2005 | Château Mouton Rothschild | Pauillac 6L

Dark purple black in color. Complex aromas of mineral, licorice, lead pencil and blackberry follow through to a full body, with ultrafine tannins and a caressing, pretty finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Technical Director/Chief Winemaker Philippe Dhalluin said this was a special year for him, because he considers it his first great vintage—he started in 2004. Deep garnet with hint of brick, the 2005 Mouton Rothschild is evolving into unabashed, flamboyant notes of Christmas cake, plum preserves, chocolate-covered cherries, eucalyptus and crème de cassis with beautifully fragrant wafts of potpourri, incense, Indian spices and cigar box. Full-bodied, the palate performs vinous pirouettes with dazzling exotic spice, floral and earthy nuances, framed by firm, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced.

• James Suckling: This accelerates on the palate with incredibly ripe tannins and finesse. Full body, roasted fruit, leather and grilled meat. Dried flowers, too. It shows superb tannin backbone and polish. Tight and youthful. Just starting to open.

Producer Information

Château Mouton Rothschild is located in the commune of Pauillac, in the Medoc, 30 miles (50km) northwest of the city of Bordeaux. The grand vin is among the most highly rated and priced wines in the world, and is generally regarded as the most exuberant and powerful of all Bordeaux. It was famously added to the First Growths set out in the 1855 Classification in 1973. The château started life as Brane-Mouton, and was among the best in Bordeaux through the 18th and early 19th Centuries, although there was a dip in quality and price in the 1840s. The Rothschild family bought (and renamed) the property in 1853 and quickly restored its reputation, but not in time for the 1855 Classification of Médoc wines, in which Mouton was only ranked a second growth wine. Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion attained Premier Cru Classé status. Baron Philippe de Rothschild took control in 1922 and introduced château bottling in 1924, requiring the construction of the iconic barrel hall. At the end of World War II he also instigated the commissioning of a different artist each year to design the label. But his crowning achievement was the promotion of Mouton in 1973 to first growth status – the first change to the 1855 order. The estate comprises 84 hectares (207 acres) of vineyards, mainly on gravel-based soils, and is situated in the northern part of the commune just south of Château Lafite Rothschild. Most of the vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (80 percent), with 16 percent planted to Merlot as well as small plots of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The portion of each variety vinified into the grand vin depends on the vintage but will always be Cabernet Sauvignon dominant thanks to variety's rich content of supple tannins. The vineyard, typically for top Médoc estates, is densely planted and the average vine age is more than 40 years old. Harvest is done by hand, and the juice is fermented in oak vats in a gravity-fed vat room opened in 2012. After fermentation, the wine sees 18 months in new oak prior to bottling. Mouton Rothschild produces up to 350,000 bottles of wine each vintage, including the second wine Le Petit Mouton, which was established in 1993. It is produced with grapes from selected younger vines, vinified in the same Mouton vats and aged in oak barrels. Around a hectare of white grapes was planted in the early 1980s to make the very rare Aile d'Argent Bordeaux Blanc. Mouton's parent company, Baron Phillippe de Rothschild SA, also owns the Pauillac Châteaux d'Armailhac and Clerc Milon, Domaine de Baronarques in Limoux as well as various other wine brands. In partnership, it also owns Almaviva in Chile and Opus One in California, which began as a collaboration with Robert Mondavi. A different branch of the Rothschild family owns the adjacent Château Lafite-Rothschild property.

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