Mouton Cadet - History

History

Following a poor vintage in 1927, Baron Philippe de Rothschild created the second wine 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 that 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 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. The wine was reborn after the war, and gained a Bordeaux AOC 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 1950s and '60s, placing the brand in the UK and U.S.. In the 1970s, a white wine was added to the label, expanding the brand's concept, which resulted in 1975 sales of more than three million bottles worldwide.

Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988 and control of the business passed on to his daughter Philippine de Rothschild.

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.