Wine Article
2005 Mouton Cadet
Last edited on 6/19/2008 by mwangbickler
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The creation of Mouton Cadet dates back to the Great Depression of the 1930s. After the very fine 1928 and 1929 vintages, the Médoc went through a series of difficult years, at a time when vine-growing and wine-making techniques were not as advanced as they are now. Determined to maintain the quality and prestige of Château Mouton Rothschild at the highest level, Baron Philippe de Rothschild decided that wine produced in 1930 would not be sold under the Château label. As the 1930 vintage was of good quality, however, in 1932 Baron Philippe decided to sell it under the name “Mouton Cadet” (Cadet means youngest in French). So he offered a select group of Parisian customers a declassified but nonetheless delicious vintage of the mythical Château Mouton Rothschild: it was an immediate success.
1931 was another difficult year, but the demand for Mouton Cadet was too great to be met from the harvest of the classified growth alone. Therefore, grapes were bought from neighboring vineyards in Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. To ensure unfailing quality and sufficient quantity to meet rising demand, Baron Philippe himself instituted a strict selection policy.
Mouton Cadet’s popularity continued to grow until World War II when all activity came to a halt. Mouton Cadet was reborn in 1947 and became a Bordeaux AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) wine. At the time it was still known only in France, where its reputation continued to grow. Mouton Cadet began to expand outside France during the 1950s with the opening up of the UK market. The United States came next in the 1960s, crowning the brand’s international success. Encouraged by the success, Baron Philippe created Mouton Cadet Blanc in the 1970s. Fruity, rounder than most Bordeaux whites, it met with immediate popularity and introduced the idea of a Mouton Cadet range.
In the early 1990s, under the guidance of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who had taken over the reins of the family company following her father Baron Philippe’s death in 1988, the Mouton Cadet range continued to expand. Mouton Cadet changed its packaging and conquered new markets, especially in Europe and Asia. In 1993, the Saint-Laurent-Médoc winery was inaugurated a modern facility dedicated to Mouton Cadet Blanc.
The wine market has constantly changed and evolved over the last 75 years. Today’s wine consumer is greatly different than the one of the 1930s. Over the years, Mouton Cadet has continued to evolve with the market, and the year 2001 marked a turning point for Mouton Cadet. After extensive market research, Mouton Cadet began to embark on a ten year plan to further improve the quality of its wines, and to better meet modern consumers’ preferences. In 2002, it began by redefining its fruit sources, working more closely with growers, establishing more direct control over vineyards, and purchasing much less finished wine on the open market. It slightly altered its blends and production methods to better reflect modern tastes. And, in 2005 it completed construction of a new modern winery at Saint-André-du-Bois for Mouton Cadet Rouge and a new bottled wine storage facility to store the finished wines.
1931 was another difficult year, but the demand for Mouton Cadet was too great to be met from the harvest of the classified growth alone. Therefore, grapes were bought from neighboring vineyards in Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. To ensure unfailing quality and sufficient quantity to meet rising demand, Baron Philippe himself instituted a strict selection policy.
Mouton Cadet’s popularity continued to grow until World War II when all activity came to a halt. Mouton Cadet was reborn in 1947 and became a Bordeaux AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) wine. At the time it was still known only in France, where its reputation continued to grow. Mouton Cadet began to expand outside France during the 1950s with the opening up of the UK market. The United States came next in the 1960s, crowning the brand’s international success. Encouraged by the success, Baron Philippe created Mouton Cadet Blanc in the 1970s. Fruity, rounder than most Bordeaux whites, it met with immediate popularity and introduced the idea of a Mouton Cadet range.
In the early 1990s, under the guidance of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who had taken over the reins of the family company following her father Baron Philippe’s death in 1988, the Mouton Cadet range continued to expand. Mouton Cadet changed its packaging and conquered new markets, especially in Europe and Asia. In 1993, the Saint-Laurent-Médoc winery was inaugurated a modern facility dedicated to Mouton Cadet Blanc.
The wine market has constantly changed and evolved over the last 75 years. Today’s wine consumer is greatly different than the one of the 1930s. Over the years, Mouton Cadet has continued to evolve with the market, and the year 2001 marked a turning point for Mouton Cadet. After extensive market research, Mouton Cadet began to embark on a ten year plan to further improve the quality of its wines, and to better meet modern consumers’ preferences. In 2002, it began by redefining its fruit sources, working more closely with growers, establishing more direct control over vineyards, and purchasing much less finished wine on the open market. It slightly altered its blends and production methods to better reflect modern tastes. And, in 2005 it completed construction of a new modern winery at Saint-André-du-Bois for Mouton Cadet Rouge and a new bottled wine storage facility to store the finished wines.