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Chateau Mouton Rothschild

2016
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Pauillac
UPC
3 760022 343383
Red Wine
Verified Stock
1672-16
Product Ratings
James Suckling 100pt

Dark ruby, purple color. Aromas of blackcurrants, black truffle, crushed stone, licorice and hints of tar. Full-bodied, deep and vertical on the palate, drawing you in and down. The structure is very tannic and powerful, yet the tannins are folded into the wine. One of the most powerful Moutons ever for me.

by James Suckling, 2019
Wine Advocate 100pt

Composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild has an opaque garnet-purple color. WOW—the nose explodes from the glass with powerful blackcurrant cordial, black raspberries, blueberry pie and melted chocolate notions, plus suggestions of aniseed, camphor, lifted kirsch and the faintest waft of a subtle floral perfume in the background. Full-bodied, concentrated, bold and totally seductive in the mouth, it has very fine-grained, silt-like tannins, while jam-packed with tightly wound fruit layers, finishing in this wonderful array of mineral sparks. Magic.

by Wine Advocate, 2019
Wine Enthusiast 98pt

The rich fruit in this wine nearly envelops the tannins. Flavors of black plums, blackberries and blueberries meld with intense acidity to mask the power and concentration of the polished tannins. With this structure, will age for many, many years.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2019
Wine Spectator 98pt

A generous, pure and lush ball of Cabernet, with wave after wave of unadulterated cassis and blackberry puree flavors rolling through. Features notes of roasted apple wood and sweet tobacco, offset by a long tug of sweet earth, but that's all background music to the impressive core of fruit, which steams along like a cruise ship with enough stores in reserve to go around the world twice without stopping.

by Wine Spectator, 2019

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 flavours and biscuity notes, leading into a full-bodied and remarkably persistent finish, the sign of a great vintage.

Climatic conditions

In 2016, there were two main trends in the weather as we experienced it in Pauillac:
- a very wet winter and spring: more than half of the annual rainfall came in the first four months of the year, including a record 240 mm in January ; - an extremely dry summer and autumn without any significant rainfall, resulting in a water deficit at the end of the year.
As a consequence of the summer drought, the grapes were numerous but remained rather small, making for density and concentration.
High temperatures in August and September allowed for slow ripening and excellent maturity, so that the harvest started with the Merlot on 26 September and continued in perfect conditions until 14 October.
In the vat house, each grape variety and each plot were, as usual, vinified separately in order to let their intrinsic character shine through.
The wines, which have now been blended, offer remarkable colour, intense fruit and spice aromas and a dense texture of very rich and well-rounded tannins.
Its density and substance make the 2016 vintage comparable with the finest so far this century.