of them spread across Europe to grow the family fortune. Jakob "James" Mayer de Rothschild was sent to Paris to open De Rothchild Freres.

In 1868 James purchased Chateau Lafite which then became Lafite-Rothschild. No doubt in response to his nephew's purchase and renaming of Chateau Brane Mouton 15 years earlier whilst in the employ of James. Sadly, just three months after the purchase James passed away. The Estate has remained in the Rothschild family since. Eric de Rothchild took over the management in 1973 as part of the 5th generation of ownership. In 2018 Eric's daughter Saskia, a former investigative journalist, took the helm of the Chateaux and all the wine holdings.