Château Mouton Rothschild

About Château Mouton Rothschild

Château Mouton Rothschild is in Pauillac, in the Haut-Médoc on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. The estate was originally called Château Brane-Mouton and took its present name after Nathaniel de Rothschild acquired it in 1853. It was classified as a Deuxième Cru Classé in 1855. In 1973, Mouton Rothschild was officially elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé, the sole change of rank within the original 1855 classification.

Its vineyards occupy Pauillac’s characteristic deep gravel ridges, with clay occurring in parts of the subsoil. Gravel offers drainage and stores heat, conditions particularly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon. That variety usually provides the backbone of the red blends, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot contributing according to the vintage. The Pauillac signature here is cassis, cedar, graphite, cigar-box notes and firm but ripe tannins. With bottle age, the wines gain aromatic complexity and a more supple texture.

During the 1920s, the château began bottling its wine at the estate rather than sending it to merchants for bottling, an important development in controlling provenance and quality. Since the 1945 vintage, Mouton has also been known for labels commissioned from artists. The Grand Vin, Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac, is the house’s central wine and is built for long ageing. Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is the second wine: still recognisably Pauillac, but generally more approachable earlier. Aile d’Argent is the estate’s dry white Bordeaux, made with varieties including Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle. The listed range also includes En Hommage À Pauline Pauillac. Together, these wines reflect a producer best known for powerful, refined and long-lived red Pauillac.

• Premier Grand Cru Classé since 1973
• The only promotion in the 1855 classification
• Based in Pauillac, Haut-Médoc
• Estate bottling began in the 1920s
• Artist labels have appeared since the 1945 vintage
• The leading reds have substantial ageing potential

Sources: Wikipedia: Château Mouton Rothschild (CC BY-SA 4.0)