One of Napoleon III’s greatest legacies was the creation of the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. Wanting to demonstrate the superiority of France’s top-ranked Bordeaux wines at the Exposition Universelle de Paris, he established the formal ranking of Bordeaux’s Chateau wineries. Only four chateaux were initially chosen. Since the vineyards of Mouton Rothschild were owned by an Englishman at the time (SACRILEGE!), it was conspicuously excluded from the official classification as a First Growth. It was not until 1973 that Mouton Rothschild could rightfully join its other First Growth neighbors, Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, and Haut Brion.   Today, Mouton Rothschild continues to produce some of the world’s finest Bordeaux wine. Each vintage label is uniquely designed by famous artists of the day. But it is what is in the bottle that counts . . . wine that is opulent, layered, and velvety. Benchmark Wine Group is proud to offer our clients an outstanding lineup of multiple vintages of Mouton Rothschild and all the Bordeaux First Growth Chateaux. Every prominent cellar must have the First Growths of Bordeaux . . . a votre sante!