Property of the Baroness - The Tasting Panel Magazine

Mouton Cadet is rich in Bordeaux history. The brand is the property of the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, the daughter of Baron Philippe, and she carries on the work he began more than 80 years ago.

“The brand’s international success started in the 1960s, when it was imported into the U.S.,” explains Mouton Cadet Export Manager Adrien Laurent. “By the 1980s it was—and still is—the number one selling Bordeaux in America.”

For the past six years, the winemaking team at Mouton Cadet has had the luxury of being able to select their parcels for the Bordeaux varieties from Bordeaux’s great wine-growing communes. “We work with the large cooperatives and we say, ‘We’d like that parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon, that parcel of Sauvignon Blanc, etc.,’ and we even decide the date of harvest,” Laurent points out. “It’s almost as if we own the land, but not owning it actually gives us more flexibility where to choose our fruit and when to increase production.”

Alex Ramillon, owner of La Frite French bistros in Southern California, sips the new Cadet d’Oc 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon with Mouton Cadet Export Director Adrien Laurent.

The light and lean unoaked Cadet d’Oc Chardonnay pairs fittingly with les frites.

Introducing Cadet d’Oc

Now the Mouton team has turned to vineyards in Southwest France for the new Cadet d’Oc line. Sourced from one of the oldest vineyards in the Languedoc’s Limoux region, Cadet d’Oc 2009 Chardonnay Pays d’Oc is one of two new varietal wines just released in October. Crisp and fruit driven, this unoaked refreshing white offers vanilla and sweet melon with a McIntosh apple back, white flowers and a lean minerality.

Cadet d’Oc 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Pays d’Oc has cinnamon spice right up front that leads to more earthy, smoky tones in the middle. Black fruit, coffee and raisins round it out, but the tannins are apparent, as is the fine acidity.

Celebrating an 80th Anniversary

The Mouton Cadet 2008 Bordeaux Red is a nod to the brand’s beginnings in 1930 (the wine was released in 2010, hence the 80th anniversary). The Merlot-based blend shows an Old World acidity and nose; stony soil, clay and ripe plums cross classicism with modernism in style and approachability.

Mouton Cadet and Cadet d’Oc are imported by Constellation Brands and are line-priced at SRP $9.99.