Château Mouton-Rothschild
The Château |
The
Architectural Model |
The
Wine Cabinet
History
Château Mouton-Rothschild is the only estate to achieve promotion under the Official 1855
Classification of Medoc and Graves. Two years prior to the classification, Baron Nathaniel de
Rothschild bought the property – then known as Château Brane-Mouton – in what was a relatively
neglected state and immediately renamed it (to incorporate the family name) and started to
recondition the vineyards and facilities. Despite the wines selling for prices as high as those of
Château Lafite and Château Latour, the estate was awarded Second Growth status. However, following
the outstanding vintages produced by the estate in the 1870s and 1880s, this title was widely
considered to be unjust. Eventually, due to Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s many years of
campaigning and lobbying, Château Mouton-Rothschild was promoted to First Growth status in 1973.
Already the estate had received an injection of innovation when Baron Philippe took over management in 1922.
He took steps to guarantee authenticity for the consumer by introducing chateau-only bottling in 1924, a
ground-breaking move at the time, and one which would revolutionize wine-making practices in Bordeaux. The
cellar facility he built in 1926 to accommodate the bottling plant is a one hundred metre long barrel hall
that impresses visitors with its extravagance, as do the many collected works of fine art that line the walls
of the chateau.
Today, under the ownership of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Château Mouton-Rothschild makes some of
the most revered wines in the Medoc. Since 1945 each vintage has been labeled with a unique picture, designed
by a famous commissioned artist (Dali, Bacon and Warhol, amongst others), making these wines true collector’s
items.
Order top vintages of Château Mouton-Rothschild