With the start of Women’s History Month today and International Women’s Day next Sunday, there’s no better time to acknowledge and celebrate Château Mouton Rothschild’s label for the 2017 vintage of its top wine (photo above). The artwork was created by 77-year-old French artist Annette Messager who is known for an untraditional and bold approach to art. She joins a league of famous artists, including Picasso, Braque, Dali, and Koons, whose art has adorned the first-growth estate’s bottles for over seven decades.

***Photo of Annette Messager courtesy of Château Mouton Rothschild.***

Hailed for her creative talents, Messager, a contemporary French visual artist, takes objects, shapes, and words from everyday life to create works that appears simple and lighthearted, but upon deeper reflection challenges the viewer to take a more serious look at today’s world.

Her rather risqué work for the 2017 label is titled Hallelujah and shows a pair of nude breasts with the words “hallelujah” swirling above and a glass of wine held below them. "In an approach that is both realistic and symbolic, [Messager] combines two substances, milk and wine, which the Bible often associates with each other, hymning the virtues of both," wrote Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, co-owner of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, in press materials released with the label in November 2019.

The Rothschilds, a famous European family, are well-known for their prominent role in finance, wine and philanthropy. It was back in 1853 that banker Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild bought the estate, located in Pauillac in the heart of the Médoc. In 1945, his great grandson, the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild, an arts enthusiast and friend to many artists, came up with the idea to invite famous painters to illustrate the Mouton Rothschild label, and so began an annual tradition.

Today, a total of 73 years of artwork is on display in a gallery next to the winery’s vat room. The beautiful exhibit is open to the public — at least when the works are not traveling the world as part of the ‘Paintings for the Labels’ show.

***Photo of Château Mouton Rothschild by Lisa Denning.***

Château Mouton Rothschild owners, left to right: Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. Photo courtesy of Château Mouton Rothschild. — Château Mouton Rothschild owners, left to right: Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. *Photo courtesy of Château Mouton Rothschild.*

And what about what’s inside the bottle? The 2017 Château Mouton Rothschild is a Bordeaux blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Roger Voss of Wine Enthusiast gives it 97 points and describes a barrel sample of the wine as “develop[ing] slowly on the palate, gradually revealing its powerful tannins and solid structure. It has the classic black currant fruitiness of Cabernet Sauvignon to match the robust, lasting tannins. This impressive wine will develop slowly with great power.”

The wine’s average retail price is $479 per 750 ml bottle and it can be found on www.wine-searcher.com.

Curious to see more of Annette Messager’s intriguing artwork? Visit the Artnet website.