Eau-de-Vie de Prunes de Mouton Rothschild
The Baroness' hidden treasure.
Perhaps you didn't know, but Château Mouton Rothschild is not only a fine Bordeaux wine. In fact, beyond the magical blend that has helped forging the reputation of the estate, Mouton Rothschild produces a very rare plum Brandy.
Before getting into all the details of this treasure, let's take a brief look back at the history of this mythical 90-hectare estate, nestled on the extremity of the Médoc peninsula between the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic Ocean.
It all began in the middle of the 19th century, in 1853, when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, then residing in Paris working in the bank of his uncle James de Rothschild, bought Château Brane-Mouton with the aim to provide his own fine wine to his prestigious guests.
The property, located in the heart of the Médoc, in the commune of Pauillac, was then renamed and now bears the name of its owner: Château Mouton Rothschild.
It was not until the beginning of the 20th century, with the arrival of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, great-grandson of Baron Nathaniel, that the estate gained a new momentum. Indeed, two years after taking over, he decided that bottling would from now on be done exclusively at the Château, whereas until then, the wine had been delivered to the merchants in barrels.
As a consequence, this decision meant that the storage capacity of the estate had to be increased. In 1926, Philippe de Rothschild, in collaboration with the architect Charles Siclis, undertook the building of the "Grand Chai" of Mouton, which is 100 meters long.
At the end of the war, to celebrate the Allies victory and to mark the return to their territories, Baron Philippe asked the artist Philippe Jullian to illustrate the label of Mouton Rothschild: the V of Victory was displayed on the bottles, and it's a total success. Since then, the vintage label has been illustrated each year, except for the year of 2003, by a reproduction of an original work of art, specially created for Mouton by a contemporary artist. Moreover, when Philippe's only daughter, Baroness Philippine, a renowned actress, thanks to her network with fine artists worldwide succeeded in federating emblematic artists such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Keith Haring and Georges Braque, who signed the labels of numerous vintages.
Unique among the Premiers Grands Crus bordelais, Château Mouton Rothschild is the only one to have ever earned its coveted place in the famous "1855 Classification", so much sought after by Napoleon III, after its publication. Indeed, in 1973, the pressure exerted by Baron Philippe de Rothschild for his Château to reach this ultimate status bore fruit. Château Mouton Rothschild reached the rank of the “Premier Cru Classé”.
The year 1988 was marked by the death of Baron Philippe, leaving his only daughter, Baroness Philippine, with the heavy responsibility of this gem of a heritage. Without hesitating, the Baroness put an end to her acting career in order to continue her father's work, together with her three children Camille, Philippe and Julien.
Three years after taking over the reins of the estate, the Baroness signed her first bottles of Aile d'Argent. This high quality dry white wine comes from 7 hectares of fine grapes planted on the Mouton Rothschild estate in the early 1980s with predominantly a variety of white grapes, such as: Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle.
Baroness Philippine did not stop there. Two years later, in 1993, she created a second wine: Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild. Mainly issued from a selection of the youngest grapes, is made with the same love and care as the Grand Vin.
At Mouton, from the care of the grapes to the bottling, every single step is carried out by the very best in their respective fields. Often, the men and women who contribute so much to Mouton’s accomplishments, pass down their coveted ancestral experience and knowledge from generation to the next, enriched over the years, by the addition of the most modern techniques.
In 2003, Château Mouton Rothschild celebrated its 150th anniversary. Derogating from their usual tradition, for this very special occasion, Baroness Philippine dedicates the label to her ancestor, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, who acquired Mouton on May 11, 1853. Baron Nathaniel is beautifully represented by a vintage photograph taken back in the days. The background of the label reproduces part of the estate deed of the purchase. This document, carefully preserved in the Mouton archives, marks the beginning of a long love affair between the Rothschilds and the great wines of Bordeaux.
After leaving such a beautiful family heritage, Baroness Philippine sadly passed away in 2014 leaving Mouton Rothschilds’ exquisite legacy highly enhanced with top of the range modern technologies. Today, her three children, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, who have become co-owners of the Château, are firmly committed to perpetuating their mother's commitment to excellence.
In addition to the illustrious Château Mouton Rothschild, Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild and l'Aile d'Argent, which we have mentioned above, the estate also produces a plum Brandy. This production is confidential, almost kept as a secret. So secret that no one actually talks about it, as it is such a highly sought after treasure. Indeed, this bottle is part of a very limited series of only 1'349 bottles!
Moreover, the domain itself cultivates the mystery. No communication is done on the subject and the calligraphy used for the label could suggest that the Baroness herself would have taken the pen to illustrate it.
This Eau-de-Vie de Prunes de Mouton Rothschild is made from five noble varieties of plums, all hand-picked on the estate. It includes Prune d'Alsace, Mirabelle de Metz, Mirabelle de Nancy, Reine-claude and last but not least, Prune d'Ente.
All the wealth of know-how of the Premier Grand Cru Classé of Pauillac and its fertile terroir seems to be bottled up in this very exclusive production.
An intense robe, with an incredible amber colour. A nose of an impressive precision, centred on the plum. No aggressiveness whatsoever with an incredible finesse, notes of hot prunes and cigar boxes. In the mouth, a pleasant richness and roundness that supports the nose. A Brandy on the length, and so very delicious that is truly difficult to resist!
CHÂTEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD - Eau-de-Vie de Prunes de Mouton Rothschild - Bottle of 70 cl
Login to your online account to reserve your item
or contact us at +41 22 552 2799