Le Petit Mouton, Pauillac, 2025
Petit Mouton 2025 is crafted from 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. It's a very solid effort, but lacks the velvety texture and charm of the wonderful Clerc Milon. More brooding and less floral than Clerc with notes of brambles, briar, wild herbs, clove and nutmeg. On the palate there's plenty of cherry and plum with ferrous notes of iron and graphite. There's lots of structure and tannin here, which will hopefully resolve during élevage.
critic reviews
The 2025 Le Petit-Mouton has a very intense nose, blackberry and cassis mixed with violet and a touch of wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied, with pliant tannins, fine acidity, quite spicy on the mid-palate with a liberal sprinkling of black pepper, nicely focused with a classically styled finish. It will need two to three years in bottle.
The aromatics are very signature Petit Mouton - gentle toasted sandalwood and cedar, mint leaf, incense, but the impression on the palate is of fresher fruit, blueberry pie, crayon and slate. Will deepen further over ageing, but full of promise already, juicy with salted cracker and oyster shell, a little less exuberant perhaps than usual at this early stage, and I am reminded of the 2023, the 3.72ph making its presence felt. Harvest September 5 to 20.50% new oak.
The 2025 Le Petit Mouton offers up aromas of dark berries, mint and toasty new oak, followed by a full-bodied, rich and ample palate that's broad and muscular, built around plenty of sweet, powdery tannin. It's a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 3% Cabernet France and 3% Petit Verdot.