For the 2023 vintage of the famous Bordeaux Premier Grand Cru Classé, Château Mouton Rothschild has chosen—for the first time in its long history—a Portuguese artist: Joana Vasconcelos. The work, entitled Paradise, dresses the label of a wine already awaited as one of the protagonists of the harvest, transforming the bottle into a small masterpiece.
In Vasconcelos's drawing, the vine—represented by a bunch of grapes—occupies the absolute center. From there, primary elements such as earth, water, rays of sunshine, and the coolness of the nights radiate: figurations that represent the pillars of the Pauillac terroir.
Added to these is a triangle, a symbol of human intervention—the artisan's hand that, with care and respect, accompanies the natural process. For the artist, it is a gesture of balance between nature and culture, a sign of perfection and harmony.
The result is a composition reminiscent of a puzzle: each fragment has its own color, its own shape, and together they tell the story of the genesis of a great wine.
Since 1945, by order of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, each vintage of Mouton has been adorned with a different artist: names such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, Jeff Koons and many others make up one of the most prestigious collections of designer labels in the world.
Vasconcelos's selection marks an important step: it's the first time the maison has entrusted its label—and with it, part of its visual identity—to a Portuguese artist. This open gesture reflects a contemporary sensibility, where Mediterranean identities, craftsmanship, and modern artistic languages engage with French winemaking tradition.
Anyone familiar with Joana Vasconcelos's work knows how much her art thrives on contrasts—between the gigantic and the intimate, between baroque and minimalism, between irony and depth.
With ParadiseThe artist transfers these characteristics to the label of a bottle: a gesture that highlights the care, craftsmanship, and organic dimension of wine. For the Rothschild family, the choice was natural: wine has always been produced with the same artisanal care as a work of art.
In this sense, the label is not a simple wrapper, but becomes an integral part of the sensory and symbolic experience of wine: the bottle itself already promises a universe of taste, roots, elegance, and beauty.
A signal to the market and an aesthetic statement
The presentation of the 2023 label comes at a time when wine—especially elite wine—is increasingly merging with art, culture, and storytelling. Paradise, Mouton Rothschild offers not only an excellent wine, but a bottle that tells a story, which invites reflection on the relationship between nature and the hand of man.
At the same time, the choice of a contemporary and international artist like Vasconcelos can broaden the wine's appeal, even beyond the narrow circle of enthusiasts, transforming the bottle into a collector's item, of aesthetic taste.
It is therefore a signal: a new sensibility in the world of wine, where tradition and modernity, terroir and design, story and material meet to redefine the meaning of "luxury wine."
With ParadiseJoana Vasconcelos has rightfully entered the pantheon of Château Mouton Rothschild's "artist labels." It's not just a question of style: it's a declaration of intent. A bridge between Portuguese culture and Bordeaux savoir-faire, between craftsmanship and creativity, between wine and art.
In a world where bottles are increasingly fashionable, increasingly "Instagrammable," this choice reminds us that authentic value lies in the care, craftsmanship, and history each label carries. And that, sometimes, a single grape on a label is enough to capture, in a single image, the aroma of wine and art.