Château Mouton Rothschild, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2023
Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, the supremely talented Technical Director responsible for Baron Philippe de Rothschild's three Bordeaux chateaux has crafted an exquisite range of wines, which marry generous, textural fruit with gloriously precise aromatics and velvety tannins. Produced from a whopping 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, only the 2010 has a higher percentage in recent times and 7% Merlot, the 2023 Mouton Rothschild is a contender for wine of the vintage. Opening with a glorious bouquet of incense, Asian spices, forest floor, wood spice and ripe blackcurrant, this is perhaps a little more restrained than usual, but one senses there's so much more to come. There’s a reserve here but it’s clearly full of material and intensity. Dark and rippling with salty minerals, big, vertical, powerful and long, with this haunting impression on the finish. Very complete, very long, very composed. Clearly this is a grand scale Mouton with layers of hidden material. A tremendous wine of precision, power and an imperious structure.
critic reviews
This was one of my 100 point potentials when tasting En Primeur, and it's fully delivering. It has closed down in the way that Petit Mouton has opened up, and here I really feel the full power of the tannic grip, one of the highest amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon on record, coiled and still-concealing a ton of graphite, cocoa bean, cool blue fruits set against creamy damson, cigar box, crayon, sandalwood, incense, promise. A long lived Mouton, with depth, power and balance at just over 13%, the magic of these soils. 100% new oak for ageing, harvest September 7 to 30.
The 2023 Mouton Rothschild has a deep, opaque hue. The bouquet is immediately satisfying with a controlled explosion of blackberry, cassis and violets that is quintessential Mouton. Very fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied yet intense, quite chiseled tannins, gentle grip, supremely well focused with a captivating, mineral-driven finish that is less flamboyant in style compared to recent vintages. Very persistent, this is a Mouton Rothschild with grandeur.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Mouton Rothschild needs considerable swirling to coax out notes of freshly crushed blackcurrants and wild blueberries leading to touches of clove oil, lavender, star anise, and black truffle with a hint of wild sage. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound, with a firm frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, with pH 3.79, and an alcohol of 13.3%.
Aromas of creme de cassis and dark berries mingled with pencil shaving, espresso roast and violets introduce the 2023 Mouton Rothschild, a medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy wine with a creamy core of ripe but lively fruit, sweet tannins and an expansive finish. In terms of parcels, the 2023 is quite different in origins from the 2022, favoring plots that are better-drained rather than those resistant to drought. It's a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, without either Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot featuring in the blend, and it attained 13.3% alcohol.