Château Mouton-Rothschild

Château Mouton Rothschild is one of the most famous names in the fine wine world, with a reputation for producing incredibly complex, harmonious and long-lived red Bordeaux.

The story began in 1853, when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild bought Château Brane-Mouton and renamed it Mouton Rothschild. The 90-hectare estate is in the heart of Pauillac, an appellation famous for the outstanding quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blends.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild took over the ownership of the Estate in 1922. He was an innovator and revolutionised how things were done in Bordeaux, with many firsts that have been subsequently widely adopted. This includes the introduction of bottling at the Château, a practice that had up until then been virtually unheard of.

Iconic labels are also a feature of Mouton. In 1945, to commemorate the Allied victory, the artist Philippe Jullian was commissioned to design the emblematic ‘V for Victory’ label. This started a tradition of different artists painting a label for each vintage which continues to this day. Works by Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and David Hockney have featured on Mouton labels and helped to strengthen the reputation of the Château and collectability of the wines. The artists have reputedly never been paid for their work but have received wines from Mouton Rothschild.

After missing out in the original 1855 Classification, Baron Philippe de Rothschild achieved his main goal of promotion of Château Mouton Rothschild to First-Growth status in 1973.

The Mouton vineyard is mostly situated on a small hill called the ‘Plateau du Mouton’, which has ideal terroir of deep gravelly well-drained soils planted with over 80% of Cabernet Sauvignon along with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a small amount of Petit Verdot. Viticulture and vinification are meticulous at every step, ensuring the highest quality in the finished wines.

The Grand Vin is characterised by its richness of cassis aromas and flavours and firm tannic structure that enables the wines to age gracefully over many years and develop incredible complexity and multi-faceted aromatic intensity. In 1993, their second wine, Le Petit Mouton, was created using younger vines that do not go into the Grand Vin. Since the 1991 vintage, Mouton has produced an exceptional white called Aile d’Argent from seven hectares planted with the classic blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle.

Château Mouton Rothschild has produced numerous exceptional vintages that are frequently offered for sale at Christie’s. Arguably the 1945 is the most renowned and sought-after, an amazingly complex and intense long-lived wine that is still drinking superbly today that was produced under exceptional circumstances towards the end of World War II.

Other highlights include the superlative 1929, 1947, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. The 2000 vintage has become highly collectable due to the ‘Augsburg Ram’ gold enamelling on the glass.