【1855 Grand Cru First Growth】
【In 2012, Mouton Rothschild's new winery was officially opened】
【James Suckling 97 pts】
【Wine Advocate 96 pts】
【Vinous 95 pts】
【Vivino 4.5】
ZTF096A Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2012
Special price: $3480/bottle
Region / Grade: Pauillac
Grape variety: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot
Alcohol content: 12.5%
Chateau Mouton Rothschild is located in the Pauillac appellation and is also known as Chateau Wudang. In the 1855 classification, it shares first growth honors with Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Haut-Brion. Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion share the distinction of Premier Cru.
Mouton Rothschild's relationship with the Rothschild family began in 1853 when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, wishing to serve his own wines to his guests, purchased Chateau Brane-Mouton-Rothschild, the predecessor of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Baron Philippe de Rothschild became the owner of Château Brane-Mouton in 1922, after having purchased the former Château Brane-Mouton and renamed it Château Mouton. In the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Mouton Rothschild was classified as a second growth. Baron Philippe was determined to make a breakthrough in the world of Mouton Rothschild, and thus revolutionized the Château.
In 1924, he revolutionized the wine world by bottling his own wines on the estate, a decision that was followed by other châteaux, and in 1926, he built a new 100-meter-long cellar to increase the estate's wine storage capacity. Baron Philippe also sought to link Mouton Rothschild to the arts. Almost every year since 1945, a contemporary artist has been invited to paint the labels of Mouton Rothschild's official wines with his original works of art. Thanks to Baron Philippe's tireless efforts, Mouton Rothschild was finally promoted to First Growth in 1973, making it the only winery so far to have broken the 1855 classification, and Baron Philippe passed away in 1988, leaving his only daughter, Baroness Baronne Philippine de Rothschild, to end her career and continue the family's entire history. Baron Philippine de Rothschild's only daughter, Baroness Baronne Philippine de Rothschild, ended her career as an actress and continued the family's business, guiding the Mouton Rothschild Group and the family company, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, forward.
In addition to succeeding her father's Opus One in Napa Valley, Baroness Philippine has also established Almaviva Winery, a joint venture with Concha y Toro in Chile, to promote the spirit of Mouton Rothschild around the world. In addition, Baroness Philippine has further strengthened the link between Mouton Rothschild and art by launching a touring exhibition “Mouton Rothschild - Paintings for the Labels”, which showcases original works of art by renowned painters of Mouton labels to the public around the world. 2006 was the year in which Christie's launched the “Mouton Rothschild - Paintings for the Labels”. In 2006, a group of 12 bottles of Mouton Rothschild 1945 fetched $290,000 at Christie's, while a group of 6 magnums (1500ml) of the same vintage fetched $345,000, making it one of the world's most expensive wine collectibles. 2014 saw the death of Baroness Philippine, and the deaths of three of her children - Camille, Philippe, and Philippe. Camille, Philippe and Julien became co-owners of the estate, and together they continue the family tradition of excellence.
Mouton Rothschild adopts a modern approach to vineyard management, employing viticultural experts to oversee the vineyards. From cultivation to pruning and thinning, from tracking the ripening of the grapes to harvesting by hand, everything is done to perfection. Today, Château Mouton has 90 hectares of vineyards, most of which are located on a hill called “Plateau de Mouton”, a series of small round hills at an altitude of 40 meters. The soil is deep gravel with good drainage and heat storage, which is conducive to slow ripening of the grapes. The vineyard is planted with 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot at a density of approximately 10,000 vines/hectare with an average age of 44 years. In addition, the estate contains 7 hectares of excellent plots for the production of high quality white wines, planted with 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 11% Sauvignon Gris and 1% Muscadelle at a density of 9,000 vines/hectare.
During the harvest season, the grapes are hand-picked and sorted by hand, and the carefully selected grapes are placed into fermentation vats by gravity alone, in moving chutes. Thus, the grapes are not subjected to any unnatural pressures or constraints from the moment they are picked to the moment they enter the fermentation vats, but remain in their natural and pure state. At the end of the fermentation, the wine was transferred to new oak barrels to mature for about 20 months. In 2012, Mouton Rothschild opened a new winemaking cellar that combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. The cellar is divided into two floors supported by metal pillars. Inside, there are oak barrels and stainless steel tanks of various sizes, and these fermentation vessels correspond to the different plots and varieties in the vineyard to optimize the winemaking process.
