Charismatic, charming, and innovative, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild passed away in August at the age of 80.
Rothschild owned several notable Bordeaux wine properties and labels, including first-growth Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Clerc-Milon, Château d’Armailha and Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA. In the early 1980s, she joined her father Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s prominent wine business, Château Mouton-Rothschild, and in 1988, following his death, she took over the company, including a joint venture with Robert Mondavi and Opus One in California.
In her modernizing efforts, she also formed a partnership in Chile to create Almaviva. As the fifth-generation owner of the legendary family winery, Rothschild proved to be a great ambassador for the wine industry, an astute and creative businesswoman and a monumental female figure in Bordeaux.
In 2006 Wine Enthusiast honored Philippine with the coveted Wine Star Lifetime Achievement Award (click to watch the video). In her gracious acceptance speech, she expressed she was proud of her leadership role at Château Mouton-Rothschild, her wine ventures into Napa and Almaviva Winery in Chile, and she thanked America for “having taught [her] all [she] know[s] about the commercial side of wine.” In 2007, Philippine de Rothschild was made an Officier of the French Légion d’Honneur.
“Philippine was the brilliant charismatic light of Bordeaux and the wine world,” said Adam Strum, publisher and editor-in-chief of Wine Enthusiast Companies.
Philippine is survived by her husband, Jean-Pierre de Beaumarchais, and her three children, Camille, Philippe and Julien.