Vertical Tasting Report: Château Mouton Rothschild

It’s hard to pick out the best wine from a host of greats. And it gets particularly hard when you are talking about the legendary Château Mouton Rothschild. 

The Rothschild family have been pushing the very limits of wine for well over a century, laying claim to such monumental bottlings such as 1947 and 1959. Yet it was only as late as 1973 that Mouton became the first and to this date only wine to be reclassified as a first growth.

All this would set the scene for what has to be considered Mouton's finest ever period of winemaking – from 1982 to the present day. And this is the focus of this vertical tasting report: Every single vintage of Mouton rated 90 points or more by James since 1982 is featured below.

In total, James gives out three scores of 100 points, and several come very close indeed. It represents a resounding pronouncement of Mouton’s tenacious pursuit of superb quality – year in year out – and it never ceases to amaze. 

In the early 1990s, it must be said that the wines came out as less profound compared to those from the golden 1980s, but the estate quickly bounced back after tightening up the viticultural and winemaking process. 

Concerning the past decade, the winery has delivered compelling reds and whites, thanks to the capable hands of winemaker Philippe Dhalluin. Current vintages of Mouton hark back to some of the aforementioned and below cited legendary wines, in which rich, intense fruit is integrated with ultra-fine tannins and bright acidity. 

Some of the subtle changes instigated by Philippe in the cellar since he joined the company in 2003 include lowering fermentation temperatures and the percentage of press wine. His efforts came to ultimate fruition in the 2010 vintage – a powerful Bordeaux that has everything you could ask for in a Mouton.

James only recently came back from his most recent vertical tasting at Mouton in January, where many of the below scores and notes find their origin (though a handful were tasted recently on other occasions). It was the first time he had returned there since Philippine de Rothschild’s funeral this autumn. 

James will be returning to Bordeaux this week to taste the first Mouton marking a new era under the leadership of Philippine’s children Camille, Philippe and Julien. Stay tuned for all our in-depth coverage on JamesSuckling.com of en primeur 2014.

-Natalie Wang