“Happiness, like a fine wine, should be savored sip by sip.”
– Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach
I have reached 75! Each wine, each region, each varietal that I have written about in this series has brought me to where I am on my oenological journey.
47. Château Mouton Rothschild – “Premier ne puis. Second ne daigne. Mouton suis.”
Let me be clear at the onset: Château Mouton Rothschild, located in Pauillac, is my favorite Left Bank wine. I love everything about the Château. Their second wine, Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, is an excellent wine in its own right. I have it in my cellar. This vineyard has it all. It has history, beauty, and wines that are in a league of their own.
Emperor Napoleon III mandated that the best wines of Bordeaux should be classified. Red wines reigned supreme, as white wines were of lesser quality at that time, other than white wines from Sauterne and Barsac. This resulted in the wines being ranked from first to fifth growths (Cru) by Les Grands Crus classés en 1855 (the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855). The wines were ranked according to the château’s reputation and trading price, as determined by wine brokers designated by Napoleon.
Four Châteaux were designated Premier Grand Cru or First Growth. Château Mouton Rothschild was named a Second Growth, much to its dismay. Its motto was, “Premier ne puis. Second ne daigne. Mouton suis,” which means, “First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am.”
The initial four Cru remained unchanged until 1973, following, how do I say this charitably, “intense lobbying” by Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Château Mouton Rothschild was named the fifth Premier Grand Cru. The Château changed its motto as a result. The new motto became, “Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change,” which means, “First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.”
Baron Philippe, a visionary and man of arts and letters, began managing the winery in 1922. He instituted many changes, such as being the first to bottle wine at the estate, thereby assuming total control of the wine production.
Prior to Baron Phillippe, a château would send their juice in barrels to the wine merchant following the harvest. The négociants, or wine traders, would mature the wine and distribute it. Paper labels became de rigueur beginning around 1860. The négociants would design and apply the labels to the bottles. Often, the négociant’s name would rival that of the château.
The Château Mouton vineyard is exceptional. The wine cellar and the Grand Chai, or Great Barrel Hall, are magnificent, but there is something else that makes Mouton different from all other vineyards: the Museum of Wine in Art. Château Mouton has a museum dedicated to wine. It features rare tapestries, furniture, jewelry, paintings, crystals, and so much more from all over the world, all related to wine. The museum also features Mouton’s unique wine labels. Unfortunately, photographs are not allowed inside the museum. I had heard about the museum, but now I was going to get to see it for myself.
Château Mouton’s paper wine labels were similar to other labels found on New World wines until 1924. Before that time, a wine’s paper label was very generic, containing only the name of the château, the AOC, and similar information. Baron Phillippe hired artist Jean Carlu to design a work of art for the bottle. It was not well accepted, and traditional labels were used until the 1945 vintage.
Baron Phillippe commissioned a new label to commemorate the Allied victory over the Germans in World War II. This time, the artwork was well accepted, and a tradition of Château Mouton’s unique label artwork began.
Each vintage’s artwork is different. Artists vie, cajole, inveigle, and even beg to design a Château Mouton label, but the Château selects the artist. The roster of artists who have designed artwork for Mouton’s label is a veritable who’s who: Artists such as Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, Joan Mirô, and Marc Chagall have done labels.
Actor, film director, and bon vivant John Huston, the director of the classic film The Maltese Falcon and father of actor Angelica Huston did a remarkable label for the 1982 vintage. I only found out John Huston was an artist when I saw his label. Other artists who have done wine labels include Wassily Kandinsky, David Hockney, Jeff Koons, and Keith Herring. Mouton even got HRH (then Prince, now King) Charles III of the United Kingdom to do the artwork for the 2004 vintage. The featured artist’s name is kept under wraps, and the name is treated like a state secret until it is released. I was told that the artists are not paid, but they do get a few bottles of their wine.
My group went to the tasting room after we left the Museum of Wine in Art. We were going to have a tasting of Château Mouton Rothschild 2006 and Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2014. Both wines were exceptional. Enjoying them at the vineyard was one of my greatest wine experiences.
The Museum of Wine in Art has a gallery containing the original label artwork for each vintage since the original 1924 label by Jean Carlu, who was a famous poster artist from the early 20th century. I love going to museums. Going to a museum devoted to wine was Nirvana! The most unique label of all, for me, was not a paper label, but the gold etched label for the 2000 vintage commemorating the Millennium.
This bottle holds a special meaning to me. My ex-wife Iruka, who gave me the best and most creative gifts, presented me with a bottle of Mouton 2000 as a birthday gift many years ago. I shared a Mouton 2000 with friends a few years ago. This wine was the deepest, inkiest purple with noticeable sediment. It was complex, textured, and balanced yet had nuanced layers of succulent fruits. The nose had bold notes of violets, kirsch, blackberry, tobacco, and chocolate, with a hint of cedar.
The palate surpassed the nose. It was full-bodied and reminiscent of Catherine Deneuve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The fruits were dried with a heightened sweetness. The acidity was medium to full, and rounded tannins have clearly softened over the years. The wine had a lingering finish that I still yearn for. It is the single greatest bottle of wine I have had in my life.
Fortunately, I still have the bottle Iruka gave me.
Santé
To have a gourmet palate so talented to appreciate such amazing wines at times must be like tasting Heaven. I really enjoyed reading this memoir. It was like a journey of my own. Thank you, Andras.
P.S. I love the artistry of wine-bottle labels, always have.