Le Petit Mouton, Pauillac, 2014

Produced from 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, the 2014 Petit Mouton has an intriguing wild, bramble, and herb infused bouquet. Of all the second wines from the first growths, this has been making the greatest strides over recent years, albeit from a more lowly starting point. As with the grand vin, we were slightly puzzled and must give this the benefit of the doubt. Quite exuberant fruit laced with youthful oak; there is a wild side to this young Pauillac and perhaps a touch more evolution than we would expect from a barrel sample. It will be interesting to see how this develops.