Baron Philippe de Rothschild

Philippe, Baron de Rothschild was born on 13 April 1902 in Paris, the younger son of Baron Henri de Rothschild and great-grandson of Baron Nathaniel, who had purchased Chateau Brane Mouton in 1853 and renamed it Chateau Mouton Rothschild. His family had been involved in winemaking since 1853, but neither his father nor grandfather had shown much active interest in the estate. That changed dramatically when, at the outbreak of World War I, the young Philippe was sent to the family's vineyard in Pauillac in the Médoc, where he fell in love with the wine business. By 1922, aged just 20, he took full control of the estate. A man of extraordinary breadth, Philippe was simultaneously a Grand Prix motor racing driver (competing under the pseudonym Georges Philippe in Bugatti cars, including a fourth place at the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix), a screenwriter, playwright, theatrical and film producer, poet, and translator of Elizabethan literature. He ran the Theatre Pigalle from 1924 to 1931. World War II dealt him devastating personal loss: his first wife, Elisabeth Pelletier de Chambure, was deported by the Gestapo and died at Ravensbrück concentration camp in 1945. In 1954 he married Pauline Fairfax Potter, an American decorator from Philadelphia, with whom he co-created the Museum of Wine in Art at Mouton. He remained active in the wine business until his death on 20 January 1988 at the age of 85.

• Born 13 April 1902 in Paris; great-grandson of Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild who purchased Mouton in 1853
• Took control of Chateau Mouton Rothschild in 1922 at age 20, finding the estate still lit by candlelight and relying on well-water
• Competed in Grand Prix motor racing under the pseudonym Georges Philippe, finishing fourth at the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix
• Withdrew from motorsport in 1929 to devote himself fully to the family wine business

Among Baron Philippe's most consequential decisions was his insistence in 1924 that all Mouton Rothschild wine be bottled at the chateau rather than shipped in barrels to Bordeaux negociants. Before this change, Bordeaux chateaux routinely delivered their wines in casks to merchants in the city, who then handled aging, bottling, and sales. This meant that owners had no control or guarantee over what was in bottles bearing their name. By bottling on site, Baron Philippe asserted the role and responsibility of the top-growth owners, wresting power away from the all-powerful Bordeaux trade and ensuring complete quality control from vine to finished bottle. The decision, soon taken up by other chateaux, required significant new storage infrastructure at Mouton itself: the spectacular 100-metre Grand Chai (Great Barrel Hall), designed by architect Charles Siclis, was built in 1926 to accommodate the new bottling operations. Also in 1924, to commemorate the first estate-bottled vintage, Baron Philippe commissioned Cubist artist Jean Carlu to design a special label, a visionary idea that proved ahead of its time and was not repeated until the permanent artist-label tradition began in 1945.

• In 1924, Baron Philippe insisted all Mouton wine be bottled at the chateau, the first Bordeaux owner to do so consistently
• Previously, wine was delivered in barrels to negociants who bottled and sold it, removing chateau control over the finished product
• The Grand Chai (Great Barrel Hall), designed by architect Charles Siclis, was built in 1926 to provide the needed storage capacity
• Cubist artist Jean Carlu designed the 1924 label to mark the change; the permanent artist-label tradition did not begin until 1945

Baron Philippe de Rothschild pioneered the use of original artworks on wine labels, creating one of the most celebrated traditions in the world of fine wine. The first artistic label appeared on the 1924 vintage, designed by poster artist Jean Carlu to celebrate the inaugural chateau-bottled harvest. The idea was ahead of its time and lapsed until after World War II, when Baron Philippe commissioned a 'V for Victory' motif for the celebrated 1945 vintage. The following year the tradition became permanent: from 1945 onward, each vintage's label features an original artwork specially created by a contemporary artist. Artists received a distinctive payment: five cases of that year's vintage plus five cases chosen from the Rothschild cellars, rather than a fee. The roster of contributors reads as a who's who of 20th-century art. From 1955, the labels became a showcase for major international artists including Georges Braque, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso (whose label marked the 1973 reclassification vintage and was a posthumous tribute), Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, and Keith Haring. The tradition has been continued after Baron Philippe's death, with each new generation commissioning artists such as Jeff Koons (2010) and Chiharu Shiota (2021). The popularity of the label images means that auction prices for older Mouton vintages are often higher than those of other First Growths whose labels do not change.

• The artist-label tradition began experimentally in 1924 with Jean Carlu and became a permanent annual feature from the 1945 vintage onwards
• Artists receive five cases of the relevant vintage plus five cases from the Rothschild cellars as payment, rather than a monetary fee
• Major contributors include Picasso (1973), Dali (1958), Miro (1969), Chagall (1970), Warhol (1975), Braque (1955), Bacon, Haring, and Moore
• The 1993 Balthus label was rejected by US regulators for its nude depiction; blank-label US bottles are now collector's items alongside the standard version

Baron Philippe de Rothschild spent decades campaigning for one of the most audacious goals in the history of wine: changing the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. When the classification was established for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1855, Mouton Rothschild was placed as a Second Growth, even though its market prices were often equal to those of the First Growths. Baron Philippe called this exclusion a 'monstrous injustice.' From the moment he took control in 1922, he adopted a defiant motto: 'Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis' (First I may not be, Second I will not be, Mouton I am). For roughly twenty years he fought publicly to have Mouton elevated, even as his own cousins at Chateau Lafite Rothschild were among the last to relent. His persistence finally succeeded in 1973, when a decree signed by Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Agriculture, officially elevated Chateau Mouton Rothschild to Premier Cru Classe status. To this day, Mouton remains the only property ever to have been promoted within the 1855 Classification. Baron Philippe immediately updated the estate's motto to reflect his triumph: 'Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change' (First I am, Second I was, Mouton does not change). The 1973 vintage label was simultaneously a tribute to Pablo Picasso, who had died that same year on 8 April.

• Mouton was classified Second Growth in 1855 despite prices rivaling First Growths; Baron Philippe called this a 'monstrous injustice'
• His original motto, adopted at the start of his tenure, was 'First I may not be, Second I will not be, Mouton I am'
• In 1973, a decree signed by Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Agriculture, officially promoted Mouton to Premier Cru Classe status
• Mouton remains the only property ever to have been successfully reclassified within the 1855 Bordeaux Classification

Baron Philippe's ambitions extended well beyond the walls of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. In 1930, dissatisfied with the quality of that year's harvest but recognizing the wine was still of good quality, he created a new, accessible brand rather than release an inferior product under the chateau's prestigious label. He called it Mouton Cadet, a name reflecting both his ownership of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and his status as the family's younger son (cadet in French). Mouton Cadet grew into the world's leading Bordeaux AOC branded wine. In 1933, the acquisition of neighboring Chateau Mouton d'Armailhacq (a Fifth Growth) brought with it the negociant firm Societe Vinicole de Pauillac, which became the foundation for what was formally incorporated as Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA in 1956. The portfolio expanded further with the acquisition of Chateau Clerc Milon, another Pauillac Fifth Growth, in 1970. In 1979, Baron Philippe entered his most celebrated international partnership, founding Opus One with Californian wine legend Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley, producing the first Franco-Californian ultra-premium wine made and matured in the Bordeaux tradition. Today, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA manages three classified Pauillac growths (Mouton Rothschild, Clerc Milon, and d'Armailhac), produces branded wines including Mouton Cadet, and has international ventures including Almaviva (Chile, with Concha y Toro) and Opus One. The company, headquartered at the Centre Baron Philippe in Pauillac, produces approximately 23 million bottles annually, of which around 80 percent are exported.

• Mouton Cadet was created in 1930 and has become the world's leading Bordeaux AOC branded wine
• Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA was formally incorporated in 1956, rooted in the Societe Vinicole de Pauillac acquired in 1933
• Opus One, the pioneering Franco-Californian joint venture with Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley, was created in 1979
• The company today manages three classified Pauillac growths and produces approximately 23 million bottles per year, exporting around 80 percent

Baron Philippe de Rothschild died on 20 January 1988 at the age of 85, having presided over Chateau Mouton Rothschild for more than 60 years. His only child, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild (1933-2014), a successful stage actress who had begun working with her father in the early 1980s, stepped in to lead the family company. She built on her father's foundations with considerable skill, completing the Opus One winery building in 1991, launching the Almaviva joint venture with Concha y Toro in Chile in 1997 (with the first 1998 vintage released to worldwide acclaim), acquiring Domaine de Baronarques in Languedoc in 1998, and overseeing a complete renovation of the Mouton Rothschild winery completed in 2013. Philippine also introduced Chateau Mouton Rothschild's white wine, Aile d'Argent, in 1991, and formalized the second wine, Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, in 1994. Baroness Philippine died in August 2014. Since then, her three children, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild (who serves as Chairman and CEO of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA), Camille Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, continue the family's stewardship of an empire their grandfather built from visionary genius, relentless ambition, and a deep love of art.

• Baroness Philippine de Rothschild succeeded her father in 1988, leading the company until her death in 2014
• Philippine launched the Almaviva joint venture with Concha y Toro in Chile in 1997, with the first vintage released in 1998
• She introduced Aile d'Argent white wine in 1991 and formalized Le Petit Mouton as the second wine of Mouton Rothschild in 1994
• Since 2014, Philippine's three children, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, are co-owners and managers