Château Mouton Rothschild 1899

Château Mouton Rothschild 1899: A monument to the Fin de Siècle

The Château Mouton Rothschild 1899 is a wine of exceptional historical significance – a liquid monument to the Fin de Siècle and a testament to the early era of the Rothschild dynasty in Pauillac. The 1899 vintage is described by Christie’s as “the first of the famous fin-de-siècle twin vintages”, with a perfect growing season and a bountiful harvest. The wines are characterised as ‘imposing, yet with delicacy and great finesse’ and awarded five stars.

The history of the estate is closely linked to this vintage: Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild acquired what was then Château Brane-Mouton in 1853 for 1,125,000 gold francs and renamed it Château Mouton Rothschild. By 1899, the estate had already been in the Rothschild family for over four decades. The vintage coincided with a period in which Mouton – although officially classified as a Deuxième Cru Classé – had long had what it took to be a Premier Cru. This was a situation that Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who took charge of the estate in 1922, regarded as an ‘injustice’ and was only able to rectify in 1973 with the official upgrade to Premier Cru Classé.

Wine-making followed 19th-century traditions. The estate’s blend of grape varieties – then as now – emphasises Cabernet Sauvignon, which endows the wine with “rich tannins, a wealth of aroma and flavour, and its ageing potential”, complemented by Merlot for “smoothness, roundness and exceptional length”. The 1899 vintage was aged in French oak barrels and – as was customary at the time – bottled by the wine merchant Bon de Moulis before being released for sale. It was later recorked at the estate itself (“recorked at Mouton Rothschild”), a sign of the special regard the house holds for its historic vintages.

The tasting notes paint a picture of a wine that has stood the test of time. The colour is ruby red with a faint brick-red rim. The nose is described as “perfumed, red berries, aniseed, floral, light, detailed, blackberries and cassis, figs, nuanced” – a bouquet that prompted taster Christer Byklum to exclaim: “Superb nose, I could smell this for ages”. On the palate, there is fresh acidity, “still some ripe tannins, aniseed, spices, liquorice, detailed, juicy, still somewhat textured, long”. Tasted blind, he identified the wine as a Pauillac and estimated it to be a 1928 vintage – a tribute to the youthfulness of this wine, which is over 120 years old. Another tasting note on Tastingbook describes an “intense and lively nose with some classic ‘Mouton vegetal’ notes – bamboo shoots, black olives, spices and violets”, as well as a “medium-bodied palate, refined, lively and youthful” with “vibrant acidity, supple tannins and even more intense blackcurrant fruit” – an “absolute stunner for its age”. The recommended decanting time is 45 minutes, and Tastingbook awards it 97 points.

The 1899 Mouton is now an absolute rarity. Recent auction prices have stood at around 787 GBP at Christie’s and 54,450 HKD at an Asian auction, whilst the global average price is around 22,912 US dollars per 750-ml bottle. A special historical anecdote: when Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s daughter Philippine hosted Eric de Rothschild for dinner in 1999, she retrieved a bottle of the 1899 Mouton from the estate’s cellar to serve her cousin – a testament to the status this vintage still holds in the family’s heart to this day. For lovers of great Bordeaux wines, the 1899 Château Mouton Rothschild is an extraordinary experience – a liquid monument to a bygone era, bearing the hallmark of one of the world’s most distinguished winemaking families.