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Wine Description
The Story
Château Mouton Rothschild A Premier Cru Classé in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild, owned by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, consists of 205 acres of vines near Pauillac, in the Médoc, North West of the city of Bordeaux. This Premier Cru benefits from exceptionally good natural conditions, both in the quality of the soil, the position of its vines and their exposure to the sun. It is regarded today as one of the world's greatest wine.
The name Mouton is said to be derived from the word „Motte“ meaning mound or elevation of the ground. It was bought in 1853 by Philippe de Rothschilds great-grand father it was in a fairly bad shape and when the classification of 1855 was set up it was not deemed to be good enough to be qualified as a first growth but put in first place amongst the second growths. An injustice it took Philippe de Rothschild until 1973 to rectify. 1920s Philippe de Rothschild called together the owners of Haut Brion, Latour, Lafite, Margaux and Yquem to talk about the idea of bottling and marketing their wines on their own.
The first vintage to be bottled exclusivly at the château was the 1924 vintage. To commemorate this, the cubistic painter Carlu was asked to design the label, yet another revolutionary idea in this most conservative of surroundings. The idea of an artist designing the labels was dropped until 1945 when Philippe Jullian was asked to design a label commemorating the victory over nazi Germany. Since then works of such famous artists as Picasso, Miró, Dali, Chagall and personalities like John Huston and Prince Charles have been used for the labels.
In 1988, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who had already been associated with her father's work for some time, succeeded her father. She has in turn become the guarantor of the quality of an illustrious wine whose motto proudly proclaims : "Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change". First I am, second I was, I Mouton do not change
Vineyard soil: very deep gravel on a limestone base Production area: 82.5 ha Grape varieties: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot Average age of vines: 48 years Harvest method: hand picked. The grapes from the younger vines are harvested first and vinified separately.
Winemaking: Before destemming, the grapes are hand-sorted then selected one by one. Vinification depends on each vintage and the characteristics of each vat. All the relevant parameters, such as temperature, pumping over, aeration, vatting time and running off, are monitored by the technical manager, the cellar-master and the laboratory.
Ageing: 19 to 22 months in oak barrels (almost all new, the percentage varying according to the vintage)
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Wine Information
1962 – Matta
The Seducing Power of Grapes
Roberto Matta Echaurren (1911–2002), who simply called himself Matta, was born in Santiago de Chile. He was one of the late surrealists. First he studied architecture and worked in the firm of Le Corbusier. In the late 1930s, he met Dalí and joined the surrealist movement, enthusiastic about the manifestos by André Breton. Throughout his life, Matta studied physics and the creation of the world. Despite this rather analytical approach, he often invoked the invisible: “Only those things you can see with your eyes closed are of importance to me.“ In his works, order and chaos, coincidences and plans alternate. Ambiguous figures crowd bright colour spaces, half robot-like machines, half organic beings. According to surrealist theory, Matta saw painting a picture as an act of transformation, wherein the stream of the subconscious is dammed for a few moments in order to be captured on canvas, where it would evoke countless associations.
Matta is said to be one of the most important painters of the twentieth century. His large-format paintings fetched top prices on the art market. He received many awards and big, prestigious commissions – including one for the UNESCO building in Paris. His design for the Mouton label shows a very rough ink drawing of gnarled, gruff and almost skeletal vines. However, his comment on the grapes is more than conciliatory: “Son tendre velouté séduit les plus rebelles” – their velvety delicacy will seduce even the most rebellious.
The spring was defined by cold and wet weather and it remained cold until late May. The late blossom in July was followed by a hot summer. August and September were hot, too, although somewhat softened by a little rain that made the grapes swell. The harvest began late on October 10.
In Bordeaux this was a first-class year, which has never achieved the reputation it deserves because it has always lived in the shadow of 1961. The wines became rich and complex and were slow to come around. Mouton Rothschild 1962 also came around fairly late. It was in the mid-80s when I tasted it for the first time, and then it was a quite difficult and “green“ wine. But during the last twenty years it has developed a lot.
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Vintage 1962
Bordeaux Vintage Report by Tb / Although 1962 was also a fabulous year, it fell irretrievably into the shadow of 1961. The cold winter, with its biting frosts, ensured that the vines would get a much-needed rest after their hard work in 1961. The growing season started three weeks late. When the vines finally germinated in mid-June, the weather improved. Toward autumn, the weather warmed up measurably, with the resulting dryness eventually having a negative impact on the vines. The few abundant harvests of September came just in time to rescue the grapes from withering on the vine. The harvest, which brought in the largest crop of the 1950s and 1960s, did not begin until 1 October. Few believed that the vintage would be as good as it became. An excellent vintage for dry whites, reds and Sauternes. Where Sauternes are concerned, the 1962 was a considerably better year than the 1961. The best reds were the Cheval Blanc, Pétrus and Mouton-Rothschild. A common characteristic of the finest 1962 wines today is their serene, balanced aspect. Only a few show any real body and complexity, but they work well especially as dinner wines, also due to their excellent availability and affordable price. Even the finest wines should not be decanted for more than an hour.
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Recommended glass shape
Average Bottle Price
| 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2012 | 2010 | 2005 | 2000 | 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 498€ +22.7% | 406€ -12.1% | 462€ -11.3% | 521€ -6.8% | 559€ +80.9% | 309€ +34.9% | 229€ +78.9% | 128€ |
This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.
