Philippe Dhalluin, managing director of Mouton Rothschild from 2003 to 2020
Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, technical director at Mouton Rothschild since June 2020
Chateau Mouton Rothschild is one of Bordeaux's 5 First Growths, situated on the outskirts of Pauillac village. This property covers around 75 ha of vines planted with 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. However, this is only sometimes the exact composition of grape varieties in Grand Vin, as it depends on the vintage. For instance, the 2011 vintage's varietal mix is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc. The average age of vines here is around 50 years.
Mouton Rothschild is the least concentrated of all First Growths but compensates for it with extreme elegance, finesse, richness, complexity, a sophisticated touch, and a strong yet finely composed structure. This wine is destined for long life and maybe a little light-footed when young, but it comes strongly back after ten years with all the fantastic goodies released.
Mouton Rothschild's second wine is Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, a very well-made wine. The owners of Mouton Rothschild produce two other wines of excellent quality for the money; d'Armailhac and Clerc Milon. Aile d'Argent, a splendid white wine, is also made here.
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2022 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (barrel sample) 98-100p
Tasted in April 2023. 92% C. Sauvignon and 8% Merlot. 14% alcohol. Potent and distinguished. Not as exuberant as f.i. 2020 version, but tighter. Plenty of blackcurrants and crushed cherries spiced up with tobacco, graphite, and leather. Creamy and luscious on the palate with great structure, complexity, depth, and length. Vibrant, sophisticated, and with excellent mid-palate. A future legend, for sure!
2021 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (barrel sample) 96-98p
Tasted in April 2022. 89% C. Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 1% P. Verdot. 13.1% alcohol. Potent yet elegant and distinguished. Redcurrants and tobacco leaves in significant numbers, graphite, black truffle, finely grained tannin, firm structure, and great midpalate. Long and persistent aftertaste. In my honest opinion, it ranks among the vintage's best wines.
2020 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98-100p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2023. Consistent notes. 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 13.1% alcohol. This vintage was made by the new technical director, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, who was before the manager of Clerc Milon. He succeeded Philippe Dhalluin, who retired in 2020. Upper-class nose, distinctive, and deeply intense. Potent with a strong backbone, plus layers of creamy fruit and fat tannin cover the palate. Spectacular structure and complexity, sophisticated and mega-long finish. This wine checks all the boxes and will be another legend! It showed exactly like that from the bottle!
2019 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 99-100p
Tasted in November 2021. 90% C. Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% C. Franc. 13.56% alcohol. It displayed an extraordinary nose of tobacco, grilled bacon, and cigar box. Great concentration, depth, and length. It is sophisticated, with many layers, a stunning midpalate, and a long, persistent aftertaste. This is a heavenly treat and yet another legend.
2018 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 99-100p
Taste three times - last time in December 2020. Consistent notes. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. An upper-class nose that is hugely distinctive and intense. Layers and layers of creamy fruit and fat tannin cover the palate. Unique structure and complexity, sophisticated and thrillingly long finish. This wine checks all the boxes. Another legend in the making, for sure!
2017 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 97-98p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. 90% C. Sauvignon + 9% Merlot + 1% P. Verdot. 13.06% alcohol. It displays a classic nose of Cabernet Sauvignon with tobacco leaves and roasted bacon, elegant and refined on the palate, with great complexity and length. It's a great wine that will mature sooner than f.i. 2019 and 2018.
2016 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (barrel sample) 100p
Tasted twice - last time in October 2017. Consistent notes. 83% C.Sauvignon + 15% Merlot + 1% C.Franc + 1% P. Verdot. An aristocratic nose of blackberries, cigar box, tobacco leaves, and classy stuff with great acidity, velvety texture, stunning richness and structure, excellent complexity, and remarkable finish. It's a complete wine. My pick for the best wine of the vintage on the Left Bank!
2015 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98p
Tasted twice - last time in October 2017. Consistent notes. 82% C.Sauvignon + 16% Merlot + 2% P. Verdot. It was a refined, sophisticated, rich wine with incredible complexity and structure, great acidity, and a powerful finish. It's a complete wine.
2014 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (barrel sample) 96+p
Tasted twice - last time in June 2015. Consistent notes. A classic and stylish wine with stunning elegance and finesse, velvety inside with silky fruit and tannin, seamless structure, and a very long aftertaste. It is sophisticated and refined. Cabernet Sauvignon at its very best. Imho, this is probably the best 1.Cru wine in the 2014 vintage!
2013 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (barrel sample) 93p
Tasted in March 2014. It had a delicate nose of blackcurrants, raspberries, finesse, elegance, and a lovely structure and finish. It was an excellent effort for the vintage.
2012 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 95p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2015. Consistent notes. This wine had black cherries/blueberries all over, velvety fruit and tannin, a very complex nose, smooth, silky finish from the barrel. Fine midpalate. Lighter than usual but with striking elegance and finesse. In November 2015, it seduced the audience with a very sophisticated nose of dark chocolate, pure elegance and finesse, remarkable complexity, and impressive length. Among the top wines of the vintage.
2011 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 96+p
Tasted three times - last time in November 2014. Consistent notes. This wine displayed sublime touch, elegance, finesse, silky cherry fruit, and silky tannin combined with imposing structure and finish. Stunning ripeness. The nose is so captivating and intense. Immense class. Low yield in 2011 - only 30 hl/ha.
2010 (barrel sample), 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006 ready to be tasted
2010 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (barrel sample) 98-100p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2012. Consistent notes. Sophisticated and refined, with outstanding richness, complexity, elegance, and long finish. Simply a wonderfully crafted wine. A legend.
2009 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 100p
Tasted three times - last time in January 2017. Consistent notes. Extremely refined and sophisticated, decadent and rich. Fantastic experience and pure enjoyment!
2008 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 95p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2012. Consistent notes. Excellent nose of blackcurrant and cigar box, very long on the palate with minerality, strong backbone, and persistent aftertaste. Return to classic Pauillac after flamboyant 2009 and 2010. Not in full blossom yet - please be patient.
2007 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 93p
Tasted in April 2012. A captivating nose of black cherries, round, surprisingly ripe fruit for the vintage, excellent structure, length, and smooth finish. It lacked a bit of richness and depth, but this is a lovely effort for the vintage.
2006 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 94p
Tasted in April 2012. Fleshy on the palate, spicy fruit, rich and powerful. A lot of stuffing but an unevolved one. It needs time to soften and become approachable.
2005 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98p
Tasted three times - last time in November 2015. In May 2008, when tasted blind in Copenhagen, against Lafite 2005, Latour 2005, and several wines from Italy and Chile - the so-called Berlin tasting, it was impressive. Black, red-colored wine displaying dusty blackcurrants on the nose and palate, sophisticated, fabulous length, and outstanding balance. Elegant, not exceptionally concentrated, but incredibly well-knitted. My initial impression was 100% Bordeaux because of this wine's elegance and complexity; my guess was Lafite 2005. It turned out to be Mouton Rothschild 2005, and I was impressed because it tasted much better than out of the barrel in April 2006. In November 2015, it was a wonderful experience with grated chocolate and cocoa on the nose, perfectly ripe grapes, and sophisticated and sublime wine. It has been the best showing of this wine yet.
2001 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 96p
Tasted in April 2009. Fabulously aromatic nose of blackcurrants and cherries, stunning structure, richness, and length. Utterly impressive stuff.
2000 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 100p
Tasted twice - last time in March 2010. Consistent notes. Still a baby! Enormous intensity, depth, length, and concentration. Unbelievable effort!
1999 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 92p
Tasted in June 2015 during lunch at the BPDR booth in Vinexpo. It showed its age with truffles, great elegance, and finesse and was well-balanced with very slight dry tones on the finish. Splendid wine-work.
1988 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 94p
Tasted in May 1993. Intense on the nose, refined with finesse. It is well-balanced, well-constructed, and complex, with a long finish. Impressive stuff, with many years to improve even further.
1985 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98p
Tasted three times - last time in November 2015. Consistent notes. Distinguished and classy stuff, wealthy and refined, sophisticated, truffles, fabulous structure and depth. Bull’s eye! Easily an additional 20 years in the cellar.
1982 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98-100p
I tasted it twice, the last time in October 1994. Consistent notes. It has a fantastic nose of perfectly ripe fruit with grace and depth. Heaven on the palate, with perfect integration of fruit and tannin, strong structure, richness, exceptional purity, depth, and length. Wow. This wine can be kept until 2040!
1971 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 94-95p
I tasted it in October 2019. It is very complex, refined, and sophisticated, yet still young and virile. It has great depth and length and a strong backbone. It is a great bottle to taste!
1970 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 94p
Tasted in February 2020. Powerful, complete, complex, refined and sophisticated, long pleasing finish. Sublime quality and pleasure here. There are many years to go!
1962 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 96p
Tasted in October 2021. So classic for the property with notes of forest floor and cigar box, great complexity and elegance, sophisticated touch, and exquisite balance. Impressive stuff.
1949 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 97p
Tasted in December 1990 from a half bottle. Truffles, spicy blackcurrants, velvety structure, alive, extremely elegant, and finesse. Great complexity and length. Fabulous stuff.
1937 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98p
Tasted in April 2017 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. Fabulously aromatic nose and palate with truffles, tobacco, and graphite, incredibly elegant and sophisticated, long, long finish.
Pure delight - 80 years old, wine, alive and kicking!
1929 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 98p
I tasted it in March 2009 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. There were truffles on the nose and palate, chocolate powder, remarkable structure, and balance, which were very elegant and sophisticated. It's a great bottle, still very vivid and very much alive!
1928 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 96p
Tasted in April 2018 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. Classy nose with truffles, great structure, and balance, very elegant and sophisticated. It's a great bottle - still very much alive and graceful wine.