Château Lafite-Rothschild: Lafite and the Ségur Family

Jacques Ségur was well aware of the success enjoyed at other Bordeaux estates more committed to viticulture, especially the long-established Château Haut-Brion, and so it is perhaps no surprise that planting of new vineyards seems to have been one of his earlier activities. Documents from the Lafite archives show that in 1680 there were large areas of vineyards now planted, many of them new.

Although she was a widower before she was even wedded to Jacques Ségur, Jeanne de Gasq still gave him seven children, and it is the second eldest, Alexandre, who is of the greatest relevance to this discussion of Lafite. Born in 1674, it was Alexandre de Ségur (1674 – 1716) who was set to inherit the estate; this he did following the deaths of his father Jacques in 1691 and mother Jeanne in 1704. By this time he was already wed, having married Marie-Thérèse de Clauzel, heiress to Château Latour, in 1695; by this route the Ségur family owned two of the greatest vineyards in Bordeaux. Subsequently they add Château Calon-Ségur and Château Phélan-Ségur, the names of both still clearly indicating this period in their respective histories even today, and for a short period they also held possession of Château Mouton.

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