O VINARIJI / ABOUT THE WINERY
Château Mouton Rothschild je vinsko imanje smješteno u selu Pauillac u regiji Médoc, 50 km sjeverozapadno od grada Bordeauxa u Francuskoj. Izvorno poznato kao Château Brane-Mouton, njegovo je crno vino Barun Nathaniel de Rothschild 1853. preimenovao u Château Mouton Rothschild. Dvadesetih godina 20. stoljeća započelo je s praksom punjenja žetve na samom imanju, umjesto da se vino otprema trgovcima na punjenje na neko drugo mjesto.
Ogranak obitelji Rothschild koji posjeduje Mouton Rothschild članovi su Primum Familiae Vini.
Grand vin, Château Mouton Rothschild, jedno je od najskupljih i visoko ocijenjenih vina na svijetu.
Château Mouton Rothschild ima svoje vinograde na padinama koje vode do ušća Gironde, u regiji Bordeaux, uglavnom proizvodeći grožđe sorte Cabernet Sauvignon. Danas Château Mouton Rothschild ima 222 hektara (90 ha) vinove loze koju čine Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) i Petit Verdot (1%). Njihovo vino fermentira se u hrastovim čašama (jedan su od posljednjih dvoraca u Médocu koji ih koriste), a zatim sazrijeva u novim hrastovim bačvama. Također se često brka sa široko rasprostranjenim generičkim Bordeaux Mouton Cadetom.
Službena klasifikacija vina iz Bordeauxa iz 1855. godine temeljila se u potpunosti na nedavnim tržišnim cijenama za vinogradarska vina, uz jednu iznimku: Château Mouton Rothschild. Unatoč tržišnim cijenama za vino iz njihovog vinograda jednakim cijenama iz Château Lafite Rothschilda, Château Mouton Rothschild je isključen iz statusa Prvoga velikog rasta, što je čin koji je barun Philippe de Rothschild nazvao “čudovišnom nepravdom”. Smatra se da je iznimka napravljena jer je vinograd nedavno kupio Englez i više nije bio u francuskom vlasništvu.
1973. Mouton je uzdignut na status “prvog rasta” nakon desetljeća intenzivnog lobiranja od strane njegovog moćnog i utjecajnog vlasnika, jedina promjena u izvornoj klasifikaciji iz 1855. godine (izuzev dodavanja Château Cantemerlea iz 1856. godine). To je potaknulo promjenu krilatice: prije je krilatica vina bila Premier ne puis, druga ne daigne, Mouton suis. (“Prvo, ne mogu biti. Drugo, ne udostojim se biti. Mouton jesam.”), A promijenjeno je u Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change. (“Prvo, jesam. Drugo, nekad sam bio. Mouton se ne mijenja.”)
Berba 2004. će ostati u sjećanju kao najsuša godina od 1962., s samo 560 mm kiše. Održavanje suše započelo je tijekom zime i nastavilo se tijekom proljeća i ljeta, iako su neke kiše u kolovozu dale vinovoj lozi potrebnu vodu. Sjajno vrijeme u rujnu omogućilo je Merlotima da dostignu punu zrelost, a branje je započelo 29. rujna. Grožđe je bilo bogato polifenolima i pokazalo je izvrsnu koncentraciju šećera. Ostatak berbe odgođen je kako bi se potaknuo sav aromatični potencijal berbe koja obećava. Berba u najboljoj parceli Cabernet sauvignona nastavljena u izuzetno sunčanim uvjetima i temperaturama višim od prosjeka, a berba je završena 15. listopada.
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region, 50 km north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Originally known as Château Brane-Mouton, its red wine was renamed by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild in 1853 to Château Mouton Rothschild. In the 1920s it began the practice of bottling the harvest at the estate itself, rather than shipping the wine to merchants for bottling elsewhere.
The branch of the Rothschild family owning Mouton Rothschild are members of the Primum Familiae Vini.
The grand vin, Château Mouton Rothschild, is one of the world’s most expensive and highly rated wines.
Château Mouton Rothschild has its vineyards on the slopes leading down to the Gironde Estuary, in the Bordeaux region, mainly producing grapes of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. Today, Château Mouton Rothschild has 222 acres (90 ha) of grape vines made up of Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Their wine is fermented in oak vats (they are one of the last châteaux in the Médoc to use them) and then matured in new oak casks. It is also frequently confused with the widely distributed generic Bordeaux Mouton Cadet.
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 was based entirely on recent market prices for a vineyard’s wines, with one exception: Château Mouton Rothschild. Despite the market prices for their vineyard’s wines equalling that of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild was excluded from First Great Growth status, an act that Baron Philippe de Rothschild referred to as “the monstrous injustice”. It is believed that the exception was made because the vineyard had recently been purchased by an Englishman and was no longer in French ownership.
In 1973, Mouton was elevated to “first growth” status after decades of intense lobbying by its powerful and influential owner, the only change in the original 1855 classification (excepting the 1856 addition of Château Cantemerle). This prompted a change of motto: previously, the motto of the wine was Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis. (“First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am.”), and it was changed to Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change. (“First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.”)
Vintage 2004 will remain in the memory as the driest year since 1962, with only 560mm of rainfall. The drought contions began during the winter and continued throughout the spring and summer, though some rainfall in august gave the vines the water they needed. Glorious weather in September enabled the Merlots to reach full maturity and picking began on 29 September. The grapes were rich in polyphenols and showed excellent sugar concentracion. The rest of the harvest was delayed in order to encourage all the aromatic potential of a highly promising vintage. Picking in the best parcel of Cbernet Sauvignon resumed in exceptionally sunny conditions and higher than average temperatures and harvesting was completed on 15 October.
