MIQUEL BARCELÓ ILLUSTRATES THE LABEL OF CHÂTEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2012 Every year since 1945, a great artist has illustrated the label of Château Mouton Rothschild. Thus, the most famous names in contemporary art are brought together in a collection to which a new work is added each year. The illustration of the 2012 vintage was chosen personally by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who died on 22 August 2014. The commission was given to the Catalan painter and sculptor Miquel Barceló. Born in 1957, he is the creator of a universe that is both realistic and dreamlike, a realm of intense colour in which combinations of techniques and different materials give striking relief to the subject matter. His fresco for Mouton 2012 revisits the Château’s historical emblem. Its two rams, symmetrical and face-to-face, are a reminder that the balance and harmony of a great wine, already present in nature, still set a challenge to be met by the work of human hands. MOUTON ROTHSCHILD: THE VINEYARD AND THE VINTAGE A Premier Cru Classé, Château Mouton Rothschild comprises 84 hectares (207 acres) of vines at Pauillac in the Médoc, planted with the varieties typical of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (16%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). This First Growth benefits from exceptionally favourable natural conditions, in the quality of the soil, the position of its vines and their exposure to the sun. Combining a respect for tradition with the latest technology, it receives meticulous attention from grape to bottle from highly skilled winemakers and vinegrowers responsible for each parcel of the estate. The grapes are harvested by hand in small open baskets, sorted on vibrating tables and vinified in oak vats, after which the wine is matured in new oak casks. THE 2012 VINTAGE In weather terms, 2012 was a year of contrasts and balance. The contrasts took the form of an exceptionally cold winter and one of the driest summers for fifty years. The balance was struck in the vegetation cycle: thanks to a harmonious spring, the Cabernet Sauvignon flowered and reached veraison at ideal times, enabling the grapes to develop concentrated sugar and tannins. Picking took place in good conditions between 1 and 15 October. 2012 is a historic vintage: after three years of construction work, the new vat house was ready for its first harvest, allowing for even more precise parcel selection. The wine transcends these qualities. Almost black, it has a lovely glint, while the expressive and complex nose releases aromas of blackcurrant and spice. The sumptuous attack, on fine, mature and full-bodied tannins, reveals chocolate and vanilla flavours, while the fresh and mineral finish is quite simply gorgeous. In its richness, nobility and perfect balance, Mouton Rothschild 2012 is close to being an exceptional vintage. MIQUEL BARCELÓ Born in the village of Felanitx on the island of Majorca in 1957, the Catalan painter and sculptor Miquel Barceló studied at the School of Decorative Arts in Palma, the island’s capital. Initially influenced by abstract expressionism, his painting subsequently became more figurative. During the 1980s, the support of leading gallery owners such as Yvon Lambert and Leo Castelli, and museums like Bordeaux’s Centre for Contemporary Visual Arts (CAPC) gave his career international impetus. From 1988, his extensive travels in Africa not only generated thousands of sketches but also renewed his inspiration and his technique by initiating him into sculpture and ceramics. Distinctions have proliferated since 1995. In Paris, where he has his studio, an exhibition of his works was held at the Museum of Modern Art in 1996 and his watercolours were displayed at the Louvre in 2004. He was presented with the Prince of Asturias Award in 2003. He created a major work for Palma Cathedral, inaugurated by King Juan Carlos. He decorated the dome of the Palace of Nations in Geneva, represented Spain at the Venice Biennale and, in 2010, amazed Avignon and Paris with his Terra Mare exhibition. Each occasion gave this multi-faceted artist an opportunity to impose his universe, at once realistic and dreamlike, a realm of intense colours, combining a wide range of different materials and media, transforming his paintings into flat sculptures with bristling rough surfaces. Fascinated by the depiction of animals and by prehistoric cave paintings, Barceló is a member of the Chauvet Cave scientific committee. This recent source of inspiration can be seen in his fresco for Mouton 2012, which revisits the Château’s historical emblem. Its two rams, symmetrical and face-to-face, are a reminder that the balance and harmony of a great wine, already present in nature, still set a challenge to be met by the work of human hands. PAINTINGS FOR THE LABELS Every year since 1945, the Château Mouton Rothschild label has been illustrated with an original artwork by a great contemporary painter. In 1924, to salute his first vintage bottled entirely at the château, Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988), father of Baroness Philippine (1933-2014), asked the famous poster designer Jean Carlu to create the Mouton label. Ahead of its time, it remained an isolated initiative. In 1945, this time to celebrate the return of peace, Baron Philippe decided to crown the label for the vintage with the V for Victory, drawn by the young painter Philippe Jullian. This exceptional circumstance marked the start of a tradition and, every year since 1946, a different artist has been invited to create an original artwork for the label. Initially, Baron Philippe chose painters from amongst his friends, such as Jean Hugo, Léonor Fini and Jean Cocteau. In 1955, Georges Braque agreed to illustrate the vintage; he was followed by the greatest artists of our time, including Dali, César, Miró, Chagall, Picasso, Warhol, Soulages, Bacon, Balthus, Tàpies and Jeff Koons, forming a fascinating collection to which a new work is added each year. Responsible for choosing the artists from the 1980s until her death, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild always respected their artistic freedom, though most of them are attracted by certain themes, such as the vine, the pleasure of drinking or the ram, the emblem of Mouton. The artists receive no fee for their work but are given cases of Mouton Rothschild, including of course their vintage. In 1981, on Baroness Philippines initiative, the collection gave rise to a travelling exhibition, Mouton Rothschild, Paintings for the Labels, shown in many museums around the world. It is now in residence in its own space at Mouton, dedicated by Baroness Philippine in 2013, between the new vat house and the famous Museum of Wine in Art. ABOUT PHILIPPINE DE ROTHSCHILD (1933-2014) Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who died on 22 August 2014, was the owner, with her children, of three great wine estates at Pauillac in the Médoc: Château Mouton Rothschild, Premier Cru Classé, Château dArmailhac and Château Clerc Milon. She was Chair of the Supervisory Board and majority shareholder of the family company, Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, the leading exporter of Bordeaux AOC wines which, among other branded wines, produces and markets the Philippine de Rothschild spent her childhood in France during the Second World War. Her father, Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988), had joined General de Gaulle in London; meanwhile her mother was deported to Ravensbrück, where she died in 1945. Philippine herself miraculously In love with the theatre, she graduated from the Paris Conservatoire National dArt Dramatique in 1958 and was engaged by the Comédie Française. After a first marriage with the actor and director Jacques Sereys, she married the scholar and writer Jean-Pierre de Beaumarchais. She had three children from her two relationships: Camille, Philippe and Julien, born in 1961, 1963 and 1971 She continued her stage career after leaving the Comédie Française. Among other engagements, between 1973 and 1980 she played one of the leading roles in Harold and Maude beside She subsequently became increasingly involved in the life of Mouton and the family business. In 1981, she created the travelling exhibition Mouton Rothschild, Paintings for the Labels, which brought the original artworks created by famous painters for the Mouton labels to a worldwide On Baron Philippes death, Philippine de Rothschild assumed all his duties and responsibilities. She raised ever higher the star of Mouton, an illustrious wine and a prime tourist attraction. With infectious energy, she modernised the facilities of the family company, extended its product range and made it commercially more effective, and successfully established it in several major winegrowing regions in France and elsewhere, producing both premium and branded wines. Philippine de Rothschild was an Officier de la Légion d’Honneur and an Officier des Arts et Lettres. Her son, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, has now succeeded her as Chairman of the family company’s Supervisory Board. Her other two children, Camille Ögren and Julien de Beaumarchais, work closely with the new chairman, all three united in their commitment to their mother’s work and the Château’s motto: “I, Mouton, do not change”.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 00:30:48 +0000
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