Deep-pocketed wine lovers in London are expected to raise nearly $1 million on Wednesday for the rebuilding of Paris’ Notre Dame. Sotheby’s will be auctioning off 25 five-bottle cases from one of the world’s most prestigious wine producers, Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
Wednesday’s event is the second of three charity wine auctions from the famed winemaker: On April 8, Sotheby’s sold the first 25 of the cases in Hong Kong, fetching just over $900,000. The last of the auctions will take place in New York on May 4.
The sales were originally meant to raise money for the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, France’s opulent former royal residence. The five vintages included in the case — 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013 — were selected because their labels were designed by artists who have had their work exhibited at Versailles.
But Monday’s blaze at Notre Dame prompted the winemaker to change course, and instead direct the proceeds to rebuilding the cathedral.
Unlike most wines, a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild looks different every year. That’s because the wine maker partners with a contemporary artist to create a label unique to the year.
Mouton Rothschild has partnered with artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Balthus. The artists featured in the case to be auctioned Wednesday are Giuseppe Penone, Bernar Venet, Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons, and Lee Ufan.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild is one of just five “premiere cru” producers in France’s wine making region of Bordeaux. After becoming internationally recognized in Europe in the early 19th century, Napoleon III requested a classification system in 1855, ranking the wines of Bordeaux from first growth — the best, or at least most expensive — to fifth growth. Or, as the French would say, “premiere cru” to “cinquiemes cru.”
At the time, just four winemaker were awarded the coveted title of “premiere cru,” and initially Chateau Mouton Rothschild was not among them. Since the designation, Mouton Rothschild has been the only chateau successful in upping its classification. It climbed from second to first growth in 1973.
Today, a 2010 vintage of the wine can cost about $1,000 in a wine shop.
Successful bidders in Wednesday’s auction won’t just win five bottles of fabled wine and a good feeling from helping Notre Dame. Winners will also receive an invitation for them and a guest to attend a private visit and tasting at the Chateau’s vineyard in Bordeaux as well as an invite to an exclusive dinner party at the Palace of Versailles in September. At the event, guests will be treated to a glass of Mouton Rothschild from 1945, a vintage that celebrated the end of World War II by simply drawing a “V” on the bottle.
