2016 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 1st Growth Classified Bordeaux

Château Mouton Rothschild was not originally included in the First Growths of Bordeaux, the estate has spent a large portion of its history making up for that fact. Mouton was the first producer to really take ownership of the entire wine-making process in Bordeaux. The château took wine from grapes to bottles starting in 1924. Prior to this estate bottling, the châteaux were selling wine to negociants in barrels, leaving lots of room for inconsistency. Mouton also provides some of the prettiest bottles in Bordeaux to look at, with a new artist commissioned for each vintage to design the label art.

Château Mouton Rothschild spans 90 hectares (222 acres) of vines to the north-west of Bordeaux, on the edge of the Médoc peninsula. The Château Mouton Rothschild vineyard, mostly situated on a hillock called the “Plateau de Mouton” which rises to 27m above sea-level, is planted on very deep gravelly soil with the varieties typical of the region.

Ageing: Cabernet Sauvignon 83% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc 1% Petit Verdot 1% in new French oak barrels

Tasting Notes: The wine is a dark and intense cherry red. The highly refined nose reveals perfectly ripe fruit. Ripe bilberry and blackcurrant aromas combine harmoniously with floral notes. With airing, the nose unfolds on pepper and spice balanced by elegant notes of graphite and blonde tobacco, bringing charm and nobility to an extensive range of aromas. The full and dense attack exhibits exceptionally well-rounded and silky tannins. The ample mid-palate abounds in black fruit along with cocoa flavors and biscuity notes, leading into a full-bodied and remarkably persistent finish, the sign of a great vintage.