A desire for the land, winemaking and craftsmanship made to perfection have been running within the French branch from the Rothschild's since 1868, when James de Rothschild purchased the very first vineyard – Ch^ateau Lafite. His great grandson Baron Edmond de Rothschild took the heritage further at first from the 1970's, by acquiring two more estates- Ch^ateu Clarke and Ch^ateau Malmasion. Now Benjamin de Rothschild, the son of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, and his wife Ariane de Rothschild are expanding their winemaking legacy in to the next generation via the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage, which concentrates on three areas of activities. Wine Making, Hospitality through a fabulous resort and Nature where they produce cheese and honey products. Though their wine operations are in Bordeaux, they've vineyards on every continent that leave first class wines.
Resident Magazine met track of Madame Ariane de Rothschild, CEO from the Edmond de Rothschild Group in the NoMad Hotel for an exclusive tasting and introduction to these exemplary wines.
Madame de Rothschild's eyes are glowing with passion when she tells the story about how she undertook the task of transforming the household legacy of her father-in-law. Where many people saw his act as a hobby, she never had that view. She thought it was a respectable profession of wine and food making. Having a background as a banker her view is that it should not be treated like a hobby, but should be because of the respect and attention it deserved making it as a business.
So having the Clarke Winery somewhere, a unique alp property in the middle and also the Brie Cheese operations on the other, she reorganized the operations under one umbrella to make it more cohesive, and thus 3 years ago the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage was created.
One project that is not far from her heart was the project of refurbishing the group's property around the slopes of Mont d'Arbois within the village of Megéve and making it a Four Seasons Hotel with a Michelin star restaurant by having an extensive wine cellar that showcases the group's impressive selection. The Chalet was built-in 1920 and it has been privately owned through the family. The renovation project took Eight to ten many years of planning and 3 years of construction and it is ready to celebrate its 100 year birthday in 2020.
What runs like a red thread through all the group's operations and businesses is the focus on high-quality in everything they do, be it making brie, white and red wine or creating a five star hotel within the French Alps. Respecting the land and also the environment, working with a fine focus on detail as well as overseeing the whole value chain- from the green grass fields in which the cows graze to the factory where the brie is made and also the distribution organization. All this results in a truly great product experience for the consumer whether it's in wine, hospitality or nature (food) which sets them apart.
