1 dozen bottles per lot
Details
Concordia, Integritas, Industria: The Rothschilds Then and Now
By Charles Antin
Imagine this: You live in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt in the mid-18th-century. Your name is Mayer Amschel Rothschild and you are one of eight children living on the Judengasse in a tiny apartment only 11 feet wide. You are unsatisfied with this existence, so what do you do? You sire five sons: Amschel, Salomon, Nathan, Calman and James and send them out to the key European cities of Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Naples, and Paris respectively, to establish banks and create a multinational web of financial services. Most importantly, with a Cosa Nostra-like insistence, you instill in these sons the importance of keeping everything in the family. Your coat of arms, a clenched fist with five arrows, reflects this. It's a reference to Psalm 127: "Sons are a heritage from the lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." "Concordia, Integritas, Industria," is your motto. Harmony, Integrity, Industry.
So began the most celebrated and wealthy wine dynasty in Bordeaux. The Rothschild reputation in Bordeaux--feuds included--is the stuff of legends. All of the Rothschild holdings combined produce over 8.5 million gallons of wine each vintage, for a grand total of over $250 million gross. Though the Rothschild family is first and foremost a banking powerhouse, it's safe to say that wine production is no longer just a fancy jewel in the Rothschild crown. It's a viable source of revenue, and its two flagships--Mouton and Lafite--are producing some of the best Cabernet-based wine in the world today. Though the combined production of the two grands vins is only about 40,000 cases a year (1 of total production for the two companies), the revenue they generate accounts for almost 12 of the overall gross. These days, Mouton and Lafite coexist in Pauillac and both produce fine, stylistically unique claret for the connoisseur.
But it wasn't always that way. The classification of 1855 found Mouton not worthy--due to its price--of premier cru status, whereas Lafite (along with Haut Brion, Margaux and Latour) was.
Flash forward to the Baron Philippe de Rothschild's reign at Mouton in the mid-20th-century. Baron Philippe was the epitome of the dashing Frenchman: a Grand Prix driver, a playwright, a poet and, beyond all else, a tireless campaigner on behalf of his beloved Mouton. His larger-than-life personality was in stark contrast to that of his younger cousin at Lafite. Baron Elie de Rothschild, the consummate blueblood, was a stoic businessman on all fronts. The story goes that while Elie commanded his employees like a warrior headed to battle, Phillippe conducted all business meetings while reclining in his oversized bed.
The one similarity between the two cousins was their hard-headedness. In fact, it took the marriage of Philippine, Philip's only child, to warrant a cease fire between the families. The year was 1961 and Philippine and her groom, Jacques Sereys, rode in a limousine lined with orchids up to Mouton for the wedding. Almost 80 Rothschilds were in attendance, many having come from Paris via chartered train stocked with Champagne and caviar for the occasion. At the wedding, both sides of the family showcased their wines: 1869, 1949, and 1926 Lafite as well as 1869, 1928, and 1933 Mouton were all served. It's good to be the king. In a bit of wine-related serendipitiy both châteaux produced legendary wines in the 1961 vintage, a feat especially impressive since quality at this time was often suspect, and bottle variation was much more prevalent than it is today.
After the wedding: business as usual. Elie and Philippe's personalities clashed, and it wasn't until 1973 that Elie finally changed his position on Mouton. Immediately, Phillippe changed his château's motto from, "Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis," or "Although I can't be first, I won't be second: I am Mouton," to "Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change", or "First I am, second I was, but Mouton doesn't change."
These days, the grands vins of the family both maintain their rightful positions at the top of the Bordeaux hierarchy. Vast long-term investments into the winemaking have gradually improved the quality of the wines to the point where it's been said that the greatest wines from Lafite and Mouton have yet to be made. Below the grands vins, the Rothschilds have diversified both extensively and intelligently. Mouton Cadet is the most well-known example of this (and the most sold Bordeaux in the United States) but the Rothschilds have numerous other holdings, not only in France (in the Languedoc, for example) but in South America and the Napa Valley as well.
Mouton and Lafite, with their feuds beside them, have both regained their rightful position at the crème de la crème. Much to the late Mayer Amschel Rothschild's pleasure, no doubt, they have kept it in the family. Those currently at the helm, Eric of Lafite and Philippine at Mouton, both agree that the current level of competition is beneficial for both châteaux. Anyone who has had the good fortune to sample the grace and finesse of Lafite beside the power of Mouton has to agree. Harmony, Integrity, and Industry in every bottle.
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1998
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
In original wooden case
1 dozen bottles per lot
By Charles Antin
Imagine this: You live in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt in the mid-18th-century. Your name is Mayer Amschel Rothschild and you are one of eight children living on the Judengasse in a tiny apartment only 11 feet wide. You are unsatisfied with this existence, so what do you do? You sire five sons: Amschel, Salomon, Nathan, Calman and James and send them out to the key European cities of Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Naples, and Paris respectively, to establish banks and create a multinational web of financial services. Most importantly, with a Cosa Nostra-like insistence, you instill in these sons the importance of keeping everything in the family. Your coat of arms, a clenched fist with five arrows, reflects this. It's a reference to Psalm 127: "Sons are a heritage from the lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." "Concordia, Integritas, Industria," is your motto. Harmony, Integrity, Industry.
So began the most celebrated and wealthy wine dynasty in Bordeaux. The Rothschild reputation in Bordeaux--feuds included--is the stuff of legends. All of the Rothschild holdings combined produce over 8.5 million gallons of wine each vintage, for a grand total of over $250 million gross. Though the Rothschild family is first and foremost a banking powerhouse, it's safe to say that wine production is no longer just a fancy jewel in the Rothschild crown. It's a viable source of revenue, and its two flagships--Mouton and Lafite--are producing some of the best Cabernet-based wine in the world today. Though the combined production of the two grands vins is only about 40,000 cases a year (1 of total production for the two companies), the revenue they generate accounts for almost 12 of the overall gross. These days, Mouton and Lafite coexist in Pauillac and both produce fine, stylistically unique claret for the connoisseur.
But it wasn't always that way. The classification of 1855 found Mouton not worthy--due to its price--of premier cru status, whereas Lafite (along with Haut Brion, Margaux and Latour) was.
Flash forward to the Baron Philippe de Rothschild's reign at Mouton in the mid-20th-century. Baron Philippe was the epitome of the dashing Frenchman: a Grand Prix driver, a playwright, a poet and, beyond all else, a tireless campaigner on behalf of his beloved Mouton. His larger-than-life personality was in stark contrast to that of his younger cousin at Lafite. Baron Elie de Rothschild, the consummate blueblood, was a stoic businessman on all fronts. The story goes that while Elie commanded his employees like a warrior headed to battle, Phillippe conducted all business meetings while reclining in his oversized bed.
The one similarity between the two cousins was their hard-headedness. In fact, it took the marriage of Philippine, Philip's only child, to warrant a cease fire between the families. The year was 1961 and Philippine and her groom, Jacques Sereys, rode in a limousine lined with orchids up to Mouton for the wedding. Almost 80 Rothschilds were in attendance, many having come from Paris via chartered train stocked with Champagne and caviar for the occasion. At the wedding, both sides of the family showcased their wines: 1869, 1949, and 1926 Lafite as well as 1869, 1928, and 1933 Mouton were all served. It's good to be the king. In a bit of wine-related serendipitiy both châteaux produced legendary wines in the 1961 vintage, a feat especially impressive since quality at this time was often suspect, and bottle variation was much more prevalent than it is today.
After the wedding: business as usual. Elie and Philippe's personalities clashed, and it wasn't until 1973 that Elie finally changed his position on Mouton. Immediately, Phillippe changed his château's motto from, "Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis," or "Although I can't be first, I won't be second: I am Mouton," to "Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change", or "First I am, second I was, but Mouton doesn't change."
These days, the grands vins of the family both maintain their rightful positions at the top of the Bordeaux hierarchy. Vast long-term investments into the winemaking have gradually improved the quality of the wines to the point where it's been said that the greatest wines from Lafite and Mouton have yet to be made. Below the grands vins, the Rothschilds have diversified both extensively and intelligently. Mouton Cadet is the most well-known example of this (and the most sold Bordeaux in the United States) but the Rothschilds have numerous other holdings, not only in France (in the Languedoc, for example) but in South America and the Napa Valley as well.
Mouton and Lafite, with their feuds beside them, have both regained their rightful position at the crème de la crème. Much to the late Mayer Amschel Rothschild's pleasure, no doubt, they have kept it in the family. Those currently at the helm, Eric of Lafite and Philippine at Mouton, both agree that the current level of competition is beneficial for both châteaux. Anyone who has had the good fortune to sample the grace and finesse of Lafite beside the power of Mouton has to agree. Harmony, Integrity, and Industry in every bottle.
Château Lafite-Rothschild--Vintage 1998
Pauillac, 1er cru classé
In original wooden case
1 dozen bottles per lot