| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Originally classified as a Second Growth, Mouton made some of the greatest red Bordeaux wines ever in the period after the end of the Second World war and was finally upgraded to First Growth in 1973. Every year since the 1940's a different artist has decorated the label. Since the arrival of Philippe Dallhuin in 2003, Mouton has been on fine form. Grapes are now selected only from the core original vineyard site and the wine is always a classic example of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Pauillac. This great First Growth combines the strength and power of Latour with the polish and charm of Lafite and the unmistakable Mouton notes of cigar box, spice and cassis.
The 2019 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little broody to start off, soon unfurling to offer notes of creme de cassis, baked plums, and boysenberry preserves, followed by hints of crushed rocks, tree bark, and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich, concentrated, and intense, with grainy tannins and a long, lively, mineral-sparked finish. This is still so youthful - moving at a glacial pace - so, give it a good 7-9 years more in cellar and drink it over the following 40-years+.
The 2019 Mouton Rothschild is the most dramatic of the Médoc first growths, soaring from the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries and violets mingled with rich aromas of cedar, cigar wrapper, licorice, loamy soil and spices. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and powerful, with huge levels of concentration and an ineffably complete, seamless profile, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Plenty of ripe tannin is hidden by its ample core of fruit, and despite its youthful polish, this will require plenty of bottle age to realize all its potential. This blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot tastes in many respects like the 2016 Mouton's more sun-kissed cousin. 2035 - 2065
The 2019 Mouton-Rothschild is more backward on the nose, graphite and pencil shavings infusing the black fruit, broody at first yet gaining intensity in the glass with each swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine depth, lightly spiced with a vibrant, slightly peppery finish. Impressive weight and length and unequivocally, a long-term proposition. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2028-2065.
This is incredibly complex, with all the cabernet descriptors, from mint and lead pencil to blackberry, blackcurrant and menthol. It changes all the time in the glass, just as in the nose. Yet, it remains cool and classy. Full-bodied with very fine, tight tannins that run the length of the wine, carrying on and on and on. Well-framed and compact wine. Never-ending procession of currant, berry and black cherry fruit, together with licorice, earth and just a hint of black truffle. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Give this until 2028 to show its true greatness.
Takes the character of Petit Mouton and turns it up. Has layers of black cherries dipped in bitter chocolate and coffee with turbo powered tannins and lift. Freshly crushed mint leaf on the finish. A ton of depth, not as creamy as the 2018 Mouton was at this stage, this is more espresso than cappuccino, with layers of vertical tannins that are generous but in control, not willing to give too much away, and it will close down for a good few years. A great Mouton, pure, precise, linear, tight and vertical, making you wait for the kirsch laden opulence but absolutely delivering on its En Primeur promise. Harvest September 18 to October 5. 100% new oak.
Tasted blind. Bloody nose. Rich and energetic and assertive. Deep-flavoured and very long. 13.5%
Drink 2029
– 2050
Fully 90% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend this year. Very deep purple in the glass. The nose is exuberant and exotic, full of mulberry and rich cassis, layered with star anise, incense and cedar. Very complex and enticing. The palate has great richness and density, with enveloping, mouthcoating tannins providing ample structure for the fruit. Despite this intensity, everything is tightly wound at this stage, making a wine of real drive and verticality. The core is one of ripe blackcurrant and forest fruits, but there is a saline, savoury edge too. The oak is smoky and exotic, showing tobacco and clove, but is well integrated at this stage. Perfect harmony on the finish, which is both ripe and savoury. A wine of controlled power - very impressive.
The 2019 Château Mouton Rothschild is based on 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, and it hit a relatively normal alcohol level of 13.5%, which is higher than the 2009 and shows the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon in the vintage. It shows the new, modern style of Bordeaux in its purity, elegance, and finesse while still being an incredibly concentrated Pauillac, and where some vintages of Mouton can just about jump out of the glass, this is a more seamless, streamlined, elegant beauty that builds with time in the glass and is just about impossible to fault. Gorgeous crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, forest floor, licorice, damp earth, and graphite, as well as some espresso nuances, emerge on the nose, and it's rich, medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. This is pure haute couture in Bordeaux that unquestionably offers pleasure today (again, just about all modern Bordeaux from a great vintage offer pleasure in their youth) but will require a solid decade to hit maturity, and it should evolve for 20, 30, 40 years or more. This is not an unformed beast of wine that demands bottle age, and I suspect it will have a broad, forgiving drink window that consumers will love.
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. 51% of the production. Barrel sample.
A powerhouse Mouton, broad-shouldered and built for the long haul. Deep and intense on the nose with marked cassis and spice notes. Ripe, mouth-filling palate, the tannins plentiful and firm and smothered in layers of fruit. Almost opulent but not to the same degree as 2018. Hint of telltale mocha. Finishes fresh and long, the tannic backbone again present. (JL)
Drink 2030 – 2050
The 2019 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it races out of the glass with gregarious scents of creme de cassis, redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and chocolate-covered cherries, giving way to a serious undercurrent of licorice, forest floor, candied violets, and cardamom with a touch of cast-iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with expressive red, black, and blue fruit layers, framed by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing with floral, exotic spices and a mineral firework display.
The 2019 Mouton Rothschild has a magnificent bouquet that gradually unfolds in the glass to reveal blackberry, iodine, touches of crushed violet and then, with time, that gorgeous mintiness, just like you get in the 1945 (not that this is the 1945). The palate is beautifully balanced with a lattice of fine, succulent tannins, pure black fruit laced with graphite, blood orange, a touch of black pepper and a hint of pitted black olives on the finish. Very persistent in the mouth, this is a brilliant Mouton-Rothschild that will blossom with bottle age. 2029-2065
The 2019 Mouton Rothschild comes off the back of a succession of superlative wines that you would have to go back to the late Forties to see again. Deep in colour, it has a very composed and refined bouquet: very pure blackberry intermingling with bilberry and graphite, touches of Earl Grey and crushed stone emerging after several minutes in the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with finely-chiseled tannins, a little spicier than the previous vintage from barrel last year, gently building and fanning out towards the poised finish. This is a sophisticated, classic Mouton-Rothschild that will require a little more cellaring than some recent vintages, but will surely be worth the wait. 2027 - 2060
This shows purity of fruit with blackcurrants and cassis and hints of blueberries and fresh flowers. Toasted and roasted. The 90% of cabernet sauvignon really makes this special. Lead-pencil, tar and licorice notes. Powerful with finesse. Extremely persistent.
The blend this year is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, harvested from the 18th of September to the 5th of October. Opaque purple-black colored, the 2019 Mouton Rothschild simply shines, even at this very nascent stage, beaming from the glass with bright, vibrant scents of crème de cassis, blueberry preserves, boysenberries and black raspberries plus fragrant suggestions of lilacs, dark chocolate, sandalwood, jasmine tea and woodsmoke with a spicy waft of star anise. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with energy, featuring tightly wound layers of black fruits, exotic spices and mineral notions, framed by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing with epic length and perfume. This year's profound expression is without doubt a legend in the making. (For number crunchers, the alcohol is 13.5% this year, slightly lower than 2018, which came in at 13.8%.)
A deep intense nose, this is another brilliant Pauillac First Growth in 2019, all different in style and true to themselves. The tannins are ripe and fleshed out, taking a confident hold around well-textured blackberry and cassis fruits that are fluid, supple and frankly delicious. This is pure Mouton, you couldn't mistake it, with its touch of mocha and chocolate, and its core of freshness. Has a feel of the 1996 about it. Harvest September 19 to October 5 (finishing a little earlier that Clerc and Armailhac because Mouton is always an early terroir due to its abundance of pure gravel). Drinking Window 2030 - 2050
