Producer Profile
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a Premier Cru (First Growth) estate in the
Médoc region of Bordeaux, northwest of Pauillac. They are the only
recipients to succeed in changing their original 1855 classification
(excepting the 1856 addition of Château Cantemerle):
Château Mouton Rothschild was originally deemed a Second Growth estate
until influential owners got their way and the estate’s classification
was upgraded in 1973.
The estate has a great and colourful past. Its owners going back to 1718
have included Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur and Joseph de Brane, whose
name adorned the estate as Chateau Brane Mouton. It was Nathaniel de
Rothschild who changed the name to Château Mouton
Rothschild when he bought the estate at auction in 1853.
In 1945, owner Baron Philippe de Rothschild began commissioning famous
artists to create unique works of art for each year’s labels, including
Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Míro, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Francis
Bacon, Lucian Freud and Anish Kapoor… and this
practice continues today. Baron Philippe also introduced the innovative
concept of château-bottling in 1924, removing the need to ship the wine
to merchants for bottling elsewhere.
The estate has produced some of the greatest reds from Bordeaux since
1945, but since 2003 under the guidance of Philippe Dallhuin, it has
managed to exceed itself.
The dreamy and zen-like château is surrounded by its vineyards that lead
down to the Gironde, with 90 hectares that produce Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from vines which average around
45 years of age on its gravel, sand and clay
terroir.
OUR VERDICT:
The cutting-edge approach adopted by owner Baron Philippe de Rothschild
extended beyond mere self-promotion and eventually paid countless
dividends with its actual promotion in the Bordeaux classification.
There’s no substitute for quality and Mouton’s consistency
and excellence put them above the actual First Growths in terms of
desirability among wine lovers. The wines today continue that
unprecedented and singular leap to the top table.
