Mouton Cadet
Encyclopedia
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
s, considered Bordeaux' most successful brand. Created by Baron Philippe de Rothschild
Philippe de Rothschild
Baron Philippe de Rothschild was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix race-car driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and one of the most successful wine growers in the world.-Early life:Born in Paris, Georges Philippe...
of the Rothschild
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
banking dynasty, the wine named after his premier cru
First Growth
First Growth status refers to a classification of wines primarily from the Bordeaux region of France.-Bordeaux reds:The need for a classification of the best Bordeaux wines arose for the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris. The result was the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, a list...
vineyard Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc, 50 km north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Its red wine of the same name is regarded as one of the world's greatest clarets. Originally known as Château Brane-Mouton it was renamed by Nathaniel...
, Mouton Cadet wine is produced through the assembly of a variety of grapes, from several Bordeaux region appellation
Appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
s. Originally only a red "Claret
Claret
Claret is a name primarily used in British English for red wine from the Bordeaux region of France.-Usage:Claret derives from the French clairet, a now uncommon dark rosé and the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century...
" wine from its origins in the 1930s, a white wine was added to the label in the 70s, followed in the 90s by a range of réserve wines, and in 2007 by a rosé
Rosé
A rosé is a type of wine that has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.- Production techniques :There are three major ways to produce rosé...
wine.
History
Following a poor vintage in 1927, Baron Philippe de Rothschild created the second wineSecond wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
label Carruades de Mouton, though this was not viewed as a success. After the acclaimed vintages of 1928 and 1929, the vintage of 1930 and the following two harvests were dire, and the wine de Rothschild felt was not worthy of the Mouton-Rothschild name was this time named Mouton Cadet. "Cadet" refers to de Rothschild place as cadet, the youngest son of the family.
Despite its lack of traditional prestige, the wine proved successful, and in order to repeat the success the following year, de Rothschild had to turn to neighbouring vineyards for sourced fruit. Initially labeled with the appellation of Pauillac, the increasing demand caused the sourcing of grapes to expand to nearby appellations Saint-Estèphe
Saint-Estèphe
Saint-Estèphe is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-Wine:Saint-Estèphe is best known as the northernmost, and one of the four major wine-growing appellations of the Médoc...
and Haut-Médoc. Over the following years, the wine came to include grapes from an even greater area, until production stopped with World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The wine was reborn after the war, and gained a Bordeaux AOC
Bordeaux AOC
In the Bordeaux wine region there are seven regional Appellations d'origine contrôlée that may be used throughout the Gironde department. These are Bordeaux Rouge AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge, Bordeaux Clairet, Bordeaux Rosé, Bordeaux Blanc, a dry white, Bordeaux Supérieur Blanc, a sweet white,...
classification in 1947, steadily increasing in popularity due to a reputation of consistent quality. In later years the wine relies heavily on grapes sourced from the Entre-Deux-Mers district.
Mouton Cadet was marketed significantly throughout the 50s and 60s, placing the brand in the UK and U.S.. In the 70s, a white wine was added to the label, expanding the brand's concept, which resulted in 1975 sales of more than 3 million bottles worldwide.
Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988 and control of the business passed on to his daughter Philippine de Rothschild
Philippine de Rothschild
Baroness Philippine Mathilde Camille de Rothschild is the owner of the French winery Château Mouton Rothschild. She also has acted under the stage name Philippine Pascale....
.
The label Réserve Mouton Cadet Médoc was created in 1996, offering a red wine with greater ageing potential, and a product aimed at the restaurant trade. In 1999 the Réserve line also included the white Réserve Mouton Cadet Graves.
2000s
One of the best selling wines in the world in 2002, Mouton Cadet sold 15 million bottles worldwide.In 2004 its U.S. sales were hit by changing tastes and anti-French sentiment, and consequently it sold only 2.9 million bottles in the U.S. in all of 2004, down from a high of 6.5 million bottles in 1992.
A reblending of the wine and redesign of the brand was undertaken in 2004. In September 2005 Mouton Cadet began a distribution agreement with the North Lake Wines subsidiary of U.S-based Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc., headquartered in Victor, New York, is the world’s leading wine company with a broad portfolio of widely admired premium brands across the wine, beer and spirits categories.-History and description:...
, the world's largest wine distributor.
In 2007, Mouton Cadet made further additions to the franchise, including a rosé in the generic series, and included a further three wines to the Réserve range: Réserve Mouton Cadet Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion AOC
Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne...
, Réserve Mouton Cadet Sauternes
Sauternes (wine)
Sauternes is a French sweet wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined,...
, and a red Réserve Mouton Cadet Graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...
.
Grape composition
Mouton Cadet:- Mouton Cadet Red: 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc, matured 6-10 months
- Mouton Cadet White: 65% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Semillon, and 5% Muscadelle, matured 4 months
- Le Rosé de Mouton Cadet: 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured 4 months
Réserve Mouton Cadet:
- Réserve Mouton Cadet Médoc: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, matured 12 months
- Réserve Mouton Cadet Saint-Émilion: 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, matured 12 months
- Réserve Mouton Cadet Graves Rouge: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc, matured 12 months
- Réserve Mouton Cadet Graves Blanc: 50% Semillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Muscadelle, matured 4 months
- Réserve Mouton Cadet Sauternes: 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Muscadelle, matured 20 months