Le Petit Mouton 2019

Cool ash and campfire fragrance envelops you from the beginning, followed by dense layers of blackberry, bilberry, cassis, espresso, and cocoa bean. This is easy to love, engaging and charming, although it builds in power and the tannins become pretty chewy through the finish. Harvest September 19 to October 5 (a little earlier that Clerc and Armailhac because Mouton is always an early terroir due to its abundance of pure gravel). 50% new oak.

Tasted blind. Youthful crimson. Warm, rich, complex nose. Really intense fruit masking lots of tannin and a bit of acidity on the end. Classic 2019. Long. 13.5%Drink 2027– 2044

The 2019 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild is one heck of a second wine and has a rare level of depth and density. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot, it reveals a dense ruby/purple hue to go with textbook Pauillac notes of cedar pencil, smoke tobacco, spice box, blackcurrants, and graphite. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, it's probably better than many vintages of the Grand Vin. I absolutely love its purity of fruit, balance, and structure. It needs a healthy decant if drinking any time soon and will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age, but it will have over two decades of longevity. Just don't tell yourself it's a second wine and you'll think you're drinking the Grand Vin.

The 2019 Le Petit Mouton clearly retains its bold bouquet of bravura scents of blackberry, blood orange, and touches of cassis and violet petals, the 50% new oak seamlessly integrated over 18 months. The palate is silky-smooth on the entry, deep and displaying fine grip. This is definitely one of the most seductive Le Petit Mouton releases in recent years. It tightens a little toward the graphite-tinged finish, so afford it more time in bottle than I originally predicted. Superb. 2027 - 2045

he 2019 Le Petit Mouton was blended earlier than usual at the end of November and sees 50% new oak. It has a bold nose that wants to make a statement: copious black fruit, raspberry, hints of gingerbread and marmalade in the background, a multi-faceted nose that I have come to expect from this Deuxième Vin in recent years. The palate is just gorgeous: seductive black fruit laced with white pepper, very fine tannins, pitch perfect balance and an exceedingly precise finish that is frankly Grand Vin worthy. Outstanding.

Composed of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot, harvested from the 18th of September to the 5th of October, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2019 Le Petit Mouton charges out of the glass with gregarious scents of baked black cherries, plum preserves and blackcurrant cordial followed by hints of cumin seed, candied violets and licorice with a waft of dried Provence herbs. Medium-bodied, the palate has a real skip in its step, offering fresh, cheery black berry flavors and a grainy texture, supported by oodles of freshness, finishing long with invigorating spice and herbal sparks.