Mouton Rothschild 1998

The 1998 Mouton Rothschild is another wine that I had not tasted for several years. It is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Compared directly with the 1988, there is clearly some improvement for the bouquet is fresher with greater complexity - blackberry, cedar, a spring of fresh mint and a little juniper berry for good measure. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin. Like many Pauillac 1998s, this feels quite structured and masculine, but at least there is adequate fruit tucked in just behind. It segues into a rather ferrous last third, fresh and precise with a sustained finish. Although it lags behind more recent vintages under Dhalluin, it appears to be at its peak after 20 years and should remain there for another decade. Tasted at the château.

A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 1998 Château Mouton Rothschild comes from a vintage that saw beautiful early season weather but rain in September and October that made the vintage more complicated for the Médoc and Graves region. A more medium to full-bodied effort, it has terrific complexity in its red and black currant fruits as well as smoked tobacco, loamy earth, spice box, and chocolate. Balanced, elegant, and silky on the palate, its oak is perfectly integrated, it has fine tannins, and it’s smack in the middle of its prime drinking window.

Surprise, surprise! The 1998 Mouton has emerged as the greatest wine produced at this estate since the perfect 1986, of which the 1998 is somewhat reminiscent. Like many of its peers, it has filled out spectacularly. Now in the bottle, this opaque black.purple-coloured offering has increased in stature, richness, and size. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc (57% of the production was utilised), it is an extremely powerful, super-concentrated wine offering notes of roasted espresso, crème de cassis, smoke, new saddle leather, graphite, and licorice. It is massive, with awesome concentration, mouth-searing tannin levels, and a saturated flavour profile that grips the mouth with considerable intensity. This is another 50-year Mouton, but patience will be required as it will not be close to drinkability for at least a decade. This wine rivals the 1996 and 1995. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.