1997 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton-Cadet

Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet is the brand name of popular Bordeaux which is blend of grapes from several Bordeaux appellations. It was created in the early 1930s by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who was the youngest son (hence the name “cadet,” referring to a younger son) of the aristocratic family that owned Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Following several poor vintages in the late 1920s, Philippe de Rothschild started Mouton Cadet as a second label, though over the decades it improved in quality and became one of the best selling wines in the world. The reserve blend was created in 1996. The Mouton Cadet Reserve brand now includes a Medoc, a Saint-Emilion, Graves Rouge and Blanc and a Sauternes. Mouton Cadet is distributed by Constellation Brands.

Bordeaux is the world’s most famous fine-wine producing region. Even non-wine drinkers recognize the names of Bordeaux’s celebrated wines, such as Margaux and Lafite-Rothschild. Located near the Atlantic coast in southwest France, the region takes its name from the seaport city of Bordeaux, a wine trading center with an outstanding site on the Garonne River and easy access to the Atlantic. Like most French wine regions, Bordeaux’s first vineyards were planted by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago, then tended by medieval monks. Aristocrats and nobility later owned the region’s best estates and today estates are owned by everyone from non-French business conglomerates to families who have been proprietors for generations. Bordeaux has nearly 280,000 acres of vineyards, 57 appellations and 10,000 wine-producing châteaux. Bordeaux is bifurcated by the Gironde Estuary into so-called “right bank” and “left bank” appellations. Bordeaux’s red wines are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It also makes white wines of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. There are several classification systems in Bordeaux. All are attempts to rank the estates based on the historic quality of the wines.