| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
From an underrated vintage for many Bordeaux wines, the 2008 Mouton-Rothschild reveals classic notes of cigar box, forest floor, underbrush, vanillin, camphor, chocolate and abundant blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Beautifully finessed tannins coat the mouth, giving the wine a savory, expansive texture with no hard edges. It still has some tannin to shed, but this beauty is evolving quickly, displaying wonderful secondary nuances. It should age for 25+ years.
Shows violet and crushed berries, with lots of other floral and fruit character. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish. Very, very pretty
Tighter and denser than the Petit Mouton with hidden depths and less obvious seduction. Very neat and firm with some fine polishing of texture and definite minerality at its core. Dry finish. Very fresh and neat. Finer boned than many Moutons - almost playing the Lafite card. All very introvert but nothing flashy. I found myself swallowing this at 9.20am! Well done.
(83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot.) Fine purple-red, fine aromatic elegance, blackcurrants present, but subdued and a lovely satiny texture takes over with almost creamy tannins, a finely-grained wine almost understated now but with internal power and length that will continue to develop in barrel to show the lush fruit that is typical of Mouton. Drink 2017-35.
The final blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot exhibits tell-tale black currant liqueur, incense, charcoal and floral-like characteristics. The oak is pushed to the background, one of the major improvements director Philippe Dalhuin has made at this estate. Full-bodied, deep and impressively endowed, it is a deep, rich, less massive effort than either the 2010 or 2009. This gorgeous Mouton will be drinkable in 4-5 years and age effortlessly for three decades.
Mouton's vineyard was harvested between October 2-15, and the wine possesses an unexpectedly high pH of 3.85 (high for this vintage, but normal for a riper year). Made from low yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare, it achieved a natural alcohol content of 13.2%, one of the highest ever for this estate. Made from 54% of the production, the 2008 Mouton Rothchild's final blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot has resulted in an atypically sweeter, more direct and opulent, fleshy Mouton. Keep in mind that this cuvee, because of the high Cabernet Sauvignon content as well as the terroir, is often backward, structured, and nearly foreboding in its youth. However, I do not think the 2008 will behave in that manner. There is plenty of tannin and exceptional density and ripeness, but the tannins are velvety, and I was amazed by how charmingly forward and fleshy this wine already is. A deep purple color, sweet aromas of creme de cassis, smoke, cedar, and an unmistakable floral component (another characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon in 2008) are found in this precocious, succulent Mouton that should firm up and put on more weight with aging. My score is somewhat conservative because it is hard to forget their prodigious 2006, but the 2008 will provide far more enjoyment and pleasure over the near-term than the 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035.
Tasted ex-château and single blind in Southwold. Yes, I did score the Grand Vin a solitary point above the Grand Vin under blind conditions but hey, that's how it goes. That should not detract from what is a superb Mouton. It is has a very intense nose with blackberry, wild strawberry, cedar and graphite, gregarious and vivacious. The palate is medium-bodied with firm grip, a lot of substance here with a keen thread of acidity. Multi-layered, fanning out marvellously on the fleshy, crisp finish this Mouton should leave that upstart "Le Petit Mouton" behind once it has a few laps on the odometer. Tasted January 2012.
The '08 Mouton is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot (a substantially higher proportion of the former.) The nose is already quite complex: blackberry, oyster shell, briary, a touch of seaweed. Good definition, quite a mercurial nose, the oak well integrated. The palate is superb: great fruit intensity, this is an ebullient Mouton Rothschild with a real sense of energy and tautness. Superb balance, great poise, blackberry, boysenberry and a wonderful sense of mineralité towards the assertive finish. A certain sense of femininity about this Mouton. Regal!
