Classification: First Growth in 1973
VINEYARDS

surface area: 205 acres
grape varietals: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot average age of the vines: 46 years
density of plantation: 8,540 vines per acre
average yields: 40-50 hectoliters per hectare

WINEMAKING AND UPBRINGING
The harvest is done manually and put into small baskets. When it reaches the vat room, the entire crop is worked over on sorting tables prior to destemming in order to take away all the vegetal parts and keep only perfect berries. Afterward, berries are pulled down into vats by gravity.

The vats of Chateau Mouton Rothschild are all made of wood, and each block of the estate is vinified in accordance with the genuine art of winemaking. Alcoholic fermentation takes about one week.

After the fermenting/maceration period, which takes 4-5 weeks, the wines are poured directly into new oak barrels. Following the malolactic fermentation, the lots of wines are blended. Afterward the wine is aged in barrels for 18-22 months. The wines are regularly racked in a traditional man­ner every 4 months. The goal is to produce strong wines with good aging potential.

ANNUAL PRODUCTION
Chateau Mouton Rothschild: 300,000 bottles
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild: 43,000 bottles
Aile d'Argent (white Bordeaux): 13,000 bottles

GREAT RECENT VINTAGES
2003, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1989, 1986, 1982

In 1853, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, a member of the English branch of the family, bought Chateau Brane-Mouton and renamed it Chateau Mouton Roth­schild. In 1922, his great-grandson Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988) purchased the property.
In 1924, Baron Philippe was the first to introduce chateau bottling. In 1926, he built the famous grand chai, the 100-meter first-year cellar, which has become a major attraction for visitors to Mouton. In 1933, he en­larged the family estate by purchasing the neighboring Chateau Mouton d'Armailhacq, classified in 1855, and renamed Chateau d'Armailhac.

Mouton-Rothschild, the place and wine, are the singular creations of the late Baron Philippe de Roth­schild. No doubt when he took over the estate at the age of 21, his aspirations for Mouton were high. But he raised the estate's profile higher than anyone could have imagined. He has been the only person able to effectu­ate a change in the 1855 classification of the wines of the Medoc.

After many years of lobbying, in 1973, Mouton-Rothschild was officially classified a first growth. The flamboyant baron changed his defiant wine labels from "Premier nepuis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis" ("First I cannot be, second I will not call myself, Mouton I am") to "Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change" ("First I am, second I was, Mouton does not change").

The Baron died in January 1988, and his daughter, the equally charismatic Philippine, is now the spiritual head of this winemaking empire. She continues to re­ceive extraordinary assistance from the talented Mou­ton team led by Herve Berland.

The 2003, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1986, 1982, 1959, 1955, 1953, 1947, 1945, and 1929 are stunning examples of Mouton at its best. The 1990, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1974, 1973, 1967, and 1964 fell well below first-growth standards. Even the 1990 and 1989, two renowned vintages, produced wines that were surpris­ingly austere and lacking the concentration expected from a first growth in a superb vintage.

Nevertheless, the reasons for the commercial suc­cess of this wine are numerous. To begin with, the la­bels of Mouton are collector's items. Since 1945, Baron Philippe de Rothschild has commissioned an artist to do an annual painting, which is depicted on the top of the label. There has been no shortage of masters to ap­pear on the Mouton Rothschild labels, from such Euro­peans as Miro, Picasso, Chagall, and Cocteau, to the Americans Warhol, Motherwell, and, in 1982, John Huston. Second, the opulence of Mouton in the great vintages differs significantly in style from the austere el­egance of Lafite Rothschild and the powerful, tannic, dense, and muscular Latour. Third, the impeccably kept chateau itself, with its superb wine museum, is the Medoc's (and possibly the entire Bordeaux region's) top tourist attraction.