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 The Rothschild dynasty made its name in finance but the family's London
branch ran the Chateau Mouton-Rothschild winery in France for five
generations. Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, the first woman to run
it, breathed her last in Paris on Friday at the age of 80, according to
a statement by one of her sons, winemaker Baron Philippe de Rothschild,
reportedly from the effects of a serious operation.
Baroness Philippine took over the running of her family estates, which
also include the Châteaux Clerc-Milon and d'Armaillhac as well as the
globally successful Brand Mouton Cadet, following her father's death in
1988. As chairperson of Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A., she steered
both Mouton and the other properties to new qualitative heights. One of the leading wine personalities of Bordeaux, she had
also played a leading role at Opus One, the Napa Valley winery her
father had started with Robert Mondavi and his family. After taking
control of the business, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, she later renamed
it after him.
After the war, she had spent decades at the Comedie Francaise and
elsewhere in the theatre circuit, using the stage name Philippine
Pascal. She had to curtail an acting career in Paris to run vineyards
owned by the family dynasty when her father died. She died at the age
of 80. She is remembered for an interview in 1999 with a French
newspaper when she said: "When your name is Rothschild, everyone
thinks you had an easy childhood." Hers was not.
Her father Baron Philippe de Rothschild was a scion of the super rich
Jewish banking family. He had to flee to England to join Gen. Charles
de Gaulle's expat administration. But she stayed back with her mother
Elisabeth who believed that her Catholic religion would save her from being
deported. But in 1944 she was deported. The Baroness was spared only
because, as she used to say, one German officer thought of his own
daughter who was about the same age, when he saw her.
Her father had added a notable innovation to the otherwise staid
industry by commissioning artistes like Picasso and Dali to create unique
labels for each vintage. She continued the tradition right till the
end. After engaging the Indian-born London based UK artist Anish
Kapoor for the 2009 vintage she went on to commission Jeff Koons, the
most expensive living sculpture artist in the world, for its 2010
label. She had also engaged Prince Charles for a drawing for one of the
vintages.
Twice married, she is survived by her husband, two sons-Philippe and
Julien, daughter Camille and grandchildren. Both her sons hold import
positions in the company. "The whole family was with her at the end,
which made everything better," says the statement from the family. A
funeral is planned Sept. 1 in southwestern Pauillac.
delWine wishes to give condolences to the family and pays tribute to
the legendry Baroness.
Source: Various Media |