The history of Mouton Cadet

Since 1930, Mouton Cadet has been renowned for its setting a marker for wines with its dedication to produce the highest quality wine. This comes from the excellent fruit grown in the area and also the passion led by Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988) and then continued by his daughter Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. Over the years Mouton Cadet has consistently combined quality, prestige and know-how in an expressive, seductive wine. Today, Mouton Cadet has become the leading producer of wines from the Bordeaux region.

Determined to maintain the quality and prestige of Chateau Mouton Rothschild at the highest level, Baron Phillippe de Rothschild decided that the wines produced in 1930 should not bear the Chateau label. In 1932, he decided to sell it under the name Mouton Cadet (Baron Phillipe was a younger son – cadet in French).

Mouton Cadet was originally started in Pauillac. In 1931, due to its growing reputation, the harvest from the estate soon became inadequate to meet the demand. Grapes had to be bought in from vineyards in the neighbouring areas. Soon even this wasn’t enough and sources of supply were extended to other Bordeaux appellations in a constant quest for the best grapes and Mouton Cadet became a Bordeaux AOC.

In the 1950’s, Baron Phillipe toured the United States to promote his wine. The tour was an instant hit. In 1960’s, Mouton Cadet’s reputation continued to grow, spreading through Canada and then Britain. Mouton Cadet gained recognition as a sophisticated brand and popular wine worldwide Encouraged by this reception, Baron Philippe de Rothschild created Mouton Cadet White in the 1970’s. Fruity and rounder than the usual Bordeaux whites around at the time, it became instantly popular.

After the death of Baron Philippe, his daughter took over the running of the estate. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, found new ways to promote the Mouton Cadet brand worldwide. Mouton Cadet began to appear in sport, fashion and even cinema. In sport, Mouton Cadet sponsored the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, golf’s Lancôme Trophy and the Roland Garros and Monte Carlo tennis tournaments. In fashion, it was a sponsor of the New York Young Designer Award and in 1992 became the official partner of the Cannes International Film Festival.

In recent times, Mouton Cadet has moved towards a rounder, fruitier style, even adding a rose wine to the range. Its look has also changed too. An icon has been created, a combination of a bunch of grapes and a ram, evoking nature’s generosity (the quality of the grapes that goes into every bottle) and work of human hands. The wine is delivered in more simple and refined packaging. Selling over 12 million bottles a year in over 150 countries, Mouton Cadet is the world’s most widely available wine brand. Today, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild continues to pursue her father’s ambition and philosophy of making Mouton Cadet a fine Bordeaux wine accessible to all.

Mouton Cadet wines are available at Rose-wine.com or on Wine-searcher.com.