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Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of
Pauillac Pauillac (; oc, Paulhac) is a municipality in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The city is mid-way between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, along the Gironde, the largest estuary in western Europe. Popul ...
in the
Médoc The Médoc (; oc, label= Gascon, Medòc ) is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the ''département'' of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from ''(Pagus) Medull ...
region, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Originally known as ''Château Brane-Mouton'', its red
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
was renamed by
Nathaniel de Rothschild Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870), was a businessman, banker and winemaker. He established the Château Mouton Rothschild. Biography Early life Nathaniel de Rothschild was born on 2 July 1812 in London. He was the fourth child of Natha ...
in 1853 to ''Château Mouton Rothschild''. In the 1920s it began the practice of bottling the harvest at the estate itself, rather than shipping the wine to merchants for bottling elsewhere. The branch of the Rothschild family owning Mouton Rothschild are members of the
Primum Familiae Vini Primum Familiae Vini (often abbreviated PFV, Latin: "First Families of Wine") is an association of family-owned wineries with a membership limited to twelve families. History The association was established in 1993 by Miguel Torres and Robert ...
.


History

In 1718, Château Mouton and
Château Calon-Ségur Château Calon-Ségur is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen ''Troisièmes Crus Classés'' (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Offi ...
were acquired by Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, who already owned
Château Lafite A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...
and
Château Latour Château Latour is a French wine estate, rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, owned by Groupe Artemis. Latour lies at the very southeastern tip of the commune of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Bord ...
. With the death of Nicolas-Alexandre Ségur in 1755, his estate was divided among four daughters. The
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from ...
was based entirely on recent market prices for a vineyard's wines, with one exception: Château Mouton Rothschild. Despite the market prices for their vineyard's wines equalling that of
Château Lafite Rothschild Château Lafite Rothschild is a French wine estate of Bordeaux wine, located in Pauillac in France, owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century, and rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Lafite ...
, Château Mouton Rothschild was excluded from First Great Growth status, an act that Baron Philippe de Rothschild referred to as "the monstrous injustice". It is believed that the exception was made because the vineyard had recently been purchased by an Englishman and was no longer in French ownership. In 1973, Mouton was elevated to "
first growth First Growth (french: Premier Cru) status is a classification of wines primarily from the Bordeaux region of France. The best of the best wines were assigned the highest rank of Premier Cru; only five wines, Château Lafite Rothschild, Châtea ...
" status after decades of intense lobbying by its powerful and influential owner, the only change in the original 1855 classification (excepting the 1856 addition of Château Cantemerle). This prompted a change of
motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
: previously, the motto of the wine was ''Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis.'' ("First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am."), and it was changed to ''Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change.'' ("First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.")


Vineyards

Château Mouton Rothschild has its vineyards on the slopes leading down to the Gironde Estuary, in the
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
region, mainly producing grapes of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. Today, Château Mouton Rothschild has of grape vines made up of Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Their wine is fermented in oak vats (they are one of the last châteaux in the Médoc to use them) and then matured in new oak casks. It is also frequently confused with the widely distributed generic Bordeaux
Mouton Cadet Mouton Cadet is the brand name of a popular range of modestly priced, generic Bordeaux wines, considered Bordeaux's most successful brand.winepros.com.au. Created by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Mouton Cadet wine is produced through the assembly o ...
.


Labels

Baron Philippe de Rothschild came up with the idea of having each year's label designed by a famous artist of the day. In 1946, after the success of the 1945 label, this became a permanent and significant aspect of the Mouton image with labels created by some of the world's great painters and sculptors. Artists such as
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
,
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
, Picasso and Miró designed labels for bottles of Mouton Rothschild. Few exceptions are to point: To celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the acquisition of Château Mouton, the portrait of Baron
Nathaniel de Rothschild Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812–1870), was a businessman, banker and winemaker. He established the Château Mouton Rothschild. Biography Early life Nathaniel de Rothschild was born on 2 July 1812 in London. He was the fourth child of Natha ...
appeared on the 1953 label. The 1973 label were dedicated to Pablo Picasso who died April the 8th the same year. In 1977, the
Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...
Elizabeth visited the Château and a special label was designed to commemorate the visit. In 1978 when
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
artist
Jean-Paul Riopelle Jean-Paul Riopelle, (October 7, 1923 – March 12, 2002) was a Canadian painter and sculptor from Quebec. He had one of the longest and most important international careers of the sixteen signatories of the ''Refus Global'', the 1948 manif ...
submitted two designs. Baron Philippe de Rothschild liked them equally so he split the production run and used both designs. In 1987 Baroness Philippine de Rothschild dedicated the label to her father Baron Philippe de Rothschild died on January 20, 1988. The 1993 Mouton label, a pencil drawing of a nude reclining
nymphet "Lolita" is an English-language term defining a young girl as "precociously seductive." It originates from Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel ''Lolita,'' which portrays the narrator Humbert's sexual obsession with and victimization of a 12-year-old g ...
by the French painter Balthus was rejected for use in the United States by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. As such, for the U.S. market the label was made with a blank space where the image should have been and both versions are sought after by collectors. An unusual gold enamel bottle was made for the 2000 vintage. The 2003 label marks the 150th anniversary of Mouton's entry into the family. Baron Nathaniel is depicted on the label in a period photograph. The background shows part of the deed of sale. The popularity of the label images results in
auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...
prices for older and more collectible years being far out of sync with the other first growths, whose labels do not change year to year. The 2013 vintage has the work of Korean artist
Lee Ufan Lee Ufan (Korean: 이우환, Hanja: 李禹煥, born 1936 in Haman County, in South Kyongsang province in Korea) is a Korean minimalist painter and sculptor artist and academic, honored by the government of Japan for having "contributed to the ...
. File:Mouton-1975.JPG, 1975 File:Mouton83_1.jpg, 1983 File:Mouton-1990.JPG, 1990 File:Mouton Rothschild 1991.jpg, 1991 File:Mouton-1992.JPG, 1992 File:Mouton Rothschild 1993.jpg, 1993 File:Mouton Rothschild 1994.jpg, 1994 File:Mouton Rothschild 1995.jpg, 1995 File:Mouton-1996.JPG, 1996 File:Mouton Rothschild 1998.jpg, 1998 File:Mouton Rothschild 2000.jpg, 2000


Price

The ''grand vin'', Château Mouton Rothschild, is one of the world's most expensive and highly rated wines, with the average price of a 750ml bottle reaching $604.


Business dealings

In 1978, the company Baron Philippe de Rothschild officially announced their joint venture with
Robert Mondavi Robert Gerald Mondavi (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008) was an American winemaker. His technical and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi promoted label ...
to create
Opus One Winery Opus One Winery is a winery in Oakville, California, United States. The wine was called napamedoc until 1982 when it was named Opus One. The winery was founded as a joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschi ...
in
Oakville, California Oakville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the of Napa County, northern California. The population was 71 at the 2010 census. Oakville's ZIP Code is 94562, and it is located in area code 707. The local economy is based on Napa Valley wine p ...
. The 1990s saw large-scale expansion in the Americas under the leadership of President Cor Dubois, with the region eventually contributing almost half of the company's turnover. In 1998, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA teamed up with
Concha y Toro Concha y Toro is the largest producer and exporter of wines from Latin America and one of the 10 largest wine companies in the world,
of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
to produce a quality premium red wine in a new winery/bodega built in Chile's
Maipo Valley Maipo Province ( es, Provincia de Maipo) is one of six provinces in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. Its capital is San Bernardo. Administration As a province, Maipo is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed b ...
: Almaviva. The same year saw the launch of Escudo Rojo, a fine Chilean branded wine. In June 2003, the vineyard hosted ''La Fête de la Fleur'' at the end of
Vinexpo Vinexpo is one of the largest exhibitions for wine and spirits professionals from all over the world, held in Bordeaux in uneven years. The first event dates back to year 1981 gathering 524 exhibitors from 21 countries 11,000 professional visitors f ...
to coincide with their 150th anniversary. 2013 : new range of three Chilean varietal wines (Sauvignon blanc, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon) was launched in 2013 under the name Anderra. In the same time, in order to secure grape supplies and ensure the development of its Chilean branded wines business, Baron Philippe de Rothschild acquired 960 hectares from Viña Villavicencio.


Judgment of Paris

The 1970 vintage took second place, and was the highest ranked French wine, at the historic 1976
Judgment of Paris Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle ...
wine competition A wine competition is an organized event in which trained judges or consumers competitively rate different vintages, categories, and/or brands of wine. Wine competitions generally use blind tasting of wine to prevent bias by the judges. Types of ...
.


In popular culture

In John Updike's 1954 short story "Friends from Philadelphia", first published by ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', the protagonist, John, attempts to buy a bottle of wine for his parents's dinner party, but he is denied, being too young to purchase alcohol. His parents are college educated, though not necessarily very wealthy. He seeks the help of his friend's parents at a nearby house as his home is about a mile up the road. His friend's parents are not college educated, though they have a good deal of money. They agree to accompany him to the store and to purchase the wine for him. He has $2.00, which his mother gave him, with which to purchase the wine, and, after a car ride in a brand new Buick during which he becomes embarrassed when questioned about what kind of car his father drives, John gives his friend's father the money. His friend's father, in what seems to be an active gesture of financial superiority signifying his internal struggle with the inferiority of his own education, purchases a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 1937, and gives it to John along with $1.26 in change. John goes home to the dinner party somewhat dismayed, for the wrong reason, that he failed to follow his mother's instructions to buy a bottle that is "inexpensive but nice." Château Mouton Rothschild wine plays a brief, but important part in the 1971
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film '' Diamonds Are Forever''. After Bond ( Sean Connery) tastes a glass of Mouton Rothschild 1955, he casually remarks that he had expected a
claret Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...
with the grand dinner he has been served. When the villain Mr. Wint (
Bruce Glover Bruce Herbert Glover (born May 2, 1932) is an American character actor best known for his portrayal of the assassin Mr. Wint in the James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever''. He is the father of actor Crispin Glover. Life and career Glover wa ...
) replies that the cellars are poorly stocked with clarets, Bond exposes Wint's ignorance, pointing out that Mouton Rothschild, in fact, ''is'' a claret.
Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...
cites it as one of the world's greatest wines in his short story "The Butler", from ''
More Tales of the Unexpected ''More Tales of the Unexpected'' is a collection of nine short stories by Roald Dahl. It was published in 1980 by Penguin. Five of the stories were published in prior collections, while the other four had not been previously collected in book f ...
''. In the film ''
Weekend at Bernie's ''Weekend at Bernie's'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff and written by Robert Klane, loosely based on the 1959 novella '' The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell'' by Jorge Amado. The film stars Andrew McCarthy and ...
'', a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 is visible on the table during the scene where Bernie ( Terry Kiser) proposes having his two employees killed and framed for his insurance fraud. In Agatha Christie's short story "The Labors of Hercules", the story opens with Hercule Poirot speaking with Dr. Burton over a glass of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Dr. Burton describes the wine as "Very good wine, this. Very sound." In ''
The Spy (TV series) ''The Spy'' is an English-language French espionage streaming television miniseries, created and directed by Gideon Raff, based on the life of Israel's top Mossad spy Eli Cohen, who is portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen. The series is a production b ...
'' approximately 5 minutes from the start of the episode #3 '' Alone in Damascus'', the Israeli spy
Eli Cohen Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen ( he, אֱלִיָּהוּ בֵּן שָׁאוּל כֹּהֵן‎, ar, إيلياهو بن شاؤول كوهين‎; 6 December 1924 – 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israel ...
(
Sacha Baron Cohen Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...
) orders a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1945 during the scene in the restaurant on his marine trip from
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
: "I'll have the '45 Château Mouton Rothschild". He does so just to show off his wealth and become noticed by a wealthy Syrian businessman from Damascus, Sheikh Majid Al-Ard.


See also

*
Château Lafite Rothschild Château Lafite Rothschild is a French wine estate of Bordeaux wine, located in Pauillac in France, owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century, and rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Lafite ...


References


External links


Official Website for Château Mouton Rothschild

Baron Philippe de Rothschild official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Rothschild family residences Bordeaux wine producers Primum Familiae Vini