In our tasting today Master of Wine, David Allen - Wine-Searcher's Wine Director - is surprised to find that he has not bought the classic Mouton Cadet Red, but has instead picked up a bottle of their Cuvee Heritage from the 2020 vintage. He still manages to find the wine fascinating and will no doubt take an opportunity to taste the classic version very soon!
N.B.- David references the Rothschilds ownership of Chateau d'Armailhac and Chateau Clerc Milon subsequent research reveals neither was in their ownership in 1930 as Baron Philippe only acquired Château Mouton-d'Armailhac in 1934 and Chateau Clerc Milon in 1970!
Baron Philippe de Rothschild's Mouton Cadet is the biggest-selling Bordeaux brand world-wide. It was set up in 1930 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who had taken over control of Mouton Rothschild eight years previously. The name "Cadet" refers to the youngest son of a family, in this case invoking both Philippe and the wine itself.
The brand was created after a series of poor vintages in the late 1920s and early 1930s, where the fruit was not considered to be good enough to make Mouton Rothschild. In the short term, Baron Philippe needed to sell wine that he felt was not up to the château's lofty standards and, in the longer term, was keen to find a wider audience for Bordeaux wines.
The first Mouton Cadet wines from estate vineyards proved successful, and in the following year, fruit from neighboring Pauillac properties was needed to meet demand. Vineyard sources then expanded and, in 1947, the wine became a Bordeaux AOC.
The company now fosters partnerships with winegrowers throughout the region to including Pauillac, Saint-Émilion, Graves, Haut-Médoc, and Entre-Deux-Mers. Specific vineyard parcels are selected to maintain quality.
Mouton Cadet was heavily promoted through the 1950s and 1960s in the UK and USA, and a white wine was added in the 1970s. This growth was carried on from 1988 by Baron Philippe's daughter, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. Since 2004, Mouton Cadet has been made in a more fruit-forward style, chiefly to satisfy the US market.
There are now classic and reserve ranges of wines featuring Bordeaux blends made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux Blanc from the traditional blend partners Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
A new wine to the market is a Bordeaux red blend called "Heritage", a homage to the original Mouton Cadet wine released in the 1930s and featuring a the same label.
Find out more about this wine, its price and where to buy it by following this link to the Wine-Searcher website: [ Ссылка ]
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