LeDomduVin: Wine Bottle Weight, Shape, Glass and Label Design Changes Over Time (Part 2): Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Wine Bottle Weight, Shape, Glass 

and Label Design Changes Over Time 

(Part 2): Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2024 Label
by © LeDomduVin 2019
Tribute to Jean Carlu

Apology letter 

To the owners of Chateau Mouton Rothschild

My deepest and most sincere apologies to the owners of Château Mouton-Rothschild, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, for taking such liberty and presenting my work for the label of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2024 vintage in such manner (😉).

I did not mean any disrespect or harm to you or your brand. In fact, I have profound respect for your family, more especially for your mother, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, whom I had the chance and the pleasure to meet several times during my 28 years career in the wine business, and for whom I had lots of admiration, for her lively personality, her strength of character and her addictive "joie-de-vivre". 

But you have to understand that it is a tradition for me to begin my posts with an illustration of mine (usually a photo, a drawing, or a collage, etc...) specially created to introduce the subject of my blog's posts; and I thought about a (funny) tribute to Jean Carlu to celebrate the centenary of the iconic label he created back in 1924.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1924 Label

I personally love his 1924 vintage label (from the Art-Deco / Cubism era), which was used as the background for the coat of arms (with the rams on each side), appearing on the label of the following vintage, 1925, and has remained there ever since. There may be an unintended subliminal message in my creation... (😉)

As this post is mostly about Chateau Mouton-Rothschild label design changes (which have occurred over the last 120 years), I wanted to add a dash of humor by creating this "imitation" label to see if people might fall for it, looking at a potentially genuine label at first sight (you never know, some people not looking too closely at first glance might think it could be....). 

I tend to think that my illustrations can be either funny or sarcastic (or even a bit "cerebral" sometimes, with "rather-french" 2nd-degree jokes and a metaphorical sense of humor... (*)). Some sort of gimmicks to amuse my readers, helping, in a "ludique" (playful) way, to digest all the contents of my posts, which are often too long, too detailed and irritably too often derivating from and, hence, losing focus on the original subject... (sorry, that's the way my mind works and that's also my writing style in both French and English....sigh...); and therefore, I could not resist the temptation to start this post on such an iconic Bordeaux wine with a label of my own creation.  

I hope you will forgive me and be merciful for the liberty I took to create this label for a vintage that has yet to come without you commissioning me to do it. I'd appreciate you considering it a potential candidate label for this upcoming vintage. (No worries if you don't, but I had to ask... you never know...😉)

Thank you for your understanding. 

Deepest regards,

Sincerely yours, 

LeDomduVin      

Now that my apology is out of the way, and without further ado, let's move on to the post. Again, this is a lengthy post with interesting details, facts, and stories (as I always try to provide you with within most posts).

Prologue: While writing the first post on the same subject, I created the collage below, called "Mouton Rothschild label designs over the last 120 years" and, (as usual), started to write quite intensively about the history and design evolution of these particular labels of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. When I realized how long the post was already (part 1), I decided to cut the part on Château Mouton-Rothschild and paste it in this brand new post (part 2), which is now a post on its own, solely dedicated to the history and design evolution of the labels of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild over the last 120 years (to which I added a few lines at the end on the bottle shape, weight and glass used for the Mouton's bottles, like I did for Chateau Latour in part 1).

Read the previous post on the same subject, "Wine Bottle Weight, Shape, Glass and Label Design Changes Over Time" (part 1) (featuring Château Latour)  here

Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Wine Bottle Weight, Shape, Glass 

and Label Design Changes Over Time 

Château Mouton-Rothschild is probably the best example to take when talking about bottle and, more especially, label design changes over time, as it is one of the only (if not THE only) Châteaux or wine estate in the world that has changed its label design so many times over the years, since its acquisition by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild back in 1853.

Like all great stories, it begins with "Once upon a time,..." Baron Philippe de Rothschild (great-grandson of Baron Nathaniel) and 4th generation of the Rothschild family owning the Château, had the brilliant idea to commission artists to create artworks to embellish the label of Château Mouton Rothschild. 

Between 1853 and the early 1920s, Château Mouton Rothschild's label slightly evolved but insignificantly compared to the drastic design changes that occurred subsequently.

To celebrate the first bottling at the Château ("Mise en bouteilles au Château") of the vintage 1924, bottled in 1927, Baron Philippe commissioned Jean Carlu (1900-1997), a graphic artist, famous for his poster works regarded as an expression of the dominant artistic movement at that time called the "Cubism", to create the label of the 1924 vintage. The visual impact of this particular label distinguished the 1924 vintage label as the beginning of a new era for Mouton Rothschild.

Immediately after, the label of the 1925 vintage was changed again to a rather discreet and sober visual design compared to the loud and colorful 1924 vintage label. From 1925 to 1944, the label continued evolving with the following vintages, gaining elegance, refinement, and sophistication. 

Yet, it is only with the 1945 label, to commemorate the "Victory" and the end of World War II, that Baron Philippe started and established what would become a tradition with all the labels of the subsequent vintages by commissioning another contemporary artist to design the label of Mouton-Rothschild 1945 vintage (bottled in 1948). This time, he commissioned a young, unknown artist, Philippe Jullian (1921-1977), who displayed early promise as a designer and became a successful dramatist. After Jullian submitted several drafts, Baron Philippe chose the one based on the famous “V for Victory” that Churchill used throughout the war to rally the forces of freedom.

The 1945 label became a beacon, an expression of quality and taste, and a canvas for previously unreleased artworks inspired by and crafted for Château Mouton Rothschild,  a genius visual marketing stunt pioneered by Baron Philippe. 

Thus, the tradition of commissioning a contemporary artist to embellish and revamp the label design of Château Mouton-Rothschild for each vintage was born. The rest is history.   

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Label Designs over the last 120 years 
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

Brief history and details of the most significant design changes 

for Château Mouton Rothschild labels from 1853 to 1945 

(and a few more recent ones too) 

Inspired by the collage I did (see picture above), instead of talking about all the labels since 1945 (like on the picture of all the Mouton's labels from 1945 to 2013 further below and like in most books published about Mouton Rothschild), I wanted to focus only on the most significant label design changes of Château Mouton-Rothschild, more especially those from 1853 to 1945 (**):

• 1853 - Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild (1812-1870), of the English branch of the eponymous family, bought the Château Brane-Mouton for a sum of 1,125,000 francs (or roughly 172,000 Euros, a colossal sum at the time) and immediately renamed the Château "Mouton-Rothschild". The vineyard at this time was in bad shape as it had been no longer maintained for a few years, as the only building was an old, dilapidated farm offering no living or sleeping accommodation possibility; thus, the owners never lived on site and were just appointing someone as a manager to take care of the vineyards and the wine. Baron Nathaniel, living in Paris then, appointed Theodore Galos, a Bordeaux Negociant who owned a few vineyards, as the estate manager. Within 2-3 years, Theodore rapidly upgraded and restored the vineyard and the cellars.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild Vintage 1855 Label -
©LeDomduVin 2019

• 1855 - Exposition Universelle de Paris and Bordeaux Classifications - Emperor Napoleon III requested the members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bordeaux to produce a ranking of the most prestigious properties of Bordeaux to be presented at the Universal Exhibition of Paris (World Fair), which took place from May 15 to November 15 1855 on the Champs Elysees. This classification was based on the reputation, notoriety, and prices of these properties (the prices of the past ten or even fifty years, according to some sources), directly related to the quality of the wines at this time. Despite the efforts of Theodore Galos to restore the vineyards and cellars in order to increase the value of the property (which was on the rise at that time), Mouton-Rothschild was not classified as a first growth, which seems logical considering that the selection criteria was based on the property prices over fifty years, and knowing the fact that the vineyards and the farm were left unattended for years by owners not leaving on-site, thus diminishing the value of the estate. Not having a proper Chateau or mansion on site and being recently acquired by a British probably did not help either. However, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was still classified as a 2nd Growth. From 1855 to 1888, the labels only mentioned "Mouton" (not yet "Chateau Mouton Rothschild") and bore the name of "R. Galos," named after "Roche Galos", the estate manager at that time.

NB: For those of you who might wonder (like I did), I was not able to find any info regarding the link between "Theodore Galos" and "Roche Galos", both supposedly being the estate manager of Chateau Mouton Rothschild at that period, and both appearing in many texts and references on the history of the Chateau. Are they two different persons? Or are they the same person? If anyone knows, please let me know. I will be very interested. More especially knowing that officially "Theodore Galos" was appointed by Baron Nathaniel as the estate manager and has been credited for restoring the vineyards and cellars; while "Roche Galos" is also mentioned in many texts as the estate manager and his name appears on the labels between 1855 and 1888. I read countless articles and even extracts of books on the subject, and I still could not figure it out. So, if you did, please tell me. 

• 1880 - The son of Nathaniel de Rothschild, Baron James de Rothschild (1844-1881), began construction of the Chateau and named it: Petit Mouton

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1889 Label -
Photo courtesy of picclick.fr

• 1889 - "Baron de Miollis" Label - Baron Augustin de Miollis (1864-1939) was appointed estate manager. The labels still only mentioned "Mouton" (not yet "Chateau Mouton Rothschild"), and from 1889 to 1920, bore the name of "Bon de Miollis". You can also notice the first few changes on the label:

• The name of the appointed manager changed from "R. Galos" to "Bon de Miollis", "Bon de Miollis - Gérant", which translates to "Baron de Miollis - Manager" 

• The name of the owner of the Chateau changed from "Baron de Rothschild, Propriétaire" to "Hers du Bon de Rothschild Propres", which is the abbreviation of "Heritiers de Baron de Rothschild Propriétaires"  

• The wines were still not bottled and labeled at the Chateau at that time, but by a 3rd party, usually a Négociant, buying the wine, then taking care of the bottling and labeling, and even the aging sometimes, or by someone appointed as the estate manager also in charge of the bottling and labeling. 

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1900 Label -
Photo courtesy of picclick.fr

• 1900 - The turn of the century, still showcasing the "Baron de Miollis" Label (1889-1920) 

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1920 Label

• 1920 - The label is redesigned: The Baron introduced on the label the design of the stylized Château as well as a bundle of 5 arrows, but still without preceding the name "Mouton" with the term "Château", while the Négociants (Bordeaux Wine Merchants/Traders) already used the name "Château Mouton". It is interesting to notice that the notion of provenance is now clarified with the addition of "Pauillac, Gironde" on the label (then "Pauillac, Médoc" later on) to precise the Appellation of Origin. The owner's name has also changed to "Baron Henri de Rothschild", one of the 2 sons of Nathaniel de Rothschild, who took over after the passing of his father in 1870 but let the Chateau be run by the manager in place, Baron de Miollis, and the Cellar Master Gustave Bonnefours.   

• 1922 - A new era began for Chateau Mouton-Rothchild: On October 22, 1922, the grandson of Nathaniel de Rothschild and second son of Henri de Rothschild, Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988), took the direction of the property provided that he stopped car racings. Philippe immediately came up with one of his most famous quotes, which he gave as a motto to the Chateau: "Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis", which translates to "First I could not, second I do not deign, Mouton I am". Under Philippe's direction, the estate took off and reached the glory it deserved.

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1924 Label 

• 1924 - First real label design change: In 1924, on the initiative of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, all the wines produced were, for the first time, bottled at the château (at the same time and in agreement with Château Margaux). To mark this event, the Baron commissioned Jean Carlu (1900-1997), a graphic artist famous for his poster works regarded as an expression of the dominant artistic movement at that time, called "Cubism", to create the label of the 1924 vintage. This same label has also been used for 1918, 1920, 1921, and 1926 vintage (according to a source). Some were labeled that way due to late released bottles from the Chateau for the famous wine retailer chain (caviste) "Etablissements Nicolas" (founded back in 1822).

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1925 Label

• 1925 - Once more, the label is redesigned and resembles what it will become later on. The lines are clean, elegant, and refined, and despite being heavily criticized at the time, this label will be used for the 1925, 1926, and 1928 vintage, along with the other label designed by Jean Carlu above, which has also been used for the 1926 vintage for example. Notice the details of the "logo", specifically created for Chateau Mouton Rothschild, representing two rams standing on an unmarked ribbon on each side of a coat of arms shield featuring the details of the 1924 vintage label created by Jean Carlu, surmounted by a crown (and what could be vines atop the crown? not sure..) and a blank ribbon underneath.  

Carruades de Mouton Rothschild 1927 Label

• 1927 - The harvest was mediocre. Therefore, Baron Philippe decided that no wine would be sold under "Château Mouton-Rothschild". Instead, the wine produced on that particular vintage was sold under "Carruades de Mouton-Rothschild". Baron Philippe commissioned Jean Carlu again to create a special label for this vintage. 

"Le Second Vin" 1993 and "Le Petit Mouton" 1994
de Mouton Rothschild labels

NB: This specific label was re-used in 1993 for the 2nd wine under the name of "Le Deuxieme Vin de Mouton Rothschild", then again in 1994 under the definitive name of "Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild", a name that has remained the same ever since.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1929 Label

• 1929 - Back to a similar label to the one of the 1925 vintage, yet, with a redesigned "logo" (or "Emblème" or "Ecu" or "Blason" or "Coat of Arms", or whatever else you call it), I call it "logo", as a "Blason" or "Coat of Arms" is usually attributed to a family with royal, noble or military roots passed on generations, while the "logo" on this label was specifically created for Château Mouton Rothschild for the 1925 vintage label (see above). It was redesigned with larger, more defined details of similar figures and details already on the 1925 label. When comparing the 1925 and 1929 labels, both logos represent two rams, standing on an unmarked ribbon on each side of a coat of arms shield featuring the details of the 1924 vintage label created by Jean Carlu, surmounted by a crown.  This label will be used for the 1929 to 1931 vintage. No wine was produced under Chateau Mouton Rothschild in 1930 and 1932, only under Mouton Cadet.  

Château Mouton Cadet 1930 Selection Rothschild Label 

• 1930 - No wine was produced under Château Mouton Rothschild for the 1930 and 1932 vintage, as the quality of both vintages was not good enough to go into the "Grand Vin". Yet, even of lesser quality, the wines of these 2 particular vintages were still made with the same care as better vintages and, therefore, were good enough to be sold. Consequently, Baron Philippe de Rothschild decided to launch, in 1930, a new label (a 2nd label, not a 2nd wine) called "Mouton Cadet. Interesting to notice that this label of Mouton Cadet is far more complex than the current one, boasting elegant writings, with the signature of the Cellar Master, and the "logo" or "coat of arms" of both siblings: Mouton Rothschild and Mouton d'Armailhacq.

NB: Mouton-Cadet, although seemingly sold as a second wine at the time, was not a second wine but a second label, meaning that it was a wine on its own rather than being, like the second wine of the "Grand Vin" (common name for the "first wine" of the Chateaux in Bordeaux). In 2017, I wrote a post about 1st and 2nd growth, and 2nd wine and 2nd label. You can read it here (if interested). 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1931 Labe
Courtesy of Cellar Tracker

• 1931 - The same label as 1925 to 1929 label. The only difference is the apparition of the writing Mouton Rothschild in the "blason" (or "coat of arms") 

• 1931 - Comte Roger de Ferrand, owner of Chateau d'Armailhacq, launched the limited company "Domaine de  Mouton d'Armailhacq" regrouping 3500 shares of 1000 French francs each. Baron Philippe de Rothschild became a minority shareholder.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1932 Label
(courtesy of Cellar Tracker)
Fake/counterfeit Label

• 1932 - As stated above, No wine was produced under Château Mouton Rothschild for the 1930 and 1932 vintage. Therefore, imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this particular label of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1932 online (especially on such serious wine geek websites as Cellar Tracker) while searching for the label of another vintage. I could have been fooled if I did not know better. But I realized, at first glance, that this particular label is a fake, counterfeited for whatever reason, but definitely a fake, which is very interesting (more especially for an experienced Sommelier and Wine Control Director like me, who's in charge of the wine inspection and authentication for the company I work for) as I immediately felt the need to study it and scrutinize it to note the number of mistakes made by the counterfeiter, by comparing it with the 1933 label, and more especially the 1934 label below.  

• The label: No wine was produced under Château Mouton Rothschild for the 1932 vintage; therefore, this label cannot exit to start with !!!

• The vintage: The vintage states 1932, but the text underneath states harvested in 1934 and bottled in 1937 (which basically indicates that someone took the label of the 1934 vintage and changed the vintage to 1932 instead of 1934) 

• The text: Comparing it with the 1934 vintage label below, it is clear that my intuition in the second point is confirmed; the text is the same as of the 1934 vintage, except the total amount of bottles produced 

• The total amount of bottles produced: 134,989 bottles were produced for the 1934 vintage, not 139,074 bottles like on this fake 1932 label

• The color of the serial number: back then, the color of the serial number was black, not red. The red color came later on. 

• The mention "Mis en Bouteille au Château" was not on the label until later. 

• Conclusion: There is no doubt whatsoever and this is a fake/counterfeit label for all the reasons cited above. The counterfeiter made a convincing label for amateurs, but there were too many mistakes for people with a keen eye to spot anomalies at first glance due to their experience.    

Château Mouton d'Armailhacq 1933 Label
Courtesy of chateau-darmailhac.com

• 1933 - The domain of Armailhacq is sold to the Baron de Rothschild, and in 1934, the Comte de Ferrand dies. 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1933 Label 

• From 1933 (to 1944) appears a text mentioning the date of the bottling, as well as the number of bottles produced, in mixed quantity, including bottles, half-bottles, magnums, jéroboams, and imperials, as well as a serial number proper to each bottle and the signature of Baron Philippe.

NB: From 1938 to 1941, Baron Philippe de Rothschild's signature does not appear on Chateau Mouton-Rothschild's labels, as the Baron was imprisoned in the prison of Vichy. 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1934 Label
Courtesy of  Oregon Wine History

• 1934 - This is a genuine label of Chateau Mouton Rothschild's 1934 vintage. It is interesting to compare it with the fake 1932 vintage label above if you haven't done it yet...  Interesting to notice also the disappearance of the "s" at the end of "bouteille" in the mention "Mis en Bouteille au Château", which was written "Mis en bouteilles au Château"  (so, with an "s") since 1924. 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1936 Label
Picture courtesy of Christies.com

• 1936 - The mention "Mis en Bouteille au Château" is moved from the bottom of the label to the top of the label, curved around the "blason" ("coat of arms") (it might have been done for the 1935 vintage too)

Château Mouton Rothschild 1937 Label
Courtesy of Cellar Tacker

• 1937 - "Château Mouton Rothschild" is moved above the vintage and the main text. The mention of "Appellation Pauillac-Médoc Controlée" is moved at the beginning of the text, and the names "Pauillac" and "Médoc" disappear from the bottom of the label 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1939 Label

• 1938 - 1941 - Baron Philippe de Rothschild is imprisoned at the prison of Vichy; therefore, Baron Philippe de Rothschild's signature does not appear on the labels of Château Mouton-Rothschild during that period. The labels of 1938, 1939, 1940, and 1941 vintages all resemble those of 1939 above. 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1942 Label

• 1942 - Baron Philippe de Rothschild escaped the Vichy prison and fled to London. The vintage 1942 was bottled in 1945 at the end of the war. The Château, which had been occupied by the Germans during the war and managed by Heinz Bömers (1893-1978), named as the weinführer of Bordeaux by Hermann Göring (1893-1946), is restituted to the Rothschild Family. Baron Philippe is back, and the label is restored to what it used to look like for the 1936 vintage, including the Baron's signature and with "Château Mouton Rothschild" at the bottom of the label (below the vintage and the text). 

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1942 Label
Courtesy of  Philippe Margot
"Galerie d'art sur Bouteilles I
- Les étiquettes de Château Mouton Rothschild"

• 1942 - Looking for a label of the 1942 vintage, I stumbled across this particular label, which, as per Philippe Margot, in his book "Galerie d'art sur Bouteilles I - Les étiquettes de Château Mouton Rothschild" (that you can read here - it is in French), is also an official label of the 1942 vintage, which has been recognized by the Château Mouton Rothschild as being genuine without giving more explanation on the reason why 2 labels were created for this specific vintage. 

Could we blame the Germans for this particular label? As previously said above, during WWII (1939-1945), Baron Philippe was in prison (1938-1942), and Château Mouton Rothschild was taken from the Rothschild Family, occupied by the Germans and managed by Heinz Bömers (1893-1978), up until 1942. However, the vintage 1942 was bottled and labeled in 1945 when the Chateau was restituted to the Rothschild family and the Baron was back; thus, the Germans seem to have nothing to do with that label. 

That weird choice of Latin words..... Even the Latin word "HIC EST BONUM MOUTON" could appear as a joke as the literal translation means "THIS IS GOOD MOUTON"  

As the Château will not release more info on this specifically weird-looking label of Mouton Rothschild 1942 vintage, it will remain a mystery... or an unsuccessful label design stunt/attempt 😊   

Château Mouton Rothschild Verticale 1940 -1945
Picture posted by and courtesy of
Patrick Lubarski on LinkedIn in 2017

• 1943 - It is interesting to notice that on the picture above, courtesy of Patrick Lubarski (owner of SAS Vin 24) posted on his LinkedIn account about 2 years ago, the label of Château Mouton Rothschild's 1943 vintage is smaller than 1942 and 1944. I searched for a while online to see if I could find any clues of the reason why, but I couldn't find any (after all, it is my role as Wine Quality Control director to understand and know this kind of thing, and it is good for me to have this kind of records when doing wine inspections). In fact, studying the position of the label of the 1943 vintage on various pictures of bottles of that particular vintage, it seems that the format of the 1943 label is, in fact, smaller than the previous and following vintage, but I believe that I saw some regular formats too. So: Are both formats available (the regular and the smaller size)? I do not want to jump to conclusions as I do not have the facts or know the answer to this question. However, you have to admit that it is quite strange to see both formats (unless the smaller size is the original label and the regular size might correspond to a later release; or, unless the availability of the paper for the label runs out due to the war and only small labels could be printed at the time... not sure).  In fact, we can say that the 1943 label is the same size as the bottom label of the 1945 to 1949 vintage.  

NB: in reference to the original subject of this post which also includes the changes in the "glass of the bottles", it is important to notice the color and thickness of the glass in the picture above. As stated many times in various previous posts (read it here, for example), you have to remember that historically, during WWII, glass used to produce wine bottles was less available, as well as sulfur used to produce darker more amber glass, and consequently bottles ended up being lighter in weight (less thick) and lighter in color too (being clearer, tending on nearly transparent and light blue to light green, as you can see on the picture above). Note that the color and heaviness of the glass used gradually returned to thicker darker green glass by 1948 when the 1945 vintage was bottled. 

Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 Label
- LeDomduVin

• 1945 - Although Baron Philippe's initial idea of commissioning artists to embellish the label of Château Mouton Rothschild appeared first with the 1924 vintage and was further developed within the few subsequent vintage's label changes, it was not until the 1945 vintage that the tradition of incorporating an artist's work atop the main label really started. "In 1945, to commemorate the Allied victory, Baron Philippe de Rothschild had the idea of embellishing the Mouton Rothschild label with artwork: in this instance, a symbolic design intended to celebrate the return of peace. He commissioned this from an unknown young artist, Philippe Jullian (1921-1977). Having displayed early promise as a designer, he was to become a successful dramatist. He submitted several drafts for the label: this one is based on the famous “V for Victory” that  Churchill used throughout the war to rally the forces of freedom." courtesy of www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com

NB: As stated in my previous posts on Mouton Rothschild 1945 (read it here), the label of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 is divided into 2 distinctively different labels that are slightly different. The upper one, on which the "V" represents "Victory" ("Victoire" in French), to commemorate the ending of World War II, is smaller in height but more particularly smaller in width by a few millimeters on both sides (as you can see on the picture above). The lower or main label is detached from the upper one and slightly wider in width. If you encounter a bottle of Mouton 1945 with the 2 labels attached and/or even detached but with the same width, then it is surely a fake bottle, a counterfeit that you should immediately report to the Château, which will investigate. Funny enough, when looking at labels of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 online, most of them have both upper and lower labels attached together and with the same width, which makes me believe that these are probably fakes (unless certified released from the Château; ask to see certification if that is the case).

FYI: It is said that 20-25% of the top 50 most expensive and top wines of the world on the market (more especially the tiers French wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy) are actually fakes, extraordinary well-crafted counterfeits that usually challenge even the eyes of the best experts on the market. It is also said that more of these fake bottles of top-tier wines are in circulation worldwide than the total amount ever produced at the winery back then. This, in my opinion, is not surprising, knowing how difficult it was to access these old and rare vintages (especially any vintages prior to the 50s) already back in the mid-1990s (there were barely any available at the time, as most of them had been either consumed or for the last few remaining ones kept as part of inaccessible collections) compared to nowadays where they seem to be available pretty much everywhere.... go figure... Rudy Kurniawan may have been caught and imprisoned for 10 years back in 2012, but his legacy has definitely been survived by his fellow peers and others who came to be inspired by his works.       

Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 to 1949 Label
Picture courtesy of World Wine Consultant SA

As you can see in this "verticale" of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 to 1949 vintage (in the picture above, courtesy of World Wine Consultant SA), the labels (upper and lower) are detached and slightly different in width for the 1945 and 1946 vintages only.

Starting with the 1947 vintage, the "Jean Cocteau" label, both upper and lower, was attached together, forming only one label (separated by a black line) and had the same width. The black line separating the artwork (upper label) from the rest of the label (lower label) last appeared on the 1962 label, after which the bottom of the artwork solely defined where the upper label finishes and where the lower label begins.


Voilà! This was my brief history and details of the most significant design changes for Château Mouton Rothschild's label from 1853 to 1945. Hope you liked it as much as I did searching for all these details and writing about them. 


Now, I will not do all the labels since 1945. I will just point out the few most significant label design changes that occurred from 1945 to present  

Brief history and details of the most significant design changes for Château Mouton Rothschild labels from 1945 to present

Strangely enough, the next most significant changes in Château Mouton Rothschild label design, from 1945 to present, came with the vintages 1953, 1973, 1993, and 2003 (not counting the 2000 vintage, as the whole bottle was engraved and thus,  technically, there is no label...)

Château Mouton Rothschild 1953 Label

• 1953 - The label for this particular vintage was designed to commemorate the acquisition of the Château Mouton Rothschild on May 11th, 1853, by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild. This label, and thus the vintage, is dedicated to Baron Philippe's great-grandfather Baron Nathaniel, grandfather James, and father Henri de Rothschild, the 3 generations who ran the estate prior to Baron Philippe took over on October 22nd, 1922.     

Château Mouton Rothschild 1973 Label
Courtesy of Château Mouton Rothschild

• 1973 - Although 1973 was a very bad vintage in Bordeaux, it is my birth year, and that's is the main reason I wanted to add it to this post; but also because the artwork is from Pablo Picasso, whom I love both as an artist and as a man for the type of life he had, and thirdly because, compared to all the previous and subsequent labels, it is one of the biggest artworks featured on a Château Mouton Rothschild label (see the whole collection of labels in the picture below to see what I mean), which makes it quite relevant and important, and visually appealing (in my opinion).  

Château Mouton Rothschild 1993 Labels
Collage by ©LeDomduVin 2019

• 1993 - A list of Château Mouton Rothschild label design changes will not be complete without the controversial label of the 1993 vintage. Created by "Balthus", the pseudonym of Count Balthazar Klossowski de Rola (1908-2001), and perfectly accepted as is (back then) in France and in Europe in general, the drawing he made for the Mouton Rothschild 1993 vintage, featuring a dreamy, naked adolescent girl in a reclining position, sparked outraged reactions across the Atlantic. The TTB (the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), in charge of judging what is acceptable or not on a label, and thus giving the approval of the labels for wines produced in or imported into the US, disapproved the reclining nude, finding the drawing of a naked girl on a label completely inappropriate and violating the sensibilities of US citizens (puritanism oblige). Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, the owner of Château Mouton Rothschild, took over the 3 Chateaux she inherited when her father, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, passed away in 1988 (Mouton as well as Château d'Armailhac and Château Clerc Milon), decided not to fight the US bureaucracy and instead just removed the drawing from the label for the US market only.     

PS: the blank label above is "for example only" and may not reflect the true blank label, which is the same as the one with the drawing, but without the drawing... (obviously...)

Château Mouton Rothschild 2003 Label

• 2003 - This particular label was designed to commemorate and mark the 150th anniversary of the acquisition of Château Mouton Rothschild in 1853 by Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, hence his portrait as the main feature of the label.   

And last but not least.....

Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 Bottle

• 2000 - Mouton Rothschild celebrated both the New Century and New Millenium by engraving the bottle of this particular vintage with a very finely chiseled and detailed replica of "The Augsburg Ram" in 24-carat Gold. The "Augsburg Ram" is a "chased silver-gilt drinking vessel created around 1590 by Jakob Schenauer, a German master goldsmith". (*)

Et Voilà!  This concludes my brief history and details of the most significant design changes for Château Mouton Rothschild labels from 1945 to present. 



Here is the collection of Mouton-Rothschild labels from 1945 to 2013 (photo courtesy of www.theartistlabels.com) for you to have a better view of the label design changes over the last 70 years.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild Labels from 1945 to 2013 -
photo courtesy of www.theartistlabels.com

Like I did for Château Latour in my previous post on the same subject (post 1 - read it here), here are a few examples of bottle weight and glass thickness and heaviness changes over time for Mouton Rothschild.

Wine Bottle Weight, Shape and 

Glass Thickness and heaviness change over time

Chateau Mouton Rothschild Full and Empty bottles
1947, 1949, 1970, 1982, 1990 and 1995
- photo ©LeDomduVin 2019

Looking at this picture, I took in our cellar (above) of various vintages of Château Mouton Rothschild, you can easily notice the changes and evolution of the bottle and label shape and size, as well as the differences in the thickness and heaviness of the glass used. You can also notice the differences and evolution of the capsules.

• Château Mouton Rothschild 1947 and 1949 - the bottle is tall, with broad shoulders and heavy, thick, dark color glass; the front label(s) is small (smaller than later versions) 

• Château Mouton Rothschild 1970 and 1982 - the bottle is slightly smaller, leaner, lighter in weight, and lighter in color too, and was made with less heavy and less thick glass than 1947 and 1949

• Château Mouton Rothschild 1990 and 1995 - the bottle is about the same height as 1970/1982, with slightly higher and broader shoulders and slightly darker and thicker, heavier glass, too. Still not as tall, broad, thick, heavy, and dark as in 1947/1949   

In terms of weight, I took the following picture to check the weight variations of empty bottles to verify the thickness and heaviness of the glass.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1970, 1982 and 1990 empty bottle weights
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

As you can see in the picture above, the weight of these particular empty bottles is:

• 564g (grams) for Château Mouton Rothschild 1970

• 567g for Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 (in fact, it is probably 564, too, due to the few grams added by the cork)

• 545g for Château Mouton Rothschild 1990; although the glass looks darker and may appear thicker, the empty bottle of 1990 is about 22g lighter than 1970 

For this particular exercise, I also weighed empty bottles of Haut Brion, Lafite Rothschild, and Cos d'Estournel, but I realize that this post is quite long (once again), so to conclude it, I will just put these last 3 pictures.

Château Haut-Brion 1966, 1982, 1989, and 1990 empty bottles
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

Château Cos d'Estournel 1961, 1986 and 1990 empty bottles
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 and 1961 empty bottles
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

I will end this post here (parts 1 and 2), as I could continue writing on this fascinating subject forever, but you might get bored with me too. So, let's finish on a high note with this picture of Château Lafite Rothschild's 1959 and 1961 empty bottles. I hope you liked learning about all these details as much as I researched and wrote about them.   

That's all, folks!

Santé! Cheers! And stay tuned for more posts like this one (factual and educational) coming soon. 


Dom (aka LeDomduVin aka Dominique Noël)


PS: you can read the part one of this post here

(*) I see some of you scratching your heads sometimes when looking at my illustrations, prior to getting the joke only after a few seconds of consideration... 😉

(*) Info about Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was taken or partly taken from the Château website at https://www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com/, but also from a very interesting and useful online book (in French) by Philippe Margot, titled "L'intégral des étiquettes de Château Mouton-Rothschild de 1855 à aujourd'hui" that you can read here

#bordeaux, #ledomduvin, @ledomduvin, #wine, #wineeducation, #wineknowledge, #bottlesizes, #bottleweight, #labels, #history, #bottleshapes, #pauillac, #moutonrothschild, #vin, #vino, #wein, #labeldesign, #lesphotosadom , #dominiquenoel

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2019, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Wine Bottle Weight, Shape, Glass and Label Design Changes Over Time (Part 1)

Wine Bottle Weight, Shape, Glass 

and Label Design Changes Over Time 

(Part 1)

Wine Bottle Weight by ©LeDomduVin 2019

Wine Bottle Weight (Full and Empty)

Have you ever wondered how much a bottle of wine weighs? In kilos (kg) or pounds (lbs)? 

Well, one of my colleagues recently asked me this question, which prompted me to write this little post on the subject to transcribe my answer to him for you all, just in case you're interested. 

First, let's clarify a huge universal misconception.

Basically, it is common ground to believe that 12 full regular bottles of wine weigh about 9 kg (kilos) or 19.842 lbs (pounds), as their volume per bottle is 750 ml (milliliters) and because 1 ml = 1gr, therefore 750 ml = 750 gr (grams) or 0.75 kg (kilos) or 1.653 lbs (pounds); so

750 gr x 12 bottles = 9 kg or 19.842 lbs (pounds)


1 kg = 2.20462262 pounds (usually rounded at 2.205 pounds)
but check the "Kilos to Pounds" conversion table below for more references.

Kilos to Pounds Conversion Table by ©LeDomduVin 2019

This universal misconception that a case of wine only weighs 9 kg is purely and simply incorrect. Worst, it is completely wrong. 9 kg (kilos) or 19.842 lbs (pounds) would only be the weight of the liquid inside the bottles (the content only), not including the weight of the bottles themselves or the weight of the wood of the case (meaning without the container).

NB: For the purpose of this post, I'm not including the combined weight of the capsule, the cork, and the label(s), which usually only account for a few additional grams to the fully dressed-up bottle. Even if I know that, obviously, the capsule made of tin or wax (which are usually heavier than the ones made of heat-shrink plastic, PVC, or aluminum), as well as the long and full high-quality natural cork (usually heavier than agglomerate and synthetic corks), could evidently be adding a tiny, yet significant amount of weight that should be added to the total weight of the bottle. But I won't consider it for this post if you don't mind.   

Therefore, to answer the question that opened this post (and we will only focus on A for this post):

The weight of a bottle of wine = A (wine weight + bottle weight) + B (capsule+cork+labels)

But wait. It would be too easy if it were that simple (and that's where it usually gets more complicated), wouldn't it? 

Yes, it would be that simple if all regular wine bottles had the same shape and weight. However, that is not the case, which is why it is so difficult to answer this question. There is not one simple correct answer, but thousands of them. 

Wine bottles come in countless shapes and weights due to the heaviness and thickness of the glass used. 

  

Some French Wine Bottle Shapes by ©LeDomduVin 2019

As you can see, a picture is worth a thousand words... There are 9 different shapes already in this collage with 9 different thicknesses and heaviness of the glass used for these particular bottles... (sigh)


So, to refute this common (wrong) belief that a case of 12 bottles weighs about 9 kilos and most regular bottles weigh about the same, let's apply some simple arithmetic to find an answer that will satisfy even the most skeptical ones.

By experience, a case of 12 bottles of Bordeaux wine weighs about 20-21 kilos on average (which is far above the common belief of 9 kilos, wouldn't you say?). Let's take 21 kilos for this example.

Approximate Weight of a case of 12 bottles of wines by ©LeDomduVin 2019

NB: Please note that I took round numbers for the case weight in pounds (i.e., a wooden case of 12 bottles may weigh between 40 and 50 pounds), as it was easier visually and for the calculation.
However, also know that, in fact, some wine boxes/cases may weigh as low as 18.5 kilos (or 40.786 lbs) and up to 23 kilos (or 50.706 lbs) or more (which explains the range I took of 40-50 pounds).

As detailed in the table above, you can see that if a "Heavy Weight" wooden case of 12 regular Bordeaux bottles weighs about 21 kilos, then the weight of a bottle of wine (including the wood weight of the case) is about 1.75 kg or 3.75 lbs (including the wood weigh... essential to repeat it for those who may have not understood it in the table above).


Now that we have clarified this point, we still need to consider the wood weight of the wooden case and add it to the bottle weight (i.e., in the calculation above, 1.75 kg = (bottle weight + wine weight + wood weight)).

So, I could have applied some simple arithmetic formula there again to determine the wood weight and the full bottle weight, but as mentioned above, bottles of wine come in countless shapes and weights due to the heaviness and thickness of the glass used for the bottle. Therefore, it is very difficult to apply a formula as each bottle has its particular shape and weight.

Consequently, I did a little exercise for this particular post. I weighed some empty bottles I have around the office and in our headquarters' cellar, and I just added to their respective weight the content of the bottle—the volume of the wine, if you prefer (750 ml = 750 gr or 0.750 kg or 1.653 lbs if easier to understand; refer to the conversion table above if needed).

To anticipate and prevent the annoying questions of the skeptics and other non-believers of all sorts, I took some pictures while weighing the bottles to show you how I obtained the various empty bottle weights that I took as references for the numbers indicated in the column "Approximate Weight Empty Bottle" in the table below.

I weighed and compared the following empty bottles:

Pictures of empty bottles on a mini scale to obtain the weight of each bottle
(Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Loire) by ©LeDomduVin 2019

The wines in the picture above are:

Bordeaux:

• Clavis Orea Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015
• Petrus Pomerol 1961
• Château Haut-Brion Graves 1982 

Burgundy:

• Domaine de la Vougeraie Gevrey-Chambertin 2014
• DRC (Domaine de la Romanée Conti) Romanée Conti Grand Cru 1966

Loire Valley:

• Domaine A, Cailbourdin Pouilly Fumé "Les Cris" 2015

Pictures of empty bottles on a mini scale to obtain the weight of each bottle
(Champagne, Napa, Tuscany, Germany) by ©LeDomduVin 2019

The wines in the picture above are:

Champagne:

• Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs NV 
• Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1969

Bordeaux:

• Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé A 1947 (A. de Luze et Fils label, I believe, but TBC) 

Napa Valley:

• SLOAN Rutherford 2004

Tuscany: 

• SOLDERA Toscana 2006

Germany: 

• J.J. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 1988 

I put the weighing results in this "Wine Bottle Weight (empty and full)" table below for a better visual.


NB: Please note that the weights of the bottles in the pictures above (transcribed in the table below) are just a few examples for reference only and, therefore, may not constitute definite or accurate numbers for other bottles than the ones I weighed, as each wine bottle has its own shape and weight. This means that even 2 bottles of the same producer, same wine, same vintage, same volume, and even, in some cases, the same bottle lot number may present slight variations in shape and weight. (Needless to say, even scales can have slight variations, too, so these weight numbers are for references to these specific bottles only)

Wine Bottle Weight (Empty and Full) by ©LeDomduVin 2019

So, as you probably realized (looking at this table above), the weight of a regular empty bottle of wine for this particular exercise (regular meaning 750ml) can be

• anywhere between the range of 500 grams (or 1.10 lbs) and 950 grams (or 2.094 lbs), 
• with the lightest as low as 475 gr (or 1.047 lbs) and the heaviest up to 1012 gr (or 2.231 lbs)    

Interesting, isn't it? I find this fascinating, but not everyone can be as passionate by the wine and the bottle details as I am... It is a bad professional habit. In fact, as a Wine Quality Control Director, I spend a lot of time studying and scrutinizing wine bottles on a daily basis.

However, I hope that this little post helps you better understand that there is no simple answer to the questions "What is the weight of a bottle of wine?" or "How much does a bottle of wine weigh?" (as it clearly depends on the empty bottle weight, which can be drastically different from one to the next due to the thickness and heaviness of the glass used for the bottle). 

So, now that we have roughly figured out the weight of an empty bottle and added the weight of the wine inside, we have to deduct the wood weight and/or subtract it from the total of the empty bottle weight + volume + wood weight. 

Let's take an example based on a case of 12 bottles of Bordeaux wine weighing about 21 kilos (or 46.297 lbs), and we can take the empty bottle weight of Cheval Blanc 1947 in the table above (0.824 kg) as an example. We can separate each component and conclude the following:

A.    If a case of 12 bottles of Bordeaux weight = 21 kg

B.    Then, 1 bottle of Bordeaux weight (including the case's wood weight) = 1.75 kg

C.    Example of an empty regular Bordeaux bottle weight = 0.824 kg

D.    Wine volume weight (per 750ml bottle) = 0.750 kg

Therefore, (B - C - D) = E (Wood weight per bottle) = 0.176 kg

And consequently, (C + D) = F (Full Bottle weight without the wood weight) = 1.574 kg

or expressed differently,

• Case weight divided by the total of bottles in the case:  21 / 12 = 1.75 kg
• Total bottle weight, including wood weight minus volume weight: 1.75 - 0.75 = 1 kg
• Empty bottle weight including wood weight minus empty bottle weight: 1 - 0.824 = 0.176 kg
• Wood weight = 0.176 kg per bottle (for this particular example for a 21 kg case of 12 bottles)
• Full bottle weight = 0.824 + 0.75 = 1.574 kg

Here is another table to make it visually easier for you:

Full Bottle Weight Calculation Example by ©LeDomduVin 2019

NB: Remember, as stated above, that the combined weight of the capsule, cork, and labels (front and back) was not considered for this exercise. However, you can definitely add a few more grams to the full bottle's total weight if you want, knowing that a tin capsule weighs about 3-8 gr and a cork between 3-6 gr.

Tin Capsule and Cork weight examples
- by ©LeDomduVin 2019

FYI: add a few more grams to the tin capsule examples in the picture above as the top of the capsule is missing (the reason why I wrote about 3-8 gr)

A brief history of bottle shapes 

and glass thickness and heaviness

It is interesting to notice that, historically, the bottle's weights and shapes, as well as the thickness and heaviness of the glass used for the bottles, changed over time, up and down, almost like a trend, meaning coming and going, from heavy to light to heavy again to light again, depending on the availability, style, and belief (or trend) of the moment.

For example, some Châteaux in Bordeaux had heavier, broader, and longer bottles back in the 40s and 50s, then lighter and leaner in the 60s and 70s up to the 80s, to go back to heavier style of bottles with thicker glass (more Californian style) in the late 90s and early to mid-2000s, to once again and finally go back to less heavy, more conventional Bordeaux style bottles since the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Bottle's glass colors - Photo courtesy of www.saverglass.com 

Even the color of the glass used for the bottles also changed, from darker brown or green to lighter brown or lighter green, to darker again to lighter again... and don't even get started on the color of the glass depending on the region and wine style, for example:

• Bordeaux: dark green for reds, light green for dry whites, colorless/transparent usually for sweet whites and rosés  (colorless for rosés pretty much everywhere around the world)

• Burgundy and the Rhone: dark green or even dark brown/amber up to the 60s and 70s. 

• Mosel and Alsace: usually dark to medium green, but also traditionally brown/amber and even blue

Colorless/transparent glass is usually used for young wines made for immediate consumption, like most rosés and some dry whites. Due to their fast turnover on the shelves, these wines do not necessarily require protection against rays of light (sunlight, neon, and other artificial lights), so they do not need a darker glass. Colorless/transparent glass is also used for aesthetics and easier visual recognition of the wine color, particularly for rosé, orange, and blue wines.   

Examples of Amphoras from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Roman Era
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

The bottle's weight and shape changes, as well as the evolution of the glass's thickness, heaviness, and color, can be attributed to history itself.


Let's have a brief look at what happened over the last 5000 years:

• The earliest trace of man-made glass in Eastern Mesopotamia and Egypt dates back to around 3500 BC (or 2500 BC, depending on the source). At that time, black volcanic glass was apparently wrought and used to make weapons, amulets, and decorative objects, probably mostly used in rituals.  

• 1550 BC—Ancient Egypt started producing glass for various purposes, but not necessarily as a vessel for wine (or maybe wine glasses and decanter-like style of tools, who knows). They instead used amphorae, sealed with leather or clothes (clay may have also been occasionally used at that time), for the fermentation, storage, and transportation of the wine. The wine was kept in clay/pottery amphoras or jars of various sizes and shapes, and wine was served in clay/pottery mugs. 

• 1400 BC—The discovery of faience accelerated the evolution of glass, and by the mid-1400 BC, glass production was firmly established and further developed in Egypt. Yet it remained a costly material, only accessible to the royals, nobles, and rich merchants at the time. Clay/pottery amphoras or jars and mugs were the norms. 

• 25 BC - The glass-blowing technique was introduced during the Roman Era. The Romans and the Gallic, having discovered the advantages of using barrels (previously mainly used for beer) instead of the amphoras and pottery jars, mainly used for aging and storage, gradually extended the use of that new vessel for wine. Aside from leather and clothes, clay and wax were also used as sealants, and the cork was apparently also used as a sealant but not necessarily to seal wine containers (like amphoras or barrels). Although the Romans had access to glass for various uses, amphorae pottery jars and mugs were mainly used for the service of wine. Glasses were made out of clay/pottery, faience, or metal.         

• By 3 AD, due to the abundance and proliferation of oak trees in Europe, the Romans had adopted the oak barrel as the vessel of choice for wine fermentation, aging, storage, and transportation. Compared to other types of wood experimented at the time, and aside from its fine grain, making it an ideal choice to keep liquid safe inside due to its permeability, they realized that oak bestows additional flavors to the taste as well as making the wine softer and in some cases better. Aside from the other sealants, it is said that cork was also used as a sealant at that time (even since Ancient Egypt, but it was not then the preferred sealant of choice for wine. It became centuries later).    

• Before the late 1500s, glass was fragile, expensive, and difficult to manufacture as the bottles and other vessels were hand-blown. Aside from leather, clothes, clay, wax, or even porcelain, glass stoppers were also in use but not favored as a prime choice as each had to be created individually to perfectly seal their corresponding hand-blown bottle/vessel, which was a delicate and painful process. Moreover, if stuck inside the neck of the bottle, the glass stopper could easily break or break the neck of the bottle while being removed.  

• 1600s - The invention of the coal furnace allowed for the production of bottles made with stronger, thicker, and heavier glass, more difficult to break and thus safer than the glass vessels and glass stoppers made until then. Although wine was still aged and transported in barrels during that time, glass bottles began to be used as a preferred container for wine, which was eventually transferred to individual glass bottles, which were easier for storage, sale, consumption, and transportation. The sealants cited above were still in use, including glass stoppers, but cork use was rising as it proved easier and more versatile than other types of stoppers. 

PS: The 1600s coal furnace was used to craft glass materials and other tools, which had nothing to do with the first riveted steel coal furnace built in 1885 for domestic use as a home heating device.

• By the late 1600s, creating more uniform and homogeneous bottles, in shape and design, was now more possible. Cork became the sealing material of choice, as it proved "somewhat" easier and less dangerous to remove from the bottleneck than glass stoppers, which often remained jammed into the neck of the bottle and easily broke during removal. However, people struggled to remove the cork from the neck of the bottle, and although the mention of it can be traced as early as 1676, corkscrews did not officially exist until 1681. The earliest wine bottles were rounded in shape with a round base and were often held in special stands or baskets to enable them to stand up without falling or rolling on their side. Gradually the bottle's base became flat and thus self-supporting. The bottle's bodies resembled more like an onion or were balloon-shaped, while the neck's length varied from long to short, depending on the use and purpose of the bottle. 

Wine Bottle History - Photo courtesy of www.vinepair.com

• During the 1700s, the bottles became smaller. Their shape(s) became more cylindrical, allowing for the bottles to be laid on their side rather than always standing up, which was better for storage and transport and easier for service, too. Glass bottles were now widely used for all sorts of beverage (still wines, sparkling wines, beers, ciders, spirits, etc...), coming in various sizes and shapes still quite different than today's wine bottles: some bottles boasting shorter, sturdier bodies with rather large bases and shorter necks.; and some being large glass wine jars. Cork was by now established as the bottle sealant of choice. Yet, people still struggled to remove it from the neck of the bottle and had to wait nearly a century of trials later for easy-to-use corkscrews to become available, as the first corkscrew patent was only granted to the Reverend Samuell Henshall,  in 1795, in England. (*)

• In the early 19th century, roughly by the 1820s, wine bottle shapes had evolved and resembled the ones we use today. Their production had increased drastically, and although they still presented some defaults and asperities, the consistency of shapes and designs had become much better, more uniform, and homogenous. Yet, creating elegant, stylish, and chiseled bottles for special orders, events, and other purposes took real craftsmanship and artisanal skills.     

• The 1920s -30s - Prohibition - Glass bottles were quite heavy, made with thick glass, with broader shoulders than the bottom

• 1939 - 45 - WWII -  Still heavy bottle with thick glass made from whatever was available then. As glass was difficult to find during the war, glasses of various colors were often recycled and then melted together. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find bottles of the same château, same wine, and same vintage in bottles with a slightly different color (some greener, some browner, some in between) and even shapes sometimes.    

How Glass Colors for Wine Bottle are Made by ©LeDomduVin 2019

NB: Did you know that before World War II, brown glass was used more for bottles of wine (and beer) than green-colored glass? The reason differs depending on the source. However, it is likely due to a lack of sulfur availability for the production of bottles. Why sulfur? A glass bottle's amber or brown color is produced by adding sulfur (carbon and iron salts) to the glass. And why was it lacking during World War II? Because sulfur was a critical industrial and military substance at the time, used back then in agriculture and viticulture, but also heavily used in medicine as an antibacterial in a sulfur-based drug called "sulfanilamide." During World War II, sulfanilamide powder became a standard in first-aid kits for treating open wounds and was, therefore, restricted or limited for other uses. Green glass is the result of an addition of iron oxide to glass. Iron oxide, which only had fewer other uses than as a pigment and was not being used to produce steel, was more available than sulfur. Consequently, although amber and brown glasses are still produced, green glass became the standard after World War II, and green gradually replaced the amber/brown bottles, some not until a few decades later. A good example is Jaboulet, which only changed its bottles from brown to green in the late 70s.      

• 1950s - Transition period with predominantly heavy bottles with thick glass, yet lighter bottles start to appear as wine production, and demand increased

• 1960s - The firstborn of the baby boomers era (1946-1964) were about to reach their 20s, nearly doubling the earth's population, from 2 billion before WWII to 3.3 billion people in the mid-1960s. The time was to party, forget the wars, and celebrate peace. Music was evolving, people felt freer than ever, wine was in demand, and thus production was rising, bottles were becoming smaller, with leaner glass.

• 1970s - The era of industrialization and factories, the earth's population rose to 4 billion people, time was to mass production, quantity over quality, bottles were getting smaller, leaner, and even clearer than before. By the end of the 70s, most brown and amber bottles had been replaced by green bottles, which have been adopted and accepted by most regions, except for a minority of only a few producers and within particular regions: e.g., in Germany,
• where brown/dark amber color bottles are usually used for the wines from the Rheingau region,
• compared to the dark green used for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, 
• as for the switch to blue bottles in the late 70s and early 80s, it was more the result of a marketing stunt from a few producers to distinguish and differentiate their brand/wine from the rest

NB: remember that the color of the glass of the bottle does not give any indications of the quality or price or even the provenance of the wine (except in Germany for the latter, maybe)         

• 1980s - The era of the rise of capitalism, we talk about money, we talk about the dollar bill, also nicknamed "the Greed decade" Western Europe was deeply under the influence of the American dream (Movies, TV Series, Music, Clothes, Fast Food, etc...), the earth population rose to 4.8 billion people by the mid-80s, the world is experiencing critical socioeconomic changes due to drastic advances in technologies and techniques, wine production was still on the rise, quality started to overcome quantity, bottles are now smaller, leaner and even clearer than they were 40 years ago, and became the norm for the Classic Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles

• 1990s - The end of the Cold War and the rise of technology with significant communication, multiculturalism, alternative media, the World Wide Web, cable television, cellphone advances, luxury goods, and brands are also rising. Rare artisanal products become cult products accessible to only a few. By the late 1990s, "expensive" meant to be produced in small quantities, be visually different and show a certain weight. Thus, the bottles of the world's most expensive wines distinguish themselves from the rest by becoming heavier and thicker, especially in Napa Valley, where cult wineries with tiny production excel at being the heavyweight champions of the wine world's heavy bottles.          

• 2000s  - The new millennium, the decade responsible (among too many other things) for the rise of social networks (i.e., MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc...), the "iPhones," and thus the beginning of the "human's addiction to smartphones" era, which unavoidably resulted into an incurable global infection known as "the phone zombies," and other significant cultural highlights as well as disasters (i.e., the housing crisis of 2006, followed by the financial crisis of 2008 and their consequences) and political milestones across the globe (i.e., Barack Obama was the first African American elected at the Presidency and became the 44th President of the United States) and so many other things (but as usual I'm derivating from the initial subject).

Examples of Bottle and Label Design Changes Over Time  

Part 1

So, to return to the initial subject of this post, which is the weight, thickness, and heaviness of wine bottles, the 2000s (and 2010s) saw many Châteaux having their labels or bottles especially embossed, engraved, or redesigned to celebrate the millennium or specific dates and anniversaries of certain events or people. 

Bordeaux Engraved Bottles and Special Labels Examples by ©LeDomduVin 2019

In the collage above, I put a few examples of engraved bottles and special labels of famous Bordeaux wines (from left to right): 

• Château Angelus 2012 - Angelus engraved the bottle of this particular vintage with 21-carat Gold to commemorate their promotion from Saint-Emilion 1er Grand Cru "Classé B" (since the classification of 1996) to 1er Grand Cru "Classé A" as the result of the Saint-Emilion Classification of 2012 (the latest classification of this appellation to date) 

• Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 - Mouton Rothschild celebrated both the New Century and New Millenium by engraving the bottle of this particular vintage with a very finely chiseled and detailed replica of "The Augsburg Ram" in 24-carat Gold

• Château Margaux 2015 - Margaux offered the best tribute to the late Paul Pontallier, who joined the famous 1st Growth estate in 1983 at the age of 27 years old, a few years after graduating as an oenologist and agricultural engineer, became the Managing Director of this iconic wine estate in 1990. A position he proudly occupied until his passing in March 2016.       

• Château Pavie 2012 - Pavie was also promoted from Saint-Emilion 1er Grand Cru "Classé B" (since the classification of 1996) to 1er Grand Cru "Classé A" as the result of the Saint-Emilion Classification of 2012 (the latest classification of this appellation to date), and marked the event by redesigning their label in black and gold for this particular vintage (a contrast with their usually so clear and colorful label)  

• Château Mouton Rothschild 2003—Mouton Rothschild marked the 150th Anniversary (1853 - 2003) of the Château belonging to the Rothschild family by redesigning the label to be more conic and represent a sitting Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild. The bottle was heavier and had broader shoulders than usual Mouton bottles.   

It is interesting to notice that for all these bottles cited as examples in the collage above, despite the engraving or label design changes, all the bottles were bigger, heavier, and thus made with thicker glass than the regular bottles usually used by these châteaux, respectively.  

Aparté about the 2000s decade

As an essential aparté, we can also talk about the fact that the 2000s is also the decade when climate changes, global pollution, and global warming (which gradually increased since the late 1960s) became evident and irrefutable facts, with years starting to get hotter from one year to the next, generating "supposedly natural" disasters more often and more devastating from one year to the next all around the globe.   

Fig. 1. Annual mean, global (80S to 80N) temperature anomalies
(difference from the long-term 1980-2009 average) for the lower troposphere (TLT).
Graph courtesy of http://www.remss.com

"Except for 1998, all of the warmest years occur after 2000, providing clear evidence of global temperature increase in the troposphere." hwww.remss.com

Since then, the 2010s have only confirmed these climatic changes and their consequences, which seem to increase in size and strength and are more destructive and repetitive from one year to the next. It has become impossible for the skeptics to deny them anymore, their occurrence and frequency being so alarming and challenging in so many ways.

"Napa, Sonoma wineries hit hard by wildfires" Article of October 9th 2017
- Photo courtesy of www.usatoday.com

For example, Sonoma and Napa (and California overall) have been suffering from wildfires ravaging the vineyards and the coastline in general every year now. Before, it used to happen more scarcely and sporadically. We are even talking about "wildfire season" (like for anything else, instead of fighting and eventually eradicating the problem at the roots, humans got used to it as part of their yearly routine and gave it a name... sigh). We all sadly remember the wildfires of 2017 (250 wildfires in total), which started early October (October 9th) and lasted nearly a month before being fully extinguished, and ravaged the equivalent of 99,148 hectares of land (including woods, vineyards, wineries, and other buildings) and also destroyed at least 1500 homes. It was a nightmare. And it is now occurring yearly, not necessarily with the same intensity, but still. My thoughts go to all the people of California.

Vineyards Across Europe Are Ablaze — 

Winemakers Light Torches To Stave Off The Record-Breaking Cold

- Photo courtesy of www.electroverse.net

Other examples of these catastrophic climatic changes are the late frost and hail storms now occurring nearly every year in Western Europe, reducing the annual production of thousands of producers, impacting the whole agriculture and forestry industry, and even destroying countless amount of vineyards and other crops:

• In 2016, some regions in Burgundy, like Chablis, lost about half of their harvest/crop due to frost, hail, and mildew. 2016 will be remembered as one of the country's smallest wine harvests for the last 30 years in records across France due to a mixture of hail, frost, and mildew. 

• April 27th, 2017 - Devastating late frost occurred, destroying more than 40% of the early buds  and thus the potential crops in Bordeaux vineyards  

• May 26, 2018 - A devastating hail storm in Bordeaux seriously impacted regions like Blaye and Bourg, the Médoc, and the Entre-Deux-Mers, destroying up to 80% of the crop in some places (even 100% at the worst), which already suffered from another hail storm back in 2013. 

• Early April 2019, especially the 13th, 14th, and 15th of April 2019 - Some regions are touched by a sudden frost, lowering the temperatures to 4 °C in some regions of France, while others are devasted by severe hail storms.

This was just an aparté, but I thought it was important to discuss these climatic changes and their consequences and impacts on the vineyards. I only took California and France as examples, yet these problems, directly or indirectly generated by these climatic changes, are nowadays occurring all around the globe.



NB: Sorry, I'm deviating from the main subject again (as usual), so let's return to the conversation about the bottles and labels made for special occasions, events, and/or people.

Examples of Bottle and Label Design Changes Over Time  

Part 2

So, as I was saying before the "aparté," it is essential to mention the bottles produced for particular vintages, occasions, or other events, as they are generally rare occurrences in the world of fine wines, which usually tends to stay away from drastic changes and prefers to keep tradition and heritage for recognition rather than embracing innovation and creativity to transform their image. It is the case for fine wines as it is also the case for most luxury goods; changes in the world of the rich and famous Châteaux and Domaines are the results of a slow process requiring a long time of thinking and planning for the long term, and therefore cannot be the results of a hasty decision.


As already expressed above, some Châteaux produced special bottles with a different shape and/or heavier/thicker glass, embossed and/or showcasing a redesigned main label for the turn of the century and/or the turn of the millennial (i.e., vintage 2000), or for the anniversary of the Château or the owners.  

In fact, if we take the first growths, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild are very good examples of these changes over time, compared to their counterparts, Château Haut-Brion, Margaux, and Lafite Rothschild, which never really changed their respective label, nor the shape of their bottles and/or the heaviness or the thickness of the glass.

Let's take Château Latour, for example:

Chateau Latour Bottle Shapes and Weight Evolution over time by ©LeDomduVin 2019

In this "Château Latour" collage above (that I made for a better visual of what I'm trying to say), showing the evolution of the shape of the bottle they used over time, you can notice that Château Latour's bottles have changed a little over the years, as well as the label, which has slightly evolved:

• The 1949 vintage is a tall bottle with broad shoulders larger than the bottom of the bottle 

• The 1964 vintage is a smaller, leaner, and straight bottle

• The 1985 vintage is a modern version of the 1964 vintage, less lean but still smaller and straight compared to the 1949 vintage

• The 2003 vintage is bigger, slightly taller with broader shoulders than 1964 and 1985, but it is more straight than 1949

• The 2011 vintage is back at what we call a more conventional Bordeaux bottle, taller and bigger than 1964 and 1985, but as straight as them, yet not as thick, heavy, or tall as 2003 and definitely not as 1949  

As the scale of the size of these bottles (on my collage above) may not be correct, let's have a look at some pictures I took of some full and empty bottles of Château Latour (bottles I have at the office and in our headquarter's cellar), to see these differences. It might be a better visual.

Chateau Latour 1952, 1953, 1961 and 1982 bottles
- by ©LeDomduVin 2019

As you can see in the picture above:

• Château Latour's 1952 and 1953 vintages have higher and broader shoulders than both 1961 and 1982. The glass is also darker, thicker, and thus heavier 

• Also, to a certain extent, the bottle of 1961 has a slightly narrower body and not as broad shoulders as the bottle of 1982

Once again, to prove it to the skeptics (who might not believe that I took these pictures and/or that I handle this type of old and rare bottles on a daily basis, and, last but not least, also for records and references purposes for future inspection, as I'm a Wine Quality control Director after all), I made some collages with pictures showing the weight of the empty bottles (not the full bottles as they are too expensive and I did not want to take them out of the cellar and handle them for too long, they are old ladies in need of TLC you know.... 😊 ...but I might another day for the purpose of another post).

Château Latour 1950, 1961 x 2, 1982 empty bottles with bottle weights
- by ©LeDomduVin 2019

  
As you can see in the picture above, the weight of these empty bottles of Château Latour varies quite a bit depending on the vintage. As mentioned above, the weight may even vary between two bottles of the same wine and the same vintage, as is the case for these bottles of 1961 vintage.

• Château Latour 1950 empty bottle weight is 628 gr (or 628 + 750 = 1,378 kg for a full bottle)

• Château Latour 1961 (1) empty bottle weight is 569 gr (or 569 + 750 = 1,319 kg for a full bottle) 

• Château Latour 1961 (2) empty bottle weight is 594 gr (or 594 + 750 = 1,344 kg for a full bottle) 

• Château Latour 1982 empty bottle weight is 545 gr (or 545 + 750 = 1,295 kg for a full bottle) 

Let's do a graph to have a better visual:

Chateau Latour Bottle Weight Comparison by ©LeDomduVin 2019

PS: I will try to find empty bottles of these specific bottles, weigh them with the mini-scale, and take pictures to show the difference in weight between these vintages and the difference in bottle shape, heaviness, and thickness of the glass used. 

Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Label Designs over the last 120 years 
by ©LeDomduVin 2019

I did the collage above and, (as usual), started to write quite intensively (about the history and design evolution of the labels of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild) when I realized how long this post was already. So, I  decided to create a brand new post solely dedicated to the history and design evolution of the labels of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, plus a few more chapters on the bottle shape, weight, and glass used for the bottles (like I did above for Chateau Latour).

Read my post on Chateau Mouton Rothschild here 

Conclusion

To conclude this lengthy post (where I derivated from the original subject and lost myself in too many details, as usual), and to give somewhat of an answer to the initial question, and based on the numbers in the various tables above, we can finally say that the weight of a full bottle of wine of 750ml (glass + volume) is roughly between 1.3 kg (or 2.866 lbs) and 1.8 kg (3.968 lbs), depending on the 2 main following factors:

• The shape of the bottles (size variations due to)
• Region
• Tradition
• Style
• Design
• Wine Type

• The thickness and heaviness of the glass (depending on)
• Trend
• Design
• Wine Type
• Winery's owner/Winemaker decision

Voilà! I think that answers the question... 😊

Fact: In this catastrophized time of climate changes, global warming, ever increasing pollution, weather control, and control over Mother Nature (by spraying chemicals into the air to modify the weather; also called "Cloud Seeding", a process of spraying common chemicals, including silver iodide, potassium iodide and/or dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), to dissipate heavy clouds and minimize the impact of hail storms and/or frost wave for example, or to simply prevent from rain to fall and maintain a blue sky and/or dimish the pollution in the air for specific events (e.g. 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing, China, for example) and/or for the venue of President or particular political personalities (occuring in Europe, USA, China, and probably elsewhere), and with men's failed attempts to change anything of his bad habits and behaviours over the last 70 years and the direct and indirect consequences these may have caused on the planet's environmental equilibrium, needless to say that the heavier the bottle is, the less "environment-friendly" it is (for the reasons you can imagine: production's energy and cost, weight, transport, logistics, etc...).

Tips: Diminish/reduce your use of plastic products. For example, do not buy any more water in plastic bottles. Buy a kettle water boiler (to boil tap water) and recycle a few of your empty bottles of wines (transparent if possible, like "Rosé" wine bottles) that you will refill with the boiled water on a daily basis (only once the water has cooled down, of course, please do not pour boiling water into a glass bottle as it may explode due to the heat - you've been warned). That is what I do at home, and as a family of 4, we easily drink 3 bottles of 750ml of water per meal (3 for lunch and 3 for dinner). That's about 4.5 Liters of drinking water a day!!! Evidently, you roughly know what you spend on drinking water in plastic bottles every week, so imagine the savings if you were using a kettle... moreover, you will contribute to helping preserve the environment. At the same time, you will reduce your carbon footprint by producing less non-recyclable trash and non-biodegradable waste. I'm just saying.

That's all, folks, for today!

Stay tuned for more posts like this one, and please leave me a comment below if you like. 

Santé! Cheers!

Dom (aka LeDomduVin aka Dominique Noël)


PS: This post complements another one, "Bottle Dimensions," that I wrote two years ago and that you can read here. 

Step into the Green! Drink more biodynamic and organic wines (and food) from sustainable cultures and respect the environment! Preserve the Planet!

(*) Source from Wikipedia and Jancis Robinson The Oxford Companion to Wine
(**) Read more the history of bottles and transport at www.vinepair.com (here)
(***) Info about Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was taken or partly taken from the Château website at https://www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com/, but also from a very interesting and useful online book (in French) by Philippe Margot, titled "L'intégral des étiquettes de Château Mouton-Rothschild de 1855 à aujourd'hui" that you can read here

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