The Château Mouton Rothschild

by Julie Berteloot
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Château Mouton

It was in 1853 that Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild bought Château Brane Mouton, wanting to serve his own wine to his guests. He gave it the name: Château Mouton Rothschild. It was the baron’s great-grandson who took over the estate in 1922. He imposed full bottling at the château, whereas until then the wine had been delivered in barrels to the merchants. In 1924, he entrusted Jean Carlu with the task of illustrating the wine label, but the initiative was too early and had no future. It was in 1926 that the 100-metre-long “Grand Chai” was built to increase storage capacity on site. In 1933, Baron Philippe acquired a small trading company in Pauillac. This company produces and markets Mouton Cadet in particular and is today the leading Bordeaux AOC brand in the world.

Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild 1953
Mouton Rothschild 1924 label

The Great Victory

In 1945, to celebrate the victory of the Allies and mark his return to his lands, Baron Philippe asked the artist Philippe Julian to illustrate the label of the vintage. The V for victory was then displayed on the bottles of Mouton Rothschild 1945 and the success was total. Thus, since 1945, an artist has illustrated the label of each vintage. Each work is specially created for Mouton by a contemporary artist.

Mouton Rothschild 1945 label

Wine in art

André Malraux, Minister of Cultural Affairs, inaugurates the Museum of Wine in Art. The museum holds a collection of precious objects from all periods associated with vines and wine. It opens right next to the Grand Chai on the Château estate.

Ranking and fame

In 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild finally achieved the rank of Premier Cru Classé, which it had been deprived of in the 1855 classification. Château Mouton Rothschild 1973 is the first label on which the classification is written.

Mouton Rothschild 1973 label

Baroness Philippine, daughter of Philippe de Rothschild, revealed the original works on the Premier Cru labels in 1981. She made an exhibition of them which was hosted in more than forty museums around the world.

art and labels exhibition

Taken over by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild

When the Baron died in 1988, Baroness Philippine took over the Château without hesitating to put aside her career as a theatre actress. She became Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of the family company Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A.

Baroness Philippine

In 1991, the château marketed its first bottles of Aile d’Argent. This wine comes from 7 hectares of vines planted in 1980. The wine is a high quality dry white, composed of 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 11% Sauvignon Gris and 1% Muscadelle.

The Second Wine was released in 1993: the Petit Mouton Rothschild by Mouton Rothschild. It comes from a selection of the youngest vines and is produced with the same care as the Premier Cru.

Symbolic vintage: 150 years of the Château

The 2003 vintage is symbolic for the château: it is the 150th anniversary. It is the only year that the baroness departs from tradition by dedicating the entire label to Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild. He is illustrated in large print on the label in a period portrait and the background reproduces the act of purchase of the estate.

Mouton Rothschild label from 2003

The most expensive wine in the world

In 2006, Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 became the most expensive wine in the world with a lot of 6 bottles at auction selling for $290,000. The same vintage but in magnum sold for $345,000.

Passing the torch

Baroness Philippine passed away in 2014, leaving the estate radiant, expanded and modernized. It is her 3 children Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild who are committed to perpetuating the desire for excellence carried by their mother.

Baroness Philippine with her children

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