Paul Delvaux
As collectors of wine labels we all know that some are colourful, others are humorous and some are distinctly boring! However, every now and again we come across a label that falls into the category of art.
In 1853, Baron Nathaniel Rothschild (1812-1870), a member of the English branch of the Rothschilds, purchased the Mouton estate from a Paris banker named Thuret who had previously bought it from Baron Hector de Branne in 1830.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild had managed the property since 1922 and became the proprietor on the death of his father Henri in 1947. Under his leadership the Chateau Mouton Rothschild has expanded to some 150+ hectares in production by acquiring Chateau Mouton Baron Pauline (sometimes known as Mouton Baron Philippe or Mouton d’Armailhacq) and Chateau Clerc-Milon.
Mouton requires some 140 permanent staff to look after the estate but because of the policy of Mouton to harvest the whole of the 150 hectares as quickly as possible, they bus in some 600 extra workers from Bordeaux and Pauillac.
The Baron’s daughter Baroness Philippine took over the running of the domain in 1988, but it was Baron Philippe, who in 1924 had the idea of entrusting the illustrating of the label that would adorn the first bottling of the Chateau to Jean Carlu, a famous artist of the time.
To celebrate the end of the war in 1945, it was decided to crown the label of that vintage with a "V" for Victory drawn by a young artist called Philippe Jullian. This started a tradition and from 1946 every year (except 1953 and 1977) a contemporary artist has been invited to create the label for the vintage of that year.
1953, the hundredth birthday of the acquisition of Château Mouton was celebrated by using a portrait of Baron Nathaniel on the label.
Georges Braque accepted the commission to design a label for the 1955 vintage of Mouton, and was followed by the engagement of many of the great modern and contemporary artists of the time including Masson, Dali, Villon, Mathieu, Matta, Alechinsky, Miro, Chagall, Soulages, Hartung, Arman etc.
The widow of Kandinsky, who died in 1944, authorised a reproduction of one of his pictures to appear on a Mouton label. Paloma, the daughter of Picasso, allowed his picture Bacchanale, that had for a long time been owned by the Mouton Museum, to be reproduced for the label of the 1973 vintage.
The owners of Mouton have always respected the freedom of creation of the artists although some artists included certain themes, the vine, the pleasure of drink, and the emblem of the Rothschild ram.
The artists don’t get paid money for their contributions but in cases of Mouton Rothschild, of their vintage of course. In 1981, the Baronne Philippine de Rothschild had the idea of letting the public see this extraordinary art collection, so she organised an exhibition called "L’Art et l’Etiquette" ( The Art and the Label) that was welcomed by a number of museums and galleries around the world.
I have reproduced 3 Mouton Rothschild labels here, those by Andy Warhol(1975), Hartung(1980) and Paul Delvaux(1985).
The Picasso label of 1973 also commemorates the granting of Premier Cru classification to Mouton Rothschild and from 1975 the labels give details of the vintage including the number of bottles, magnums, jerebaums and imperials produced. All the labels also bear the signature of Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
I think you will agree that if you are looking for a single Château or theme of label to collect, you will have something unique if you choose Château Mouton Rothschild.