Among the top Bordeaux chateaux, Mouton Rothschild has a unique tradition.  Every year, it releases a newly commissioned artwork as its label for the vintage.  Part of this traces to the love of art by the owners of this prestigious producer, part of it is attributed to the idea of starting afresh each year with a blank slate (see comparison below: one without the artwork, and one with the newly unveiled label for 2021 vintage).

The label of the 2021 vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild features the artwork by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota. She follows in the footsteps of Joan Miró, Andy Warhol and David Hockney in being invited to design the label for the latest vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild.

The owners of Château Mouton Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, gave the commission to the Japanese artist, recognizing her talent in creating site-specific installations and sculptures that are so tactile and immersive it is almost as if they have created their own consciousness; they seem to live, breathe and feel as organically as we do.

Born in Osaka in 1972, Chiharu Shiota studied at Kyoto Seika University before completing her studies in Berlin under the direction of Rebecca Horn and Marina Abramović. Her early works were inspired by those artists’ extreme durational performances, and in the 2000s Shiota began to produce her signature ‘paintings in mid-air’, explaining that she wanted to recreate the ‘human presence without a physical body’.

Shiota’s Universe of Mouton is the most recent result of a collaboration between the vineyard and artists that stretches back almost a century to 1924, two years after Baron Philippe de Rothschild was entrusted with the running of his family’s wine estate in Médoc at the age of 20.

Tasting Notes

"The 2021 Mouton Rothschild is a terrific wine in the making, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries and wild berries mingled with notions of violets, espresso roast, pipe tobacco and mint. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, it's a layered, enveloping wine that's ample and concentrated, with succulent acids, melting tannins and a long, resonant finish. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc that attained 13.1% alcohol, this is a demonstrative, sensual Mouton that's the fruit of extreme selection, and that may well make my score seem conservative with further élevage. Bravo to the talented Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy and his team." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (4/29/2022) Rating: 95-96

"Jewel-ruby in colour, crystalline reflections. This is less exuberant than a usual Mouton, more of a classic Pauillac with intensity and depth through the palate. Plenty of grip and length, with rich layers of raspberry and blackberry fruits and curls of gunsmoke, liqourice and cocoa bean, giving hints of a more generous wine that should be released further over ageing. Focused and supple. 100% new oak. 3.73ph, 59IPT, 41hl/h yield. Harvest September 25 until October 6. The first vintage where it was Jean-Emmauel Danjoy from beginning to end, after Philippe Dhalluin's retiremement. 41% of overall production in Mouton. Strong candidate for an upscore in bottle." - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (4/7/2022) Rating: 95, Drink: 2028-2042

"The 2021 Mouton Rothschild is a potent, tightly wound Pauillac that will need a number of years to come together. Driving in its intensity, with searing tannins, the 2021 comes across as a bit severe today, with less of the charm and sensuality that is such a Mouton signature. That said, I was not thrilled with the quality of either of the two samples of the Grand Vin I tasted." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (5/2022) Rating: 94-96

The 2021 Mouton Rothschild marks a return to the classic style of this First Growth after three hot vintages. Unsurprisingly, the Cabernet Sauvignon takes control and expresses cigar smoke and graphite aromas. This is very well defined, yet examining the wine over several minutes, I was searching in vain for that "magic touch" exuded in recent vintages. The palate is beautifully-knit, quite edgy on the opening, comparatively slender and markedly sapid. Unapologetically linear on the finish, it is as if the growing season snipped off the frills that defines a great Mouton-Rothschild. This is a very fine First Growth, yet I hope it just gains a bit of weight and, to use a more accurate word, "presence", during the remainder of its barrel maturation. 13.1% alcohol" - Neal Martin, Vinous, (5/2022) Rating: 93-95

"The 2021 Château Mouton Rothschild is terrific, and while it plays in the more medium-bodied, elegant style of the vintage, it's perfectly balanced and has plenty of richness as well as texture. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, brought up in new barrels, it's a charming, balanced, elegant, forward Mouton." - Jeb Dunnuck (6/2/2022) Rating: 93-95