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In 1853, an English member of the Rothschild family, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, purchased the property then called Chateau Brane-Mouton and renamed it Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. In 1922, his great grandson, the legendary Baron Philippe, took its destiny into his own hands, and gave it a new start.
Château Mouton Rothschild
The sixty years of his ownership bear, the stamp of his strong personnality, his entrepreneurial flair and his sens of innovation.
In 1924, he initiated the hitherto unusual practice of bottling all production at the Chateau. This innovation brought with it the need for more storage capacity. In 1926, he built the famous 100 meter long "Grand Chai". In 1945, Baron Philippe conceived the original idea of crowning the Mouton label with a work of art created for this purpose by famous artists: Miró, Chagall, Braque, Picasso, Warhol, Bacon, Balthus, among others. In 1962, he created at Mouton the "Museum of Wine in Art" which displays a priceless collection of art works relating to wine and the vine.
After a twenty-year battle, Baron Philippe obtained a revision of the 1855 Classification and in 1973, Mouton-Rothschild became officially a Premier Cru Classé.
Since her father's death in 1988, Baroness Philippine has assumed control of Mouton-Rothschild, enhancing still further its quality and reputation around the world.
Baroness Philippine de Rothschild
Baroness Philippine de Rothschild is the owner, with her children, of three great Châteaux at Pauillac in the Médoc: Château Mouton Rothschild, Premier Cru Classé, Château d'Armailhac and Château Clerc Milon. She is Chairman of the Supervisory Board and majority shareholder of the family company, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, the leading exporter of AOC Bordeaux wines, foremost among them the famous Mouton Cadet.
Baroness Philippine de Rothschild with her two sons, Philippe and Julien
Philippine de
Rothschild was a child in occupied France during the Second World
War. Her father had joined General de Gaulle in London; meanwhile
her mother was arrested by the Nazis and deported to Ravensbrück,
where she died in 1945. Philippine herself miraculously escaped
capture and death.
Stage-struck, in 1958
she graduated from the Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique in
Paris with two major awards and a contract with the Comédie
Française, where she played many roles in both classical and modern
theatre. While there, she met and married the actor and director
Jacques Sereys, from whom she is now divorced. She has three
children: Camille, born in 1961, Philippe, in 1963, and Julien, in
1971.
After leaving the
Comédie Française in 1964, she continued her career, and in 1973,
shared the stage with Madeleine Renaud in one of the leading roles
in Harold and Maude. The play was a tremendous success and
ran in repertory for seven years.
During the 1980s, as
the health of her father, Baron Philippe, declined, she became
increasingly involved in the life of Mouton and the family business.
She began in 1981 by creating a travelling exhibition, "Mouton
Rothschild, Paintings for the Labels", which introduced a wide
public to the original works of art created since 1945 by famous
painters for the Château Mouton Rothschild labels. At the same time,
she took part in numerous high-profile events and promotional
initiatives throughout the world.
Since her father's
death in 1988, Philippine de Rothschild has assumed all his duties
and responsibilities. She has raised ever higher the star of Mouton,
an illustrious wine and a prime tourist attraction, she has
modernised the facilities of the family Company, made it
commercially even more effective, and successfully established it in
several major wine-growing regions in France and abroad, producing
both premium and branded wines :
- Premium wines: At Mouton, creation in 1991 of
a premium white wine, Aile d'Argent, and in 1994 of a second
wine for Mouton Rothschild, Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild. In Pays d'Oc,
acquisition in 1998 of Domaine de Lambert, currently being
renovated. In California, opening in 1991 of a magnificent
semi-circular winery at Opus One. In Chile, creation in 1997
of a premium red wine, Almaviva, with a bodega built of
the finest wood, completed in 2000.
- Branded wines:
Inauguration in 1993 of an ultra-modern winery near Pauillac
and creation of new brands: in 1995, the Heritage Range; in
1998, Mouton Cadet Réserve white and red. In Pays d'Oc, launch
in 1995 of a comprehensive range of red and white varietal
wines, and in 2000 of a blended red wine, Baron'arques. In
Chile, launch in 2000 of a range of varietal wines and a
blended red wine, Escudo
Rojo.
The company more than
doubled its consolidated annual turnover between 1988 and
2002.
Baroness Philippine de
Rothschild is a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur and
Officier des Arts et
Lettres. |