Mouton Rothschild 2009

Tasted blind. Rich and intriguing. There is savour and intrigue here but perhaps a little less concentration than some. More open then some. Salty and mineral. 13% Drink 2020-2050

Pure perfection, and reminding me slightly of the 1982, the 2009 Château Mouton Rothschild boasts an opaque ruby hue as well as an incredibly perfumed, sexy, seductive style in its ripe currant and cassis fruits as well as new saddle leather, spicy oak, smoke tobacco, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. Complex, full-bodied, and beautifully concentrated, with sweet tannins, this masterpiece is already impossible to resist yet won't hit full maturity for another decade and will evolve for 50-60 years if well stored. Drink 2023-2069.

There is a lot happening on the nose with bilberry vying with cherry backed by wood smoke. There is richness on the palate, brooding power with behind freshness that lifts and lightens the flavours. It has the perfect balance between serious, concentrated fruit and floral elegance. Drink 2022-2050.

Some people have claimed that this is one of the wines of the vintage, but I don't see it myself. Tasting it blind, you could mistake it for a top Chilean Carmenere. It has lots of charry, sweet oak, dense, concentrated, chocolately fruit and lush tannins. Lots of bling, then, but not a whole lot of finesse or balance. It's flashy and impressive, but where's the soul? 15+ years.

Black red, concentrated black fruits, rich satiny/velvety yet firm texture, rich, plummy, spicy, an explosion of aromas and flavours, surrounded and controlled by superb tannins, a sensually expressive wine. Drink 2016-40.

With a ton of ripe blackcurrant and some bitter chocolate this is a rich and rather opulent wine that still retains a delightful freshness and has a long, positively dry finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

The 2009 Mouton Rothschild has a striking label from Anish Kapoor. The wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot that begs comparison as a young wine with what the 1982 tasted like in 1985 or, I suspect, what the 1959 may have tasted like in 1962. Representing 50% of their production, the wine has an inky purple color to the rim and not terribly high alcohol for a 2009 (13.2%), but that is reflected by the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a remarkable nose of lead pencil shavings, violets, creme de cassis and subtle barrique smells. It is stunningly opulent, fat, and super-concentrated, but the luxurious fruit tends to conceal some rather formidable tannins in the finish. This is an amazing wine that will be slightly more drinkable at an earlier age than I thought from barrel, but capable of lasting 50 or more years. Kudos to the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and the entire Mouton team, lead by Monsieur Dalhuin.

This is the most backward and unevolved of all the Left Bank (Medoc) first-growths. In 10-20 years, the 2009 Mouton Rothschild should rank alongside the greatest vintages of the last three decades (1986 and 1982). Yields were a small 30 hectoliters per hectare, the final blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, and the finished alcohol is 13.2% (not particularly high in this vintage). The pH is 3.81, and the index of tannins, the highest ever measured, a whopping 20% higher than the next highest vintage. The tannins, while present, are silky and well-integrated, one of the hallmarks of the 2009 vintage. An inky/purple color is accompanied by classic aromas of creme de cassis, violets, and hints of graphite and background oak. The overwhelming impression is one of layer upon layer of fruit, full-bodied opulence, and good structure. It tastes as if it were 2-3 months old rather than a post-malolactic, fully assembled barrel sample ... it's that young, but so incredibly promising. A 50- to 100-year wine? Probably. (Tasted once).

Tasted at the château, the Mouton '09 is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, one of the highest Cabernet components (until 2010!) Coming straight after Latour 2009, the Mouton is a little more bashful on the nose and demands coaxing, but it is well worth biding your time and letting it blossom in the glass. Blackberry, raspberry, cold wet limestone and a faint touch of apricot blossom in the background. Very well defined, elegant and composed aromatic profile. The palate is dense and full-bodied with beautifully composed tannins, a touch more opulent and perhaps spicier than the Latour, fanning out beautifully to a very complex finish with blackberry, cassis, charcoal, graphite and sous-bois. Superb persistency - incredible length. Outstanding…and it comes with a spellbinding Anish Kapoor label. Tasted November 2011.

Tasted at the château. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot, the highest percentage of Cabernet since 1963. Delivering 13.1% alcohol and an IPT was close to 80. The nose is tight at first and demands so coaxing from the glass, but unfurls to reveal a very pure aromatic profile: quite strict, more like Grand Puy Lacoste, a touch of smoke, very fine mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied very precise, supple tannins, superb Cabernet Sauvignon, taking time to open up but it does towards the finish, touches of tobacco and sous-bois underlying the ripe but not decadent fruit. The tannins are not quite as fine as Latour, but there is a lovely sensuality on the finish. Tasted March 2010.

I am speechless over the nose in this wine. Mint, blackberry, currant and black licorice turn to flowers such as lilacs and roses. Wow. It fills your mouth with the same fruit, but with an intensity of superpolished tannins. It finishes with complex yet reserved coffee, toasted oak and ripe fruit and then in two or three minutes it becomes milk chocolate. Just a joy to taste. Best Mouton since 1982 or 1986; in fact, it's like a blend of the two. A perfect Mouton? 88 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 12 percent Merlot.

48% of the crop, picked 3 days earlier than usual because the grapes were so ripe. Average yield 45 hl/ha. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot.Very dark indeed. Very Mouton. Very exotic, minerals, spice and old ladies' handbags. Lovely topnotes. Real excitement on the nose here. Obviously great density but lots of grace notes. Lovely palate entry and glossy texture. Then again drier and a little more astringent than its peers on the finish. A difficult wine to mark because the nose is SO gorgeous! I think it may require just a bit more patience than some. Just seemed in a slightly low register when I tasted it. All the Mouton wines had ruder tannins than usual in 2009. Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2020-2040.