Château Mouton Rothschild 2019
Review of the Estate
Château Mouton Rothschild is a wine estate located in the village of Pauillac in the Mèdoc, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux, France. Its red wine of the same name is regarded as one of the world's greatest clarets. Originally known as Château Brane-Mouton it was renamed by Nathaniel de Rothschild in 1853 to Château Mouton Rothschild. It was the first estate to begin complete château bottling of the harvest.
The branch of the Rothschild family owning Chateau Mouton Rothschild are members of the Primum Familiae Vini.
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 was based entirely on recent market prices for a vineyard's wines, with one exception: Château Mouton Rothschild. Despite the market prices for their vineyard's wines equalling that of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild was excluded from First Great Growth status, an act that Baron Philippe de Rothschild referred to as "the monstrous injustice". It is widely believed that the exception was made because the vineyard had recently been purchased by an Englishman and was no longer in French ownership.
In 1973, Chateau Mouton Rothschild was elevated to "first growth" status after decades of intense lobbying by its powerful and influential owner, the only change in the original 1855 classification (excepting the 1856 addition of Château Cantemerle). This prompted a change of motto: previously, the motto of the wine was Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis. ("First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am."), and it was changed to Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change. ("First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.")
Vineyard
Surface area: 185 acres
Grape Varieties: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot
Average age of vines: 44 years
Density of plantation: 8,500 vines per hectare
Average yields: 40-50 hectoliters per hectare
Average cases produced: 20,000 per year
Plateau of maturity: 10-50 years
Mouton Rothschild 2019 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 98-100
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 creme 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%.)
Side Note:
"The grand vin has 90% Cabernet Sauvignon this year-among the highest percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon ever used-with less Merlot, just 9% Merlot," technical director Philippe Dhalluin told me. "The Merlot was very good, maybe the best since 2010, but the Cabernet Sauvignon was just too good. We build the blends of Mouton and Petit Mouton together. This year they are very different styles. Generally, Petit Mouton comes from the border of this plot of excellence we use for the Mouton. But this year is different-more of this good Merlot. The biggest difference in the styles is the tannins, Petit Mouton's are usually not as refined. The plateau of Carruades gives such an excellent style of tannins to Mouton!"
Mouton's grand vin is unquestionably one of the wine's of the vintage, but I was surprised by the high quality of the estate's dry white wine. Usually, great red wine years do not make such impressive whites. "Aile d'Argent for us was such a great surprise this year," Dhalluin agreed with me. "In the end, the Semillon was such excellent quality. There's a hint of exotic Muscat character in there. Really, it is an excellent vintage for this wine too-usually, odd vintages produce exceptional characters in Aile d'Argent!"
Decanter
Point Score: 98
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).
James Suckling
Point Score: 99-100
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.