4 Questions With the Managing Director of Baron Philippe de Rothschild

Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA and the PGA has announced Mouton Cadet as the official wine for the 2016 Ryder Cup. The event will take place at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. Haute Living chatted with Hugues Lechanoine, the Managing Director of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA to discuss Mouton Cadet, which is considered the world’s bestselling Bordeaux wine.

HL: How did Mouton Cadet get involved in the golfing industry, more specifically the Ryder Cup for 2016?

Lechanoine: The relationship with the Ryder Cup began with an agreement between Ryder Cup Europe and the family-owned company Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA. Mouton Cadet was the official wine at the 2014 Ryder Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland, and will again be the official wine at the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National, near Paris in France. Wine-lovers tend to be keen golfers, and vice versa – so the alignment represents the perfect pairing of performance and celebration: the bestselling Bordeaux wine in the world with the most esteemed trophy in all of golf.

HL: How does Mouton Cadet compare to other brands? What makes it different?

Lechanoine: Mouton Cadet was created by the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902 – 1988). His goal was to market high-quality wine to a world of burgeoning quality-conscious, wine consumers.  A great innovator, he decided not to sell the wine under his prestigious Château label, but rather under the name “Mouton Cadet” (the Baron was the younger son – cadet in French – of the family).

Regarding the technical aspect of creating wine, Mouton Cadet not only gives great focus to the quality of the wine itself, but also to the environment in which the grapes are grown, vinified, bottled and shipped. Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s winemakers have forged partnerships with over 400 Bordeaux winegrowers in order to ensure constant, high-quality sourcing for Mouton Cadet. Marking the cornerstone of Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s sourcing policy, winemakers are able to choose the best parcels to be used for making Mouton Cadet and thus maintain consistent quality at the highest level.

The Mouton Cadet winery is where all Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s branded wines are controlled, matured, blended, bottled, packaged, stored and shipped. Having all these activities on a single site makes it possible to track a complex system process step by step, driven by the constant concern to optimize the end product by meeting strict quality and efficiency standard whilst remaining respectful to the environment.

HL: What’s in store for Mouton Cadet in the future?

Lechanoine: Producing a wine of the highest quality possible is our main concern every year. Mouton Cadet is a top Bordeaux brand, and it is our duty to remain at that level.  We have serious projects for our wine  in the future in order to  keep  our quality target, but we cannot reveal anything for the time being. You will see for yourself!

HL: What is the brand doing to countdown to the 2016 Ryder Cup? What should brand buffs look out for?

Lechanoine: Without giving away too much, I can tell you we’ll be launching an exciting way for our followers to engage in pre-Ryder Cup excitement on their social channels for a chance to get even closer to the action! In addition, next spring we’ll be revealing a very special limited edition, tied to the brand’s first ever presence at a U.S. Ryder Cup competition. But more to come on that later….

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