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In 1999 Benjamin de Rothschild already had operations with Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons in South Africa and Laurent Dassault was searching for a new project. Together, they purchased property in the centre west of the Province of Mendoza and became some of the very first French to invest in the Vista Flores region in the Uco Valley.
Their goal was to create a New World «grand cru», an excellent Argentinian wine, from this little-known but remarkable terroir in the foothills of the Andes. This region’s high potential was first identified by oenologist Michel Rolland who launched the «Clos de Los Siete» project. Beguiled by the challenge of creating a vineyard from scratch, they joined forces and became partners.
These immense virgin lands gave birth to the Flechas de Los Andes vineyard which now independently charts its own path, extolling all the subtleties and specificities of its terroir.
At the helm of the Compagnie Vinicole since 1997, Benjamin and Ariane de Rothschild continue to expand its international renown. A commitment to excellence holds sway at each property, reflected in the wines and their respect for the human, craftsmanship, tradition and environmental aspects.
It is their way of perpetuating and paying tribute to the pioneering work of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Benjamin de Rothschild’s father, who created the company in 1973 by purchasing Château Clarke, a little- known Cru Bourgeois estate in the Listrac-Médoc appellation. Convinced of the outstanding properties of its land, he devoted himself to making it the stand-out property of the region.
Benjamin de Rothschild shares the same goals. To fulfil a vision and cement his intuition, and to provide all the resources necessary to reveal the quintessence of the terroirs and enhance their inherent character.
« Wine-making is an act rooted in aesthetics… There is an undeniable beauty and elegance within it. Wine is about pleasure and sharing. Wine is very relevant to the art de vivre ».
Benjamin de Rothschild focused on increasing the Compagnie Vinicole’s international presence, developing the highest quality foreign terroirs, lured by the promise of unique adventures, new worlds to explore and great wines to create. There, he would draw on the time-honoured practices of local cultures, combined with traditional French expertise.
The Compagnie Vinicole has been active in South Africa with the Rupert & Rothschild Vigernons label since 1997; in partnership with Tempo Vega Sicilia in Spain since 2009 with Macán; in New Zealand since 2012 with Rimapere. In 1999, Benjamin de Rothschild and Laurent Dassault created Flechas de Los Andes from the ground up in the Uco Valley in Argentina.
Art lover and great collector involved in the French cultural scene with Artcurial, the most important French auction house, Laurent Dassault is also the grand son of Marcel Dassault, great engineer visionaire who amongst many successful projects bought in the village of Saint Emilion in 1955 Chateau Couperie, a wine property to be baptised a couple of years later Chateau Dassault. Now one of the finest grand cru classé in the Bordeaux.
Laurent Dassault in 1994, for the Marcel Dassault industrial Group became president of Chateau Dassault, and three years later created a second wine : D de Dassault. In 1998 he bought shares in the prestigious chateau Cheval Blanc. With the goal of making his wine one of the very best of its category, in 2002 he added to the some 59-acre vineyard of Chateau Dassault, 16-acre vineyard of Chateau La Fleur, a Grand Cru Saint-Emilion, later Faurie de Souchard and Chateau Trimoulet.
He also invested in Chateau l’Evangile and Rieussec, expanding the family’s interests in the wine world.
It is very natural that Laurent Dassault excellent rider, polo player and traveller, always abroad with his industrial activities started a new adventure.
In 1998, on the other side of the Atlantic, he and six other well-known wine growers purchased 2,100 acres in Argentina where they began producing a premium wine called Clos de los Siete. In 2004, in the same vineyard, Laurent Dassault and Benjamin de Rothschild as partners created Flechas de los Andes …
