It was 1853, in France the Second Empire under Napoleon III was engaged in various wars including the Crimean War. Commerce was growing and the vines in Pauillac in the region of Bordeaux, introduced by the Roman troops, were thriving. In the heart of Médoc, life at the court of Baron and banker Nathaniel de Rothschild was a whirlwind of parties and receptions. A lover of fine wine, he decided to purchase Château Brane Mouton at auction to delight his guests. He formed a new name from the two surnames and it was the birth of the legendary Château Mouton Rothschild, initially acquired for private use.
The situation had already begun to change by the following year when his great-grandson Baron Philippe de Rothschild took charge of the company. The turning point came in 1924 when Philippe decided to bottle the wine produced at the estate itself for the first time and asked publicist Jean Carlu to design the label. A lack of storage space became apparent after the first bottling and architect Charles Siclis constructed the spectacular Great Barrel Hall in 1926 to resolve this problem. A bold example of architecture that is still impressive today, not to mention an incredible wine cellar at natural temperature. The years passed quietly until the Second World War, a very difficult period for the Rothschilds, a well-known Jewish family. The Baron’s wife died in a concentration camp while his daughter Philippine was miraculously saved. The end of Nazism and peace was finally celebrated in 1945 with a label designed by artist Philippe Jullian which bore the V for victory to commemorate the allies. This symbol must have been a good omen, since 1945 is not only considered one of the best Mouton Rothschild vintages but is one of the most successful bottles in the world. This was also the year that started the tradition of illustrated labels, genuine works of art that saw collaborations with Picasso, Chagall, Mirò, Braque, Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Dalì, Balthus, Jeff Koons and even Prince Charles.
The fame of this Château continued to grow until in 1973 it finally received the long-awaited First Great Growth status, having been undeservedly excluded from the 1855 classification. Mouton Rothschild therefore officially became a part of the small circle of the most important wines in the world, which it had effectively always been a part of. In 1988, when the Baron died, his daughter Philippine de Rothschild gave up her career as an actress to take over the future of the company. It was at a Christie’s auction in Beverly Hills in 2006 that the Mouton Rothschild 1945 was declared the most expensive wine in the world after 12 bottles sold for 290,000 dollars. An icon for all intents and purposes, it is mentioned in numerous books and films. It appears for example in John Updike’s “Friends from Philadelphia and other stories” in the legendary 007 film “Diamonds are Forever”, in the short story “The Butler” by Roald Dahl and in a scene from the film “Weekend at Bernie’s”. Since 2014, Philippine’s three children have run the company with skill and passion. The property currently consists of approximately 90 hectares of vines, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. In our last auction in November, 12 bottles from 2000 sold for 15,000 euros. The name Mouton Rothschild is surely destined for greatness for many more years to come.
by Luisa Bianconi

THE WINES AND SPIRITS DEPARTMENT