1966 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1966 Mouton Rothschild: Tasted together with  "super" 1966 Latour, 1966 Mouton suffers from the comparison. This wine is certainly very good, but not as great as Latour or even Lynch-Bages. The nose is still closed with scents of coffee, black truffle and chocolate. The body is a bit harsh. 1966 Mouton Rothschild is the most tannic and austere wine of the tasting. Not very open and pretty difficult to assess at this point. To be honnest, I don't really know what to think about this wine. If it opens one day, it will be close to the level of 1966 Margaux, even a bit better. But will it ever open? 89/100.

1994 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

1994 Mouton Rothschild: Dark ruby hue. Black truffle and berry nose. Well balanced with rounded tannins and black fruit. This 1994 Mouton wine ends a bit abruptly and lacks a bit of power. It would be exaggerated to mention dilution problems here but together with Pichon Baron, many Pauillac wines seem to have suffered from the rainy weather conditions in September 1994. Drink 2004 - 2010.  88/100 

1997 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

This is the first 1997 Mouton I taste since I bought a case of 6 bottles five years ago. I admire the nice label of Nikki de Saint-Phalle; together sober and eccentric, traditional and baroque, with warm colors and a fresh design. Crimson and luminous hue although of average depth. Relatively closed and woody nose after opening. After 2h of decanting, 1997 Mouton Rothschild is finally gets more pleasant and complex. The initial wooden flavours are brillantly replaced by vanilla, red fruits (currant, wild strawberry) and spices (nutmeg). The texture in mouth is still overwhelmed by greenish tannins. Light bitterness on the palate. The second half of the bottle was consumed on the following evening and eventually showed much better. More open and complex aromas. The initial wood was replaced by some beautiful fruit (blackcurrant) and clove. Much more pleasant on the palate too. This 1997 Mouton Rothschild has now gained in roundness. Its overall quality has clearly improved. The tannins and the previous bitterness have almost totally disappeared. Light lacteous taste on the palate. The finish is quite dense but ends with a little oxydative note. This wine will probably continue to improve in the coming years. One may estimate the maturity plateau of this 1997 Mouton in 2008 - 2012. 89/100 

1999 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

60% of the total production was selected to produce the 1999 Mouton. 
Toasted - roasted oak nose. Very ripe tannins, solar and generous with creamy - almost sugary flavours. An animal touch on the finish. 1999 Mouton Rothschild is slightly sub-par with 99 Lafite and 99 Latour tasted at the same time. 90/100

2001 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

2007 April -  Rich and varied flavours of red chillies, tobacco, cedar and currant. 2001 Mouton is still noticeably marked by wood (toasted). The taste is backward and it has some difficulties to open up with air. But after gaining in temperature, the palate finally develops very pleasantly. Tight structure with layers of elegant fruit and a beautiful balance. Long finish, with just a hint of astringency on the aftertaste. An "aristocratic" 2001 Mouton Rothschild with an interesting ageing potential.

2001 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

2001 Mouton Rothschild : Dark ruby colour. Spicy nose, oak and cedar. Crystallized fruit and light blond tobacco. 2001 Mouton has an impressing development on the palate, while preserving a great freshness and a tightened texture, 2001 Mouton Rothschild is characterized by tasty tannins and elegance. Complex, long and opulent finish. A fine 2001 Mouton! 91/100

2002 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

2002 Mouton Rothschild: Very elegant 2002 Mouton. The bouquet is simply extraordinary. Remarkable prominent flavours of cigar box, spices, nutmeg and red fruit. This 2002 Mouton Rothschild has a beautiful viscosity in the mouth with chewy and sappy tannins, wonderfully balanced by an elegant smoothness. Long, dense and juicy finish. I think 2002 Mouton is my favourite wine for 2002 vintage! 95/100

2004 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France

06/2007 - Very elegant nose of spice, cedar, flowers, and vanilla. Superb! Starts out beautifully on the palate: polished, refined, and concentrated. The taste develops wonderfully on the middle palate, becoming more powerful, and maintaining this power until the very end of the long aftertaste. An altogether remarkable wine whose style has clearly become more elegant over the last few vintages!

Further articles on ccvo-bg

Bordeaux wine tasting by topic

Bordeaux wine tasting by Chateau

Advanced wine topics by a sommelier

Glossary of wine terms

Bordeaux vine varieties

Bordeaux wine regions and appellations