Bordeaux first growth Château Mouton Rothschild has unveiled its highly anticipated 2022 label design yesterday. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Philippe de Rothschild’s helm at the family estate the 2022 label features an original artwork by the French artist Gérard Garouste paying tribute to the baron.
To illustrate the deep connection between Château Mouton Rothschild and its long-time owner, Garouste depicted the estate’s symbolic front wall and a vine with grapes, framed by a portrait of Philippe and a ram, his emblematic animal. “I wanted to pay tribute to that story, to his respect for wine, which is also a tribute to nature as it is given to us,” he said.
The painting was inspired by the conversation between the artist and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, the grandson of Philippe who currently co-owns the estate. “He showed me lots of photos, and the man’s physical presence really spoke to me as a painter. It was clear that I had my model,” Garouste recalled of his discussions with Julien during the creation process.
“I was greatly attracted by his character, not least because elegance is something I set great store by,” Garouste continued, “Baron Philippe was a man of great elegance, very hard-working, and he had the look of someone very sure of himself, with a mischievous side. That is what I have tried to capture in the way I have portrayed him.”
Garouste appreciates the aesthetic value and cultural significance of Philippe’s well-known emblem. “I find it fascinating that Baron Philippe chose the ram’s head as a symbol, as it features in both Greek and biblical mythology,” he said.
Julien lauded the artwork as a well-curated representation of his grandfather’s journey with the estate. “Gérard Garouste’s painting can be read like a kind of heraldic banner: it needs to be deciphered,” he said, “for me, the label tells the story of a metamorphosis,”
“It all starts with an encounter: that of Baron Philippe with the front wall, which has always been a singular feature of Mouton Rothschild,” Julien continued, “From that encounter sprang a symbol which expresses and transcends them both: the ram, the dual embodiment of Baron Philippe, whose astrological sign was Aries, and of Mouton Rothschild, reflecting both its name and its vital energy.”
Driven by his passion for art, Philippe invited painters each year from 1945 onwards to create a unique label design for Château Mouton Rothschild. The artists he invited included Georges Braque, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso.
Continuing the tradition he started, the 2022 label celebrates the centenary of his arrival at the estate—a celebration he questioned might occur in his autobiography, Vivre la Vigne, published in 1981.
In addition to being a winery owner and art lover, Philippe, versatile in art and sport, was also known as a race car driver, a sailor, a film producer, and a poet.
Gérard Garouste was born in 1946 and has lived in Normandy and Paris. Notably, he is a postmodern artist known for his figurative mythological paintings. Having worked for Le Palace, a theater and nightclub in Paris, Garouste showcases his expertise in scenic design.
In celebration of the 2022 label reveal, the estate and Christie’s are hosting an online auction from November 26 to December 11. The auction features a selection of the 2022 vintages in various formats, along with two exclusive experiences at the estate and an international sailing competition. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Sauveteurs en Mer, a non-profit organization providing sea rescue services, in honor of Philippe’s identity as a sailor.
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