Château Mouton Rothschild, Mouton Cadet and Domaine de Baronarques, an estate near Limoux.
The producer
Baron Philippe de Rothschild is a wine company with Château Mouton Rothschild, Mouton Cadet and Domaine de Baronarques near Limoux in its portfolio. Mouton Cadet is a branded Bordeaux wine. Domaine de Baronarques is an AOC Limoux rouge estate wine. The Languedoc estate grows Bordeaux and Mediterranean grape varieties. The range also includes Cépages Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir and Cépages Pays d'Oc Chardonnay. The two Languedoc lines use separate sourcing models.
Known for
Branded Bordeaux and Limoux estate wines
Notable facts
Mouton Cadet was created in 1930 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild to democratize Bordeaux wines.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild inherited Château Mouton Rothschild in 1922.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild introduced château bottling at Château Mouton Rothschild in 1924.
Domaine de Baronarques spans 110 hectares, with 43 hectares planted with Bordeaux and Mediterranean grape varieties.
The story
First I Am
In June 1973, after fifty years of campaigning, the French government amended the 1855 Médoc classification for the first and only time. Jacques Chirac, then serving as Ministre de l'Agriculture, signed the decree moving Château Mouton Rothschild from deuxième cru classé to premier cru classé. Baron Philippe de Rothschild was 71 years old. He rewrote the estate motto immediately. The version he had carried since the 1920s read: "Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis" — I cannot be first, I disdain to be second, I am Mouton. The new version read: "Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change" — First I am, second I was, Mouton does not change. The label for that same vintage, 1973, bore a drawing by Pablo Picasso. Picasso had died in April, three months before the decree was signed, and his estate agreed to release a 1959 work, "Bacchanale," for the bottle. The year of the elevation and the year of Picasso's death were the same.
Five Years At Baronarques
In 1998, Mr. Chéreau, a lawyer from Marseilles and heir of Domaine de Baronarques, sold the estate to Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and her two sons. The estate was very run down, calling for extensive renovation in both the vineyard and the winemaking facilities. The work took five years. Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. assumed management responsibilities for the estate. In 2003, Domaine de Baronarques was awarded the newly created AOC Limoux rouge appellation by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, known as INAO.
From the atlas
Baron Philippe de Rothschild
Baron Philippe de Rothschild has Château Mouton Rothschild, the Mouton Cadet branded Bordeaux line and Domaine de Baronarques in the Languedoc.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Company
Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A.
Bordeaux brand
Mouton Cadet
Languedoc estate
Domaine de Baronarques
Estate grapes
Bordeaux and Mediterranean grape varieties
Branded production
Over 22 million bottles of branded wine annually
The Producer
Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. is a wine company with Château Mouton Rothschild, Mouton Cadet and Domaine de Baronarques in its portfolio. Its collection includes château bottling, a branded Bordeaux wine and an estate wine from the Languedoc.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the person whose name the business carries, inherited Château Mouton Rothschild in 1922 and introduced château bottling in 1924. Château bottling means that wine is bottled at the estate that made it. The final bottling remains with that estate. In 1930, he created Mouton Cadet to democratize Bordeaux wines. Domaine de Baronarques is an estate wine from the Languedoc alongside the Bordeaux wines.
Place
Domaine de Baronarques is at Saint-Polycarpe near Limoux, in the heart of the Languedoc vineyard. The estate has a wide variety of soils and microclimates, which gives its wines complexity. A microclimate is a local set of growing conditions. Several microclimates across one estate can give different parcels different patterns of heat, moisture and ripening.
In 2003, Domaine de Baronarques was awarded the AOC Limoux rouge appellation, newly created by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, known as INAO. An AOC is a regulated regional category, so Limoux rouge is the appellation name attached to the estate's red wine.
Wines
Mouton Cadet is the branded Bordeaux wine line. Its red wines include Mouton Cadet Rouge, Mouton Cadet Les Terroirs Rouge, Mouton Cadet Reserve Saint-Émilion and Mouton Cadet Héritage Rouge. Its white wines include Mouton Cadet Les Terroirs Sauvignon Blanc and Mouton Cadet Réserve Sauternes. The separate Cépages Pays d'Oc line includes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines under the Pays d'Oc IGP name.
Mouton Cadet is a blend made from more than one source, not a single estate wine. Domaine de Baronarques is the estate wine from Limoux. The two Languedoc lines use separate sourcing models.