How DBR Lafite Is Crafting a Chinese Wine Worth Waiting For

Few names in the wine world carry as much recognition as Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). In China, drinkers respond instantly to its name, so, when DBR Lafite arrived on China’s eastern coast, seeking to bring centuries of winemaking expertise to a new terroir, the partnership was warmly welcomed.

New Beginnings, Old Hands

China has spent thousands of years perfecting its own pursuit of mastery. The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the Forbidden City, and Yunnan’s hand-cultivated ancient tea trees each stand as testaments to patient artistry, cultivation, and the rewards of time.

That persevering pursuit of excellence, paired with French winegrowing and winemaking finesse, now drives Domaine de Long Dai.

“The idea is to produce a great Chinese wine for Chinese wine lovers,” says Charles Treutenaere, general manager of Domaine de Long Dai. “We believe in culture. We believe in roots. What do French people drink? French wine. Italians? Their own wine. So, we believe Chinese people will drink their own wine.”

The estate sits in Shandong (山东), birthplace of Confucius and famed for its world-renowned groundnuts, fitting for a wine grown with cultural depth. Domaine de Long Dai spans more than 600 terraces carved from former apple orchards in Penglai’s Qiu Shan (丘山) Valley, crafted with the hope of creating a grand cru-worthy wine that truly echoes its place.

A Chance Encounter

Treutenaere has lived in China for more than two decades. He didn’t expect a chance meeting back in 2005 would lead to his current role.

He recalls chatting to a slightly drunk man at a wine bar. “He told me, ‘I’m in charge of finding a new place for DBR Lafite in China.'” That man was oenologist Gérard Colin, who helped them find a site after years of research.

There was little to work with at first, Treutenaere says. Roads were built from scratch and, terrace by terrace, apple trees gave way to vines. The farmers who once tended those orchards became Long Dai’s first vineyard hands. “They had a sense of fruit already; they were quite educated for that kind of agriculture.”

That respect for what came before extended to how the farmers were treated. Since agricultural land in China can’t be bought, they leased it long-term. Compensation was paid for their orchards, priced by age, alongside a yearly land rent. Many farmers now hold labour contracts with social security—”maybe the only one in China to do that,” Treutenaere believes. The aim was never short-term hire. “We hire them, we train them, and we want them to stay with us, so they can prune better every year.”

It’s a philosophy he ties straight back to DBR Lafite. “The credo of Lafite is, meet the family. We are, before all, a family business. We’ve been doing great wines for 150 years, so we know we need these people to help us grow our vines.”

The Art of Blending

The Chinese, he notes, share that same instinct for refinement—a tradition of doing things the finest way possible. It’s a natural fit, and that sense of transmission shaped the estate’s name. “Long” (瓏) comes from “Ling Long (玲珑), which means something very refined,” Treutenaere explains, with the Dai (岱) representing the culturally iconic Taishan (泰山) Mountain.

That same care shows in the winemaking. Taking the best of each varietal each year, he explains that “at the end of fermentation, we can have up to 40 different wines from different plots and varietals. It’s like a painter with colours; he has to make a painting.”

Blending decisions are made over video calls with the Bordeaux team, a habit born of necessity during the pandemic and kept since. There’s no fixed formula. “Every year, the blend will be different, according to weather conditions…there’s no recipe for wines.” They’ve also learned their wines reward more patience—their sixth vintage, the 2022, was only released last November.

That same dialogue of adapting and understanding carries into the estate’s wider ties. “We work closely with the government, and they’re very supportive,” Treutenaere says. That relationship reached a milestone in 2025, when a bottle of Long Dai was presented to president Xi Jinping as an official gift during French president Macron’s state visit.

Ageing well

Winning over sceptics has taken time, and Treutenaere doesn’t pretend otherwise. However, the response has exceeded expectations. “Reception has been very positive. We’re very proud of what we do. We’re very demanding, and it costs a lot to do that.” The quality, he says, speaks for itself. “We are on par with the great ones of Bordeaux…It’s not surprising, because we worked for that.”

Even so, the complexity of this young Shandong estate catches people off guard. “They are very surprised it’s a 100 per cent Chinese wine.” He notes, though, that while there are similarities with a Burgundy or Bordeaux, “you can’t really compare it; the terroir is different.” He’s quick to acknowledge this isn’t a limitation. “There’s no perfect terroir. It’s just how we, as humans, handle that place—with expertise, experience, know-how.”

Domaine de Long Dai reserves 80 per cent of its wine inside China and plans to keep it that way, producing 20,000 to 40,000 bottles a year, depending on yield. Bottles are notoriously hard to find.

We had a rare chance to taste it locally at a private lunch with Treutenaere at Sun Gourmet TRX, hosted by 3nity Wines, the exclusive distributor in Malaysia.

The 2021 Hu Yue (琥岳) and 2020 Long Dai (瓏岱) showed how well the foundations have been laid. The Hu Yue, more accessible in style and pricing, fruitier, pouring light and easy, needed little air.

The Long Dai, round and mellow, blossoms slowly with berry and faint wood notes, paired beautifully with Chef Sun’s velvety char siu. “It’s meant to be aged,” Treutenaere says. “In two, three, four, 10 years…it will be even better.” It’s hard not to wonder what this 2020 might taste like a decade from now, once that promise has had time to prove itself.

Long Dai, Treutenaere shared proudly, now shares space on corporate gift lists with Moutai in China. In Malaysia, admirers are growing too, among them Datuk Jimmy Choo, who recently visited the estate. Treutenaere is confident this is only the beginning. “We will be there in 100 years.”