Château Mouton Rothschild unveils the label for its 2020 vintage illustrated by Peter Doig and offers an exceptional online auction by Sotheby’s of a single Superlot of Château Mouton Rothschild 2020 to raise funds for the firefighters of the Bordeaux region.
A British painter of Scottish origin who divides his time between London and Trinidad, Peter Doig is the artist chosen by Château Mouton Rothschild to create the original artwork to illustrate the label for its 2020 vintage.
In his work for the label, the painter combines echoes of Cézanne and van Gogh with a fascinating personal reverie on the nocturnal birth of a great wine, seemingly brought to life by the strange magic of a song played on the guitar.
Peter Doig says: “The painting shows something of what goes on behind the scenes in the production of wine, what happens offstage, as it were. It’s a sort of ode to workers, to all those involved at the various stages of making a wine before it’s finally bottled. It’s a dream with a romantic streak, as if someone spontaneously decided to sing in the vines. It’s a moment of poetry, where you can take your time. It’s neither really day nor really night, but rather something in between, between waking and sleeping. It is possible to see it as a progression, a dream journey in the world of the harvest.”
Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, co-owner of Château Mouton Rothschild with responsibility for the estate’s artistic and cultural activity and relations with the artist who creates the original artwork for the label of each new vintage, explains:
“We wanted an artist who uses canvas and pictorial material to express figurative subjects. Unrivalled as a colourist, Peter Doig focuses entirely on painting and has become one of his generation’s foremost exponents of the discipline, holding exhibitions all over the world. There is something very special about his technique and his universe that sets them apart in contemporary figurative art. His subjects are very varied, his painting resists any classification: he has succeeded in creating his own, inimitable world.”
Art has always been central to the history of Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s family, and Château Mouton Rothschild has a long-standing and close link with leading contemporary artists. Each year since 1945 a leading artist has illustrated the Château Mouton Rothschild label, forming a collection that features the most famous names in modern and contemporary art. The prestigious list includes some of the most celebrated figures of their day, such as Dalí, César, Miró, Chagall, Picasso and Warhol. Many of these distinguished artists spent time at Château Mouton Rothschild, where their original artworks are displayed in the Paintings for the Labels room.
On the occasion of the reveal of the new label, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, in partnership with Sotheby’s, is holding an exceptional online auction of a unique Superlot of Château Mouton Rothschild 2020.
All the proceeds from the sale will go to the firefighters of the Bordeaux region, to help provide them with additional fire prevention equipment.
The lot comprises a range of formats, including an exclusive double-magnum, the label of which will be signed by Peter Doig and the family, as well as six single bottles, three magnums, an Imperial and the only Nebuchadnezzar available to date.
The Château will also invite the successful bidder and five guests to come and take delivery of the lot in person at the estate. As well as having a private tour, they will be invited to an exclusive lunch with one of the owners of Château Mouton Rothschild.
The auction will close on 2 December at 7:00pm CET.
In 2022, and after bottling, a gorgeous, deep, intense cassis nose – signature stuff. This is almost voluptuous and it is certainly piercingly indicative of glorious, healthy fruit from superb terroir. Rich and mouth-coating on the palate, glycerol-textured and lusciously ripe. The balance of freshness and power is perfect and the structure is pure, classic vinous architecture. Strength and succulence combined to maximum effect. Magnificent Mouton.
84% Cabernet Sauvignon
13% Merlot
2% Cabernet Franc
1% Petit Verdot
A Bordeaux First Growth, Château Mouton Rothschild spans 84 hectares (207 acres) of vines at Pauillac in the Médoc, planted with the classic varieties of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (16%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%), managed by the family owned business Baron Philippe de Rothschild, chaired by Philippe Sereys de Rothschild.
The estate benefits from exceptionally favourable natural conditions, in the quality of the soil, the position of its vines and their exposure to the sun. From grape to bottle, combining respect for tradition with the latest technology, the wine receives meticulous attention from highly skilled winemakers and vinegrowers responsible for each parcel of the estate. The grapes are harvested by hand in small open crates, sorted on vibrating tables and vinified in oak vats with some transparent staves, after which the wine is matured for 18 months in new French oak casks.
Brought to the pinnacle by two exceptional people, Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988) then his daughter Baroness Philippine (1933-2014), Mouton Rothschild is also a place of art and beauty, famous for the spectacular vista of its great barrel hall, its magnificent vat house and the Museum of Wine in Art with its collection of precious objects associated with the vine and wine from two millennia.
Mouton Rothschild now belongs to baroness Philippine’s three children, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. True to their grandfather’s and mother’s work, all three are committed, with the same enthusiasm and determination, to perpetuating Baron Philippe’s dictum: “Vivre la vigne”. Almost a command, it means being there for the vineyard in good times and in hardship, working it with dedication, skill and craft, and honouring it with art.
Every year since 1945, the Château Mouton Rothschild label has been illustrated with an original artwork by a great contemporary artist.
In 1924, to salute his first vintage bottled entirely at the Château, Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988), father of Baroness Philippine (1933-2014), asked the famous poster designer Jean Carlu to create the Château Mouton Rothschild label. Ahead of its time, it remained an isolated initiative.
In 1945, this time to celebrate the return of peace, Baron Philippe decided to crown the label for the vintage with the "V" for Victory, drawn by the young painter Philippe Jullian. This exceptional circumstance marked the start of a tradition and, every year since 1946, a different artist has been invited to create an original artwork for the label. Initially, Baron Philippe chose painters from amongst his friends, such as Jean Hugo, Léonor Fini and Jean Cocteau. Then, in 1955, Georges Braque himself agreed to illustrate the vintage. He was followed by the greatest artists of our time, including Dalí, César, Miró, Chagall, Picasso, Warhol, Soulages, Bacon, Balthus, Tàpies and Jeff Koons, forming a fascinating collection to which a new work is added each year.
Mouton Rothschild’s owners, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, the latter now responsible for Château Mouton Rothschild’s artistic and cultural activity, have always respected the freedom of the chosen artists, though many of them have been attracted by themes such as the vine, the pleasure of drinking or the ram, the Mouton emblem. The artists receive no fee for their work but are given cases of Château Mouton Rothschild, including of course "their" vintage.
In 1981, on Baroness Philippine's initiative, the collection gave rise to a travelling exhibition, "Mouton Rothschild, Paintings for the Labels", shown in many museums around the world. It is now on permanent display at Mouton in the superb space created for it by Baroness Philippine in 2013, between the vat house and the famous Museum of Wine in Art. Enhanced by a new artwork each year, the exhibition reopened this year, finer than ever, following a refurbishment.
Copyright photos:
© Pierre Grenet
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© A. Benoit Studio Deepix
© M. Anglada
