It's not so easy to visit Château Lafite Rothschild, despite the fact that the estate is one of the largest in the Médoc region of Bordeaux. Tours of the facilities – including the round cellar designed by Catalán architect Ricardo Bofill – must be booked well ahead and each group is limited to 15 people. There are no direct sales of wine on the property, nor is there anywhere to eat.

Lafite’s head chef, Bruno Boeuf, prepares food exclusively for the Rothschild family (currently headed up by Baron Eric de Rothschild and his artist wife, Maria-Beatrice Caracciolo Di Forino). However, Chef Boeuf is happy to share his food and wine matches on the estate’s website, along with contributions from other members of the Lafite crew.

Boeuf began working at Lafite in 1995, after stints at top Paris restaurants such as La Tour d'Argent and Le Concorde Lafayette.

A recent Mother’s Day menu designed by Boeuf included the following wines from Domaines Barons de Rothschild:

• Mango and Crab Salad + 2007 Légende Bordeaux White 
• Roasted Red Mullet in a Red Wine Reduction + Los Vascos Grande Reserve
• Chocolate-Cherry Charlotte + Saga Bordeaux Red

The menu reflects Boeuf’s fondness for starters and fish. “They send initial signals to the taste buds, trigger conversation, lead to the discovery of a product and its preparation, they spark questions,” he says.

But what should one eat with the estate’s most famous wine, the first-growth Château Lafite Rothschild? Boeuf offers the following possibilities for main courses:

• Rib of Beef with Truffle Jus, accompanied by a Potato Pancake Topped with Saint-Nectaire Cheese or Pieces of Bacon, and a Marrow Bone
• Shoulder of Lamb Stuffed with Bacon and Veal + 1991 Château Lafite Rothschild
• Tender Shoulder of Rabbit with Olive Jus and Polenta + 1991 Château Lafite Rothschild

Boeuf suggests serving the same wine with one of his chocolate desserts:

•  Soft-Centered Chocolate Cake Served with a Quenelle of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Château Lafite Rothschild's second label is Carruades de Lafite. To accompany it, Boeuf opts for lighter main courses.

• Grilled Tilefish with Vineshoots + a 15- to 20-year-old Carruades de Lafite
• Partridge with Winter Vegetables + Carruades de Lafite

When considering the Sauternes first-growth Château Rieussec, Boeuf demonstrates that sweet wines can be versatile:

• Crispy Foie Gras with Pineapple + 1991 Château Rieussec
• Soufflé Omelette with Lemon + 2001 Château Rieussec
• Shoulder of Veal Braised with Orange and Star-Anise, Served with Potato Gnocchi + 2001 Château Rieussec
• Poached Pears with Spices + 2006 Château Rieussec
• Chestnut Soufflé + 2001 Château Rieussec

Recipes suggested by other members of the Lafite team include:

• Cherry and Red Pepper Gazpacho + Amancaya (suggested by Marie-Caroline Malbec, culinary creator)
• Duck Breast with Cherries + a young Saga Pauillac (Diane Flamand, enologist of the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Collection range)
• Pear Briouats with Citrus and Passion Fruits + a young vintage of Aussières Blanc (Eric Kohler, technical director, Château d'Aussières)

According to Boeuf, “cooking is the real language of cultural exchange…and so is the wine that completes the meal.”