1989 Mouton Rothschild
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Tasting notes
Whereas the 1989 Mouton-Rothschild opened at 67 Pall Mall failed to pass muster, this bottle tasted four months later was outstanding, many voting it the standout wine of the 1989 dinner. It has a quintessential Pauillac nose that gains more and more complexity with aeration: blackberry, pencil shavings, and freshly rolled tobacco, all wrapped up in First Growth refinement. The oak is beautifully integrated, a fine-boned Pauillac that errs towards Lafite in style. It's "Old School" in the best sense of the word. This is unequivocally the best bottle of the 1989 Mouton that I have had, including a couple of the estate. Tasted at the 1989 dinner at Piccolino in London.
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The 1989 Château Mouton Rothschild is based on 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Merlot. From a hot, dry year, it's fully mature and offers a complex and nuanced bouquet of black fruits, smoked tobacco, cedarwood, and dried flowers. This medium-bodied, spicy, complex, seamless, elegant Pauillac should most likely be consumed over the coming 10-15 years.
The 1989 Mouton-Rothschild can be a useful performer. Served blind, it has an intense bouquet with blackberry, cedar and mint, cassis bubbling up with aeration that brings you straight to Pauillac. Lovely definition, there's something effortless about this. The palate is medium-bodied and does not quite live up to the nose's promise. With red berry fruit, ash and light spicy aromas, this has moved on in terms of maturity in the last two or three years. But it's still a delicious, classic Mouton that will give another 15-20 years of drinking pleasure. Served at a private dinner in Pauillac.
About the producer
Pauillac-based Ch. Mouton Rothschild is one of the five First Growths, producing some of the finest wine in Bordeaux and the world. Known for its flamboyant style, the label for the Grand Vin is designed by a different artist each year.