EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was first published in issue No. 11 – Summer 2025 of Luxus Magazine.
Fresh from China, the energetic CEO of Barons de Rothschild continues his journey around the world. He will stop off in Champagne for a festive and sparkling summer before heading to the Caribbean and the United States, where the family business founded in 2005 continues to grow.
LUXUS MAGAZINE: The year 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Barons de Rothschild. Have you planned any events to celebrate this milestone?
Frédéric Mairesse: Indeed, twenty years go by quickly. For my part, I have already spent fifteen of them with the House. In June, we plan to invite almost all of our best partners, whether international, French, or local, to show them the vineyards we have built over the past three and a half years on the Côte des Blancs, in Vertus and Oger. We will celebrate all of this with the entire Rothschild family and will welcome everyone over several days, from June 23 to 26. There will be events for locals, institutions, winegrowers, and our loyal suppliers. Sixty-five countries have already registered to come for two days. A full day is planned with the French to welcome customers from all over the country.
LUXUS MAGAZINE: Your House is present in 90 countries in the most prestigious hotels and renowned wine cellars.
After your arrival at the Ritz Carlton in Langkawi, where will you be popping the corks next? Frédéric Mairesse: We are currently developing South America with Brazil and Mexico, which were not yet very present in our catalog. The same goes for Africa, particularly Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Morocco, and Senegal, to name a few. In Asia, we are making sure that everything runs smoothly and, finally, in Europe, we are continuing our expansion in Scandinavia, where we still have room for improvement.
LUXUS MAGAZINE: Is the blanc de blancs more than just a signature, your greatest source of pride? And what about the success of its rosé version?
Frédéric Mairesse: Blanc de blancs is indeed the beating heart of the House, the wine that receives the most unconditional praise in terms of taste quality and perceived image, across all cultures and countries. It is a product that we promote and have believed in from the outset, which makes it the strategic pillar of the House. The rosé version is also very popular.
LUXUS MAGAZINE: 2025 was marked by turmoil in the industry (falling sales and bad weather in early May that devastated nearly 1,000 hectares of vineyards in Champagne). Are you still optimistic despite this?
Frédéric Mairesse: Luckily, it happened 10 km from our home in Vinay. That said, we expect more and more violent weather disturbances, which will be increasingly difficult to predict even 24 hours in advance. Covering the vineyards in Argentina is still possible because the vines are over two meters tall. But here, they are so small that it’s a different story. We would have to spend hours removing the nets, hoping that there would be no hail.
LUXUS MAGAZINE: What fruity notes will the wines and sparkling wines be playing in the summer of 2025?
Frédéric Mairesse: I hope for fresh, refined drinks, wines made in the same way as our Chardonnay brand, with long aging to give them finesse. With the heat, I imagine that people will appreciate a fresher, more mineral wine than heavy wines, but this choice remains linked to the weather. For an aperitif or lunch, champagne is popular, in moderation of course, because it has no tannins, as is rosé, which is always a hit.
LUXUS MAGAZINE: What does the inauguration in June of an extraordinary wine cellar and vat room represent in terms of investment and architectural contribution to the Vertus site?
Frédéric Mairesse: There are three things. Architecturally, the house was built in 1874 in the Champagne style, with magnificent roofs, elaborate stone cellars carved entirely by hand, and behind it a magnificent 1.5-hectare enclosed vineyard. We bought it in 2013 when it was in very poor condition. Only the cellars had been maintained as they were in the 19th century, making it possible to use them very quickly. The Rothschild family wanted to renovate the building and walls and rebuild the roofs with Compagnons du Devoir craftsmen in Reims. And for the first time in Champagne for a winery, they created an incredible roof structure in the shape of an inverted boat hull. On a technical level, following a project that took fifteen years to develop, we have created a facility that is perfectly suited to the preparation of our wines: a winery that can accommodate 100% parcel-by-parcel vinification. We now have 100% small vats and have further increased this capacity with small containers, barrels, demi-muids, eggs, and foudres. This represents more than 12% of our annual volume. It will allow us to target and refine our winemaking even further. The third point is the magic of nature: we have revived a previously neglected one-hectare vineyard. It took six years to rebuild it and restore the vineyard to our desired state. We pulled up half of the vineyard and replanted it. This will produce a 100% Chardonnay vinified in wood, a small volume that will make all the difference. It is scheduled to go on sale in July 2025. We are thinking 25 years ahead, which is the Maison’s leitmotif. Especially when you know how involved the family is.
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Featured photo: Champagne Barons de Rothschild
