In 1973 Mouton was finally awarded 1st growth status, which had been the lifelong pursuit of the Baron. In that vintage he chose Picasso, who died later that year, as the artist, making this vintage a marriage of a great Bordeaux château and one of Picasso's final works of art.

Picasso, of course, was best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and one of his most his most famous works was Guernica, his portrayal of the German bombing during the Spanish Civil War.

In Picasso's later life he changed his style changed as he experimented with different theories and techniques, which he brought to Mouton's 1973 label, celebrating the château's historical upgrade to premier Grand cru status in 1973 – the only change ever made to the Bordeaux classification of 1855.