Château
Mouton Rothschild
PAUILLAC
Château Mouton Rothschild, a Premier Cru Classé since 1973, now belongs to Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, the three children of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and grandchildren of the legendary Baron Philippe.
The château is managed by Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A., the family firm responsible for the viticulture activities. The estate comprises 83 hectares of vines in Pauillac, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%), and boasts an exceptional terroir, both for the quality of its soil and its exposure to sunlight. Combining respect for tradition with the latest technology, meticulous care and attention are given from grape to bottle: hand picking, manual and optical sorting, fermentation vats with transparent staves, maturing in new oak barrels, etc.
Château Mouton Rothschild’s long, proud history can be summarized in a few key dates.
In 1853, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, from the English branch of the family, acquired Château Brane-Mouton, which he renamed Château Mouton Rothschild.
In 1922, his great-grandson, Baron Philippe (1902-1988), took the future of the estate into his own hands. The 65 years of his reign bear the stamp of his strong personality, his spirit of enterprise and his openness to new ideas.
In 1924, he was the first to introduce château bottling.
In 1926, he built the famous Grand Chai, the majestic 100-metre great barrel hall that remains a major attraction of the Mouton tour.
1945, the Victory year that concluded the Second World War, heralded the start of an exciting collection of artworks created each year by famous painters for the Mouton label.
1962 saw the inauguration of the Museum of Wine in Art. Located next to the Great Barrel Hall, it contains a collection of precious objects devoted to the vine and wine spanning three millennia which draws thousands of visitors every year.
In 1988, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild (1933-2014) succeeded her father at the head of the estate, becoming in her turn the guarantor of the quality of this illustrious wine. In 1981, she had already decided to honour the close link between art and wine by creating “Paintings for the Labels”, a travelling exhibition devoted to the artists who have illustrated each vintage of Mouton.
In 1991, she created Aile d’Argent, a white wine made from grapes grown on a few hectares of vines on the Mouton estate planted with Sauvignon Blanc (57%), Sémillon (42%) and Muscadelle (1%).
In 1993, Mouton also began to produce a second wine for the first time: le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild.
In 2013, Baroness Philippine crowned the renovation of Mouton with the inauguration of a new vat room and an exhibition space for “Paintings for the Labels”, now permanently on display in the heart of the estate.
2014: Philippe Sereys de Rothschild succeeded his mother as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. He had been Vice Chairman since 2006. Following in his mother’s and grandfather’s footsteps and in close collaboration with his sister and his brother, he is determined to continue to enhance the quality and reputation of this family-owned First Growth.