A first growth in the 1855 Classification, Château Mouton Rothschild has a long and storied history; wine has been made here since Roman times.
The estate has been in the Rothschild family since 1853, but it wasn’t until the arrival of Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1922 that its fortunes were transformed. Baron Philippe was a dynamic figure and revolutionised the estate. He was the first to introduce château-bottling, as early as 1924.
Baron Philippe also introduced the concept of commissioning an artist to design each new vintage’s label. Some of the most notable contributors include Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Anish Kapoor.
His daughter Baroness Philippine continued to help raise Ch. Mouton Rothschild to new heights with numerous endeavours, including the inauguration of a new vat house in 2013.
Today, her three children, Philippe and Camille Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, continue the efforts of their predecessors.
Following the retirement in 2020 of Philippe Dhalluin, the winemaking team is now headed up by Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy. Danjoy, who was already in place as Director at Ch. Clerc Milon, brings with him considerable experience. He had also worked alongside Dhalluin for over a decade.
The estate, which spans 83 hectares of vines, is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Merlot (18%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). The average age of the vines is around 45 years.
In style, the wines have immense appeal, with exotic, powerful aromas of cassis, minerals, tobacco leaf and graphite, backed by an opulence on the palate and impressive length on the finish. “Flamboyant” is a word sometimes used in tasting notes, and in comparative blind tastings this attribute is frequently what sets Mouton apart.
97+ Points Wine Advocate
Deep garnet in color, it sashays out of the glass with lavishly dressed, gregarious crème de cassis, baked blackberries and plum pudding scents plus touches of menthol, fenugreek, star anise and sandalwood with fleeting glimpses at dried rose petals and oolong tea. The full-bodied palate is richly fruited, opulent and oh-so seductive, with bags of youthful black fruit and lovely finely grained tannins, finishing with fantastic freshness and length.
96 Points Jeb Dunnuck
The 1996 Château Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 10% of Cabernet Franc. This beauty shows the fresh, clean, incredibly classic style of the vintage, offering vibrant dark fruits, spring flowers, tobacco, and coffee, and like many 1996s, there’s a wonderful, herbal freshness in the aromatics and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and focused on the palate, its tannins are nicely integrated, the balance is spot on, and this beauty is drinking incredibly well today. It should continue to evolve for another two decades.