When we visited Mouton Rothschild in January, we were fortunate enough to re-taste their exquisite range of 2016s. D’Armailhac, Clerc Milon and Petit Mouton were the best examples we could remember tasting. Surely the Mouton couldn’t make it a full set. There have been so many legends: the 86, the82, the otherworldly `45; there’s some big competition. Now, we’re not saying that the 2016 is going to trump these mythical wines, but it is knock-your-socks-off good. This is very much the real deal, a deep and exotic Mouton with layer after layer of decadent fruit and a massive structure. This has it all: complexity, authority, finesse and charm, and it also has a clean sweep of perfect scores from the world’s most influential wine critics. We echo their views – this is a wine that sends shivers down the spine, a truly profound Mouton Rothschild that will outlive most people of legal drinking age… There have been some comparisons with the 1986, although we feel this will provide fireworks in its youth, such is the quality of fruit and the refinement of the tannins.
Read More“The 2016 Mouton Rothschild bowled me over when I tasted it from barrel. Philippe Dhalluin compares it to the 1986 in terms of intensity of fruit, although there is more maturity and refinement in the tannins apropos of the 2016. Bottled in July 2018, this has an intense bouquet with pixelated black fruit, crushed stone, hints of blue fruit and a touch of India ink. But it is the delineation and focus that take your breath away. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannin framing the pure black currant and cassis fruit. The acidity is pitch-perfect, and there is a gentle but insistent grip toward the extraordinarily long finish. Racking my brains to think of another Mouton Rothschild that I have tasted over the last 20 years that was as good as this, I simply cannot come up with one. 100/100“ - Neal Martin, Vinous
“The 2016 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, with the Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vinified together. It has a very deep purple-black color and slowly slides out of the glass with spicy notes of Sichuan pepper, cloves and cinnamon stick giving way to a core of perfumed black fruits and florals—blackcurrant cordial, candied violets, blackberry compote, rose hips and black plums—plus suggestions of espresso, damp soil, tar and beef drippings. Medium-bodied, the palate is very firmly structured and jam-packed with latent energy about to burst, offering superbly ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the intense floral and black fruit lay ers and finishing very long and very minerally. Powerful, profound wine. 100/100” - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
“A towering, thrilling wine, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild is unbelievably beautiful today. Aromatics, fruit density and vertical structure all come together. In the glass, the 2016 is remarkably vivid and powerful, and yet a gentler, more feminine side emerges with time in the glass. The intense, mineral, savory profile recalls the 1986, but the 2016 has more grace, inner sweetness and sophistication than that wine. Even so, the 2016 is going to need at least a number of years in bottle before it starts drinking well, although it won't be the bruiser the 1986 remains to this day. This is breathtaking wine from Mouton, Technical Director Philippe Dhalluin and his team. 100/100” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“This is a phenomenal, muscular red that shows incredible power and depth. Full-bodied and with great concentration of tannins but this remains agile and polished. The form to this is stupendous. Such precision and clarity. The new 1986 but better. 100/100” - James Suckling