Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A legendary wine, probably one of the best ever. Balance, power, silk. If you and your friends were to splurge on just one wine in your life, this would be a fine choice.
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James Suckling
This is pure Cabernet Sauvignon magic with incredible aromas of currants, blackberries and light spices. Tiny hints of hazelnut. Wet earth. Full body, with super velvety tannins. The purity of fruit is breathtaking. It goes on for minutes. This is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot. Try after 2020.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
People always ask me: What do you do with your wine notes and why do you take so many photographs? Well, I am as crazy as anyone could be about wine, wine history and what wine means to all of us. As I enter the twilight of my life, I am beginning more and more to believe that I was born to tell the story of wine. Every time I visit a vineyard, I feel different, as if the grapes on the vines are talking to me. I had visited Château Mouton Rothschild on many occasions, but in the spring of 2011, the visit was simply magical. As I sipped the barrel sample of the 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild, I recounted the many times before when I was slightly underwhelmed. This of course is ironic since this is of the grandest wine properties in all the world. But here I was, ready for one of the greatest wine moments in my life. A look, a swirl and a sip later, I was transported into another space and time and now into the 4th dimension. The wine was so amazing, and immediately became my highest rated Bordeaux barrel sample. I gave the wine 99-100 points. Now three years later, I find myself in a perfect job with a new company. I loved my old guys and they took care of me well, but in my newly created position of Chief Storyteller at Wine.com, I found myself in a spot with tasting greater opportunities including a moment in front of a finished bottled of the 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild. I knew I would love the wine, but there were so many famous Bordeaux in the room including Ducru-Beaucaillou, Pichon Lalande, Palmer, and others, that my senses were on overload. Many of these wines were poured. I had also tasted out of barrel in 2011. The anticipation was almost too much. The wine performed magnificently and had reached the pinnacle I had expected. Deep and dark in color as it had been out of the barrel, a miraculous aroma of black currant, steel, chalk and oak, nicely melded and talking to me like no other wine; medium bodied, yet firm, robust and elegant in stature; rich flavors, just beginning to reveal themselves, black fruit, violets, sweet oak, vanilla, mineral and all of those usual suspects, gently folding into each other; long finish, loads of sweet tannins to secure its longevity. Are there any perfect wines? Maybe not, but this is one of the very finest wine experiences ever, from a newly hatched barrel sample in Bordeaux to the finished wine in a bottle in San Francisco, the 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild is of the greatest wines ever! (Tasted: April 28, 2014, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Mouton Rothschild is a little closed to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal notes of baked black cherries, crème de cassis, blackberry compote and bouquet garni with suggestions of sweaty leather, pencil lead, cedar chest and black truffles plus a hint of crushed rocks. Full-bodied, the palate is solidly constructed of super firm, ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity, framing the densely packed black fruit, finishing on a persistent mineral note.
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Wine Enthusiast
A dense, smooth and opulent wine bursting with ripe Cabernet Sauvignon flavors. It's regal and well structured, balancing the natural exuberance of Mouton with a more severe side. This is a wine with power, yet not without its charms from the fruitiness and final acidity. This great wine will age many, many years. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
This strides in with distinction, starting off with a showy but integrated layer of espresso-infused toast, followed by plush tiers of crushed currant, plum and blackberry fruit interspersed with cocoa and well-roasted cedar notes. The long, tobacco- and loam-filled finish shows lots of heft, but stays polished. An impressive display of unadulterated, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2020 through 2045.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.