Château Mouton Rothschild

Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, of the English branch of the Rothschild family, bought Château Brane-Mouton at auction in 1853, and the estate at Pauillac took his name: Château Mouton Rothschild. In 1922 Nathaniel's great-grandson, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, barely 20 years old, took charge of the property he had inherited and led it for the rest of his life. His reign, from 1922 to his death in 1988, included pioneering château-bottling in 1924, launching the estate's artist-label tradition in 1945, and finally winning First Growth status in 1973. His first wife died at Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Second World War; in 1954 he married Pauline Fairfax Potter, with whom he later created Mouton's Museum of Wine in Art, inaugurated in 1962. On Baron Philippe's death in 1988, his only child, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild (1933-2014), inherited the estate together with her three children and became Chair of the Supervisory Board of the family company, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA. A stage actress before taking on the role, she launched the touring 'Paintings for the Labels' exhibition in 1981, created the dry white Aile d'Argent (first vintage 1991) and the second wine Le Petit Mouton (first vintage 1993), and modernised the estate's facilities. Since her death in 2014, her son Philippe Sereys de Rothschild has chaired the Supervisory Board and, since 2018, has also been Chairman and CEO of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA. He and his siblings, Camille Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, are co-owners of Mouton together with two other Pauillac classified growths the family acquired under Baron Philippe, Château d'Armailhac (bought in 1933, renamed from Château Mouton d'Armailhacq in 1989) and Château Clerc Milon (bought in 1970). Baron Philippe also partnered with California's Robert Mondavi to create Opus One, launched in 1979.

• Acquired at auction in 1853 by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild (English branch of the family); renamed from Château Brane-Mouton
• Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988) took charge in 1922 at barely 20 years old; pioneered château-bottling in 1924 and began the artist-label tradition in 1945
• Baroness Philippine de Rothschild (1933-2014) inherited the estate in 1988, shared with her three children; launched the 'Paintings for the Labels' touring exhibition in 1981
• Philippe Sereys de Rothschild has chaired the family company's Supervisory Board since 2014 and become its Chairman and CEO since 2018; he and siblings Camille Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild co-own Mouton with Château d'Armailhac (1933) and Château Clerc Milon (1970)
• Baron Philippe partnered with Robert Mondavi to create Opus One in California, launched in 1979

In the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Mouton Rothschild was ranked a Second Growth; the estate's own history describes this as an injustice from which it had been 'unfairly deprived.' Baron Philippe campaigned for the estate's promotion for decades. Per Wine Spectator's account of the classification, the 1973 change was 'the only formal revision' ever made to the original ranking, arriving 'after half a century of unceasing effort' by Baron Philippe. A decree signed by Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Agriculture, officially elevated Mouton to Premier Cru Classé that year. The National WWII Museum's account of the estate notes this was only the second time the 1855 Classification had ever been changed, and that the first change was comparatively minor. The promotion prompted a change of motto, from 'Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis' ('First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am.') to 'Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change' ('First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.'). That year's label was also dedicated to Pablo Picasso, who had died on 8 April 1973: rather than commissioning new work, Baron Philippe chose an existing 1959 watercolour from his own collection, a Bacchanale scene, used with the permission of Picasso's estate. By contrast, 1973 itself was not considered a great Bordeaux vintage, with heavy rain before harvest producing fruitier, more approachable wines than Mouton's stronger years.

• Ranked a Second Growth in the 1855 Classification; the estate's own history calls the ranking an injustice
• 1973: the only formal revision ever made to the 1855 Classification, per Wine Spectator, following decades of campaigning by Baron Philippe; decree signed by Jacques Chirac, then Minister of Agriculture
• Motto changed from 'Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis' to 'Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change' ('First I am, second I was, Mouton does not change')
• 1973 vintage label: a tribute to Pablo Picasso (died 8 April 1973), using an existing 1959 watercolour from Baron Philippe's own collection rather than a new commission

Mouton Rothschild's vineyard is largely situated on the Plateau de Mouton, rising to 27 metres above sea level in Pauillac, on deep, gravelly soil over a clay-limestone base. The estate's own site states the vineyard spans 90 hectares (222 acres), though a separate banner on the same site gives a figure of 84 hectares (207 acres); this article uses the 90-hectare figure, which appears with full supporting detail (density and average vine age) in the site's main descriptive text. The vineyard is planted at a density of 10,000 vines per hectare, with an average vine age of about 44 years, to Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%); the estate notes that actual vintage blends vary from these planting proportions. Grapes are hand-picked, sorted on vibrating tables, and fed into the fermentation vats by gravity alone. Fermentation takes place in a mix of 44 oak vats, fitted with transparent staves so the process can be monitored, and 20 stainless-steel vats sized to the estate's different parcels. After vinification the wine matures for about twenty months in new oak barrels, following traditional Médoc practices including egg-white fining.

• Plateau de Mouton, Pauillac: deep gravelly soil over a clay-limestone base; rises to 27 metres above sea level
• 90 hectares (222 acres) per the estate's main descriptive text (a separate page banner on the same site gives 84 hectares); 10,000 vines per hectare; average vine age about 44 years
• Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Petit Verdot (1%) as planted; actual vintage blends vary
• Fermented in 44 oak vats (transparent staves for monitoring) and 20 stainless-steel vats; matured about 20 months in new oak with egg-white fining

Baron Philippe de Rothschild commissioned the poster artist Jean Carlu to design a label for the 1924 vintage, the estate's first fully château-bottled year, but the idea was not repeated for two decades. In 1945, to mark the Allied victory and his own return to the estate, Philippe commissioned the artist Philippe Jullian to create the 'V for Victory' label; from then on, the label for each vintage has been illustrated with an original artwork created for Mouton by a contemporary artist, beginning the following year with Jean Hugo's 1946 label. The unbroken annual series since has included, among many others, Jean Cocteau (1947), Salvador Dalí (1958), Joan Miró (1969), Marc Chagall (1970), Pablo Picasso (1973, the posthumous tribute described above), Andy Warhol (1975) and Gerhard Richter (2015). Baroness Philippine de Rothschild brought the collection to the public in 1981 with the touring exhibition 'Mouton Rothschild - Paintings for the Labels,' which has since been shown in more than forty museums worldwide. The original artworks have been on permanent display in a dedicated gallery next to the estate's vat room, in cases designed by Francis Lacloche, since 2013.

• 1924: Jean Carlu's label for the château's first fully bottled vintage was an isolated initiative, not repeated for two decades
• 1945: Philippe Jullian's 'V for Victory' label marked the Allied victory; the unbroken annual series began the following year with Jean Hugo's 1946 label
• Artists represented include Jean Cocteau (1947), Salvador Dalí (1958), Joan Miró (1969), Marc Chagall (1970), Pablo Picasso (1973), Andy Warhol (1975) and Gerhard Richter (2015)
• 'Paintings for the Labels' travelling exhibition launched by Baroness Philippine in 1981, shown in over forty museums; the originals have been in a permanent on-site gallery since 2013

At the 1976 'Judgment of Paris' blind tasting, Mouton's 1970 vintage placed second among the red wines, just behind Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon and ahead of Château Haut-Brion 1970 and Château Montrose 1970, the best result of any French wine in the tasting. The 1945 'Victory Vintage' has drawn some of the estate's strongest reviews. Heavy frosts on 2 May 1945 sharply cut the Médoc's crop before a hot, dry summer produced super-ripe grapes; Mouton's own harvest that year, at a yield of roughly 10 hectolitres per hectare, produced about 74,422 bottles, the estate's smallest vintage since 1915. Robert Parker scored the 1945 100 points in a February 1996 Wine Advocate review, calling it 'truly one of the immortal wines of the century.' Wine Advocate's Lisa Perrotti-Brown also scored it 100 points in an October 2019 retasting, and Jancis Robinson gave a bottle tasted that same September 19 out of 20 points, calling it the 'essence of ripe claret.' Michael Broadbent, longtime head of wine at Christie's, called the 1945 'simply unmistakable,' and Decanter has named it to its 'Wine Legend' list; as of Decanter's most recent update on the wine, single bottles were listed at about £15,900 through a UK retailer and $23,222.89 through a California retailer. Robert Parker also awarded 100 points to the 1982 and 1986 vintages.

• 1970 vintage: second among the reds at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, behind Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973 and ahead of Château Haut-Brion 1970
• 1945 'Victory Vintage': frost-reduced crop, about 10 hl/ha yield, roughly 74,422 bottles produced, the estate's smallest vintage since 1915
• 1945: 100 points from Robert Parker (Wine Advocate, February 1996, 'truly one of the immortal wines of the century') and from Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate, October 2019); Jancis Robinson scored it 19/20 in September 2019
• Robert Parker also scored the 1982 and 1986 vintages 100 points; Decanter has named the 1945 to its 'Wine Legend' list

Mouton's second wine, Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, is made from selected younger vines within the First Growth vineyard, using the same harvesting, fermentation and ageing methods as the grand vin. It was first produced with the 1993 vintage under the name 'Le Second Vin de Mouton Rothschild,' taking its current name the following year; 'Petit Mouton' refers to Baroness Philippine de Rothschild's residence on the estate. Its label, chosen by Baroness Philippine, is based on a 1927 Art Deco drawing by Jean Carlu, the same artist who designed Mouton's first label in 1924. The estate also produces a dry white, Aile d'Argent, planted at Philippine de Rothschild's initiative in the early 1980s and first bottled with the 1991 vintage. It is made from Sauvignon Blanc (53%), Sémillon (35%), Sauvignon Gris (11%) and Muscadelle (1%) planted at a density of 9,000 vines per hectare, with about half the wine matured in new oak barrels.

• Le Petit Mouton: second wine from selected younger vines; first vintage 1993 (as 'Le Second Vin de Mouton Rothschild'), took its current name in 1994
• Le Petit Mouton's label is based on a 1927 Art Deco drawing by Jean Carlu, designer of Mouton's original 1924 label
• Aile d'Argent: dry white planted in the early 1980s, first vintage 1991; Sauvignon Blanc (53%), Sémillon (35%), Sauvignon Gris (11%), Muscadelle (1%) at 9,000 vines per hectare
• About half of Aile d'Argent is matured in new oak barrels

Primary sources (producer's own site, fetched as raw page text via curl and a local HTML-to-text script, not a summarizing tool): https://www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com/, .../the-history/history, .../the-history/the-history-of-mouton/from-marquis-to-barons, .../from-baron-philippe, .../to-baroness-philippine, .../the-history/key-dates/ (1853, 1924, 1926, 1933, 1945, 1962, 1973, 1981, 1988, 1991, 1993, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2014), .../the-history/portraits/ (Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Julien de Beaumarchais), .../the-vineyard/the-terroir, .../the-vineyard/from-vine-to-wine, .../the-house/the-mouton-style, .../the-house/the-labels-room, .../chateau-mouton-rothschild, .../le-petit-mouton-de-mouton-rothschild, .../aile-dargent, .../label-art/discover-the-artwork (and its Pablo Picasso artist page), .../contact. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator ('The 1855 Bordeaux Classification'), Stag's Leap Wine Cellars ('Judgment of Paris'), The National WWII Museum ('Mouton Rothschild and the 1945 Victory Vintage,' April 2020), Decanter ('Wine Legend: Château Mouton Rothschild 1945,' last updated 30 September 2020), Wine-Chronicles.com (Mouton Rothschild 1986, October 2025), Farr Vintners (1945 tasting-note listing, quoting Wine Advocate issue 103), Paskamer Amsterdam (Mouton Rothschild 1973 and the Picasso label). Last verified 2026-09-09. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json.