Baron Philippe de Rothschild appoints new head of Châteaux Wines division

By Lisa Riley

Published: 29 June, 2020

Baron Philippe de Rothschild has appointed Ariane Khaida executive director of its Châteaux Wines division, including Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Clerc Milon, Château d'Armailhac and Domaine de Baronarques.

Taking on her new role on 1 July, Khaida will also sit on the board of directors of Opus One, Almaviva and Baronarques. She succeeds Philippe Dhalluin, who has decided to retire after more than 15 years as manager of the company’s estates.

In order to ensure the smooth handover of responsibilities within the Châteaux Wines division, Dhalluin will continue to serve as adviser to the chairman until 1 December 2020.

Khaida’s experience as the manager of leading Bordeaux merchant houses had demonstrated her “energy, her decision-making ability, her capacity for forward thinking and her perfect knowledge of the world of fine wines”, said Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

Expressing the company’s “deepest thanks” to Philippe Dhalluin for all his "wonderful work", Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, chairman and CEO, said: “Over the last 15 years, he has taken Mouton Rothschild and our other family châteaux to an unprecedented level of excellence and reputation.

“He has also been successful in attracting and training the necessary talents to continue our unceasing quest for excellence.”

The company also announced that it has reorganised the Châteaux Wines division to coincide with the arrival of Khaida, including creating a new estate manager position with technical responsibility for its three Bordeaux properties, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Clerc Milon and Château d’Armailhac.

This position will be filled by Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, previously director of Château Clerc Milon, where he had “amply demonstrated his remarkable winemaking and managerial skills over the last 10 years, making Château Clerc Milon one of the most highly acclaimed wines on the Bordeaux market”.

Erick Tourbier, hitherto technical director of Château Mouton Rothschild under Philippe Dhalluin, will become technical winemaking adviser to the chairman with a wider, cross-cutting role spanning both its estate and branded wines.

The other key positions in the Châteaux Wines division remain unchanged and will continue to be filled by their current occupants.

In February, Bibendum Wine launched a new initiative to streamline the sale of fine wines from Bordeaux to the UK on- and off-trade, an initiative Baron Philippe de Rothschild forms part of with Château d'Armailhac and Château Clerc Milon both participating.