Only vines over 10 years old are used for the great wine. The proportion of Cabernet sauvignon varies from 80 to 95% depending on the vintage, the Merlot from 5 to 20% with sometimes a little Cabernet franc and Petit verdot. A Merlot vat of small cement vats (50 to 125hl) was installed in 2010 to further improve the plot treatment. Malolactic fermentation is continued in vats in a specific vat room extended in 2010 to preserve plot identification.
After assembly, the 18 to 20 month aging is carried out in new oak barrels. An important particularity, the barrels are made by Domaines de Rothschild's own Tonnellerie, allowing the barrels to be perfectly matched. The wine is bottled after fining with fresh egg whites.
Fruit of an exceptional terroir, this legendary wine is often considered the quintessence of Pauillac and "first of the first". Marked by the Cabernet Sauvignon which gives it its nobility, its aromas are inimitable, its tannic structure subtle and refined. It generally has to wait around ten years but can be kept for over fifty years in great vintages.