Mouton Rothschild 2012

Pauillac, First Growth

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12 75cl Bottle Case 12 £4,240 per Case Case [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Mouton-Rothschild showed magnificently (as it subsequently did in a vertical just a few weeks later). It has an open, intense bouquet with pencil lead and cedar infusing the black fruit, tertiary in style at first but then transforming with aeration to a more marine-influenced bouquet—seaweed and iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The tannins are ripe and fine, the acidity very well judged with a velvety, detailed finish that lingers long in the mouth. Density and harmony combine to make a stunning Mouton-Rothschild that should be afforded 15 years in bottle. It might be destined to be one of those wines forever eclipsed by recent outstanding vintages. Tasted January 2016.

Score: 96

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2027-2060 28 October 2016

My favourite wine from the Left Bank this year. This first growth has created an extremely sexy red with incredibly polished tannins and fruit concentration that give it a creamy texture. Already wonderful to taste, but be patient for another four or five years.

Score: 97

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2019+ 15 June 2015

What a nose of blackberries, blackcurrants, minerals and graphite. Full-bodied, extremely fine and polished. Sexy and ethereal. Harmony. A little salty. Fabulous 2012. Pure silk. Better after 2020 but so wonderful now.

Score: 97

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2020+ 01 February 2015

Wonderful beauty to this wine with currants, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Creamy texture with a minerally, almost salty undertone to the wine. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Score: 94 - 95

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 04 April 2013

As for the 2012 Mouton Rothschild, one can’t help but love the artist’s label, in this case done by Miquel Barceló, of two rams fighting for superiority. Representing only 49% of the crop, this blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc has an inky bluish/purple color, which is far darker than its nearby neighbor, Lafite Rothschild, or even Pontet-Canet. Multi-layered, with rich, concentrated, crème de cassis fruit, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning purity, this is a major success in 2012. Definitely a bigger, richer wine than rival Lafite Rothschild, Mouton’s 2012 seems to have more density as well. The tannins, however, remain soft and well-integrated. This wine should drink well for 25-30 years and is somewhat of a sleeper for a 2012 first-growth Médoc.

Score: 94

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2045 01 April 2015

The intensely ripe Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the plateau at Mouton has produced an inky/purple-colored wine with the famous Mouton crème de cassis and floral characteristics vividly displayed. For the first time in a number of years they appear to have outdistanced their cross street rival, the biodynamically farmed Chateau Pontet Canet of Alfred Tesseron. Wonderfully sweet tannins envelop the enormous fruit and extravagant richness of this full-bodied Mouton Rothschild. With profound density as well as surprisingly sweet tannin, this terrific effort will probably shut down slightly and require 5-8 years of cellaring after bottling. It appears to have 30 or more years of aging potential, making it potentially one of the 3 or 4 longest-lived wines of the vintage.

Score: 95 - 97

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2018-2048 26 April 2013

This has a stunningly pure core of plum, black currant and black cherry fruit, with supple yet long structure that has melded wonderfully already. Anise, violet and cassis notes pour in on the finish. The fruit makes it seem almost too easy, but this will cellar well thanks to outstanding balance. A huge but very stylish wine. Best from 2018 through 2030.

Score: 95

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2018-2030 15 January 2015

Shows lovely purity, with a bolt of cassis coming to prominence right from the get-go, accented by flashes of plum, briar and blackberry paste. A flicker of anise, sweet spice and singed wood hangs on the finish for now, but should be absorbed soon enough. A more graceful Mouton than the battleships of '09 and '10, but this wine still displays breed and terroir in a tricky year. A faint chalky thread chimes in on the finish. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 93 - 96

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 08 April 2013

Very dark crimson. Restrained nose. Grown-up and very much a first growth. Rich, sweet and well balanced though without real pzazz. Correct and sensitive. Fine and refined. Measured, I'd say, is the keyword. Acidity lightly in evidence. A palate scrub. Correct rather than mind-blowing. (18- Points)

Score: 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2022-2040 24 April 2013