Mouton, the iconic label

We’re in Pauillac, a city overlooking the Gironde, the largest estuary in Europe, halfway between Pointe de Grave and Bordeaux. This is the unquestionable capital of Médoc wines, with the most famous Cru Classé in the entire region of Bordeaux. The emblem of certainty in this region, Château Mouton Rothschild, a premier cru classé with 84 hectares, presented the label for the 2014 vintage.

Each year a famous artist paints the label for this prestigious red wine, the most famous Bordeaux blend in the world, owned by the Rothschild family. Today Camille, Philippe and Julien Rothschild continue the production of an extraordinary wine, without forgetting the “Mouton ne change” claim, Mouton doesn’t change. The Rothschild family chooses the artist who must always take into account the vineyard, the pleasure of drinking wine and the emblem of the ram, the symbol of the Château. Artists are not paid with money but with cases of Mouton with the label they created.

Visiting this winery means entering the realm of art, history, preservation of a unique heritage, valorised with seeming simplicity. Since 2013 the labels’ museum is completed by a section dedicated to sketches; for a few instance, you don’t feel like you’re in one of the most famous wineries on the planet but in a special art gallery. In the past, Mouton labels were created by Mirò, Chagall, Picasso, Dalì. Even Prince Charles painted a watercolour for the 2004 vintage.

The artist signing the 2014 label is English painter David Hockney, born in 1937. He’s famous for his pop art work, applying ultra-modern techniques to painting, stressing the contrasts between colours and peculiar materials in figurative art. Hockney was a personal friend of baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who died in 2014, and the development of this label started right at the end of a conversation they had on this vintage.

“In Tribute to Philippine” is written on the label and it will be a very sought-after vintage even thanks to this celebrative element. The drawing depicts two glasses: one is empty and the other is full, with traits symbolising rays, representing the transformation of what is poured in the glass, releasing happiness.

The 2014 vintage, available in a few months’ time, is the result of a much-debated vintage, the harvest having begun on 19th September and ended on 9th October. The blend is made of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The colour is an intense red with purple highlights, the nose is elegant with imposing fruit notes and nuances of spices and vanilla. It is elegant on the palate, with silky tannins, a delicate touch of minerals and an opulent and fresh finish.