critic reviews
The 2020 Le Petit Mouton has a seductive bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and pencil lead, seeming to gain precision in the glass—very classic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of cassis and blackberry fruit, very composed and very pure. A cashmere-textured finish fans out gloriously. This is a seriously fine Pauillac for long-term cellaring (written before its identity was revealed). Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 Le Petit Mouton benefits from the fact that the grand vin this year derives almost exclusively from the estate's core gravel terraces, meaning that many parcels that were included in, for example, the 2018 Mouton ended up in the Petit Mouton in 2020. Offering up aromas of cassis, cigar wrapper and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a broad attack and a layered, concentrated mid-palate.
The 2020 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls effortlessly out of the glass with gregarious notions of blackberry pie, redcurrant jelly, and garrigue, plus nuances of crushed rocks, tar, and dried Provence herbs. The medium-bodied palate reveals very fine-grained tannins and plenty of freshness to back up the delicate red and black fruits, finishing on an earthy note.