Pauillac

2019

1st Growth

90% Cabernet Sauvignon
9% Merlot
1% Petit Verdot

Region: Bordeaux

ESTATE HISTORY

In 1718, Château Mouton and Château Salon-Segur were acquired by Nicolas-Alexandre de Segur, who already owned Château Lafite and Château Latour. With the death of Nicolas-Alexandre Ségur in 1755, his estate was divided among four daughters.
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 was based entirely on recent market prices for a vineyard's wines, with one exception: Château Mouton Rothschild. Despite the market prices for their vineyard's wines equalling that of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild was excluded from First Great Growth status, an act that Baron Philippe de Rothschild referred to as "the monstrous injustice". It is believed that the exception was made because the vineyard had recently been purchased by an Englishman and was no longer in French ownership.
In 1973, Mouton was elevated to "first growth" status after decades of intense lobbying by its powerful and influential owner, the only change in the original 1855 classification (excepting the 1856 addition of Château Cantermerle. This prompted a change of motto: previously, the motto of the wine was Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, Mouton suis.("First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton I am."), and it was changed to Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mouton ne change. ("First, I am. Second, I used to be. Mouton does not change.")

TERROIR

Château Mouton Rothschild has 222 acres (90 ha) of grape vines on the slopes leading down to the Gironde Estuary. 
Deep gravelly soil - Clay & limestone base.

VITICULTURE

Average age of vines is about 44 years.
Sustainable farming.

WINEMAKING

Manual harvest. Fermentation in oak vats (they are one of the last châteaux in the Médoc to use them) and then matured in new oak casks. 

TASTING & FOOD PAIRINGS

Mirroring nature's generosity in 2019, the wines are very rich, deeply coloured and with good alcohol content.
Close-knit, satin-smooth tannins make this a very promising vintage.
The wine is an intense garnet red with a purplish hue. Fresh, highly expressive, and precise on the nose, it reveals blackberry, black cherry and liquorice aromas with a slightly mineral cast.
It is smooth and opulent on the palate, with an attractive sweetness enfolding superbly patrician, rounded and powerful tannins.
Beautifully rich overall, it culminates in a stylish, succulent and very harmonious finish.

99 points James Suckling
This is incredibly complex, with all the cabernet descriptors, from mint and lead pencil to blackberry, blackcurrant and menthol. It changes all the time in the glass, just as in the nose. Yet, it remains cool and classy. Full-bodied with very fine, tight tannins that run the length of the wine, carrying on and on and on. Well-framed and compact wine. Never-ending procession of currant, berry and black cherry fruit, together with licorice, earth and just a hint of black truffle.

99 points Wine Enthusiast
Made from 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a sumptuous and powerful wine that is built by considerable tannins and immensely rich fruit. At the same time, there is a perfumed charm that balances all that power. The wine's structure and richness are harbingers of enormous aging potential.

98 points Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Mouton Rothschild is the most dramatic of the Médoc first growths, soaring from the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries and violets mingled with rich aromas of cedar, cigar wrapper, licorice, loamy soil and spices. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and powerful, with huge levels of concentration and an ineffably complete, seamless profile, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Plenty of ripe tannin is hidden by its ample core of fruit, and despite its youthful polish, this will require plenty of bottle age to realize all its potential. This blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot tastes in many respects like the 2016 Mouton's more sun-kissed cousin. Best After 2035

98 points Decanter
A deep intense nose, this is another brilliant Pauillac First Growth in 2019, all different in style and true to themselves. The tannins are ripe and fleshed out, taking a confident hold around well-textured blackberry and cassis fruits that are fluid, supple and frankly delicious. This is pure Mouton, you couldn't mistake it, with its touch of mocha and chocolate, and its core of freshness. Has a feel of the 1996 about it. Harvest September 19 to October 5 (finishing a little earlier that Clerc and Armailhac because Mouton is always an early terroir due to its abundance of pure gravel).

98 points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Château Mouton Rothschild is based on 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, and it hit a relatively normal alcohol level of 13.5%, which is higher than the 2009 and shows the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon in the vintage. It shows the new, modern style of Bordeaux in its purity, elegance, and finesse while still being an incredibly concentrated Pauillac, and where some vintages of Mouton can just about jump out of the glass, this is a more seamless, streamlined, elegant beauty that builds with time in the glass and is just about impossible to fault. Gorgeous crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, forest floor, licorice, damp earth, and graphite, as well as some espresso nuances, emerge on the nose, and it's rich, medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. Best After 2032

98 points Wine Spectator
Plows straight ahead, with a rather towering display of cassis as well as cherry and plum reduction notes that are pure, defined and deftly supported by a seamlessly embedded iron spine. Features light savory, floral and red tea notes that flash in the background, while the fruit glistens through the extremely lengthy finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025.

Château Mouton Rothschild is best paired with classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Also great with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, and pasta.

Illustration of the label
Olafur Eliasson - Solar Iris of Mouton

*Please note the image is of a representative bottle. For pictures of the actual bottle please contact us.