2020 Mouton Rothschild
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Tasting notes
The nose of Mouton Rothschild’s 2020 is haunting. It’s slow to emerge at first, a little shy, but before you know it there’s an abundance of spice and florals with this wonderful lift that makes it enchanting. It’s the sheer concentration of fruit beneath, however, that really impresses, with its plush coating of new oak. Ripe, rich and expressive, the palate is disarmingly generous – deceptive in its approachability and openness, with wonderfully fine, ripe, seamless tannins. There is layer upon layer of concentrated fruit – sweet red cherry, bramble and forest fruit, with a summer pudding richness complemented by a beautiful sweet spice note. But don’t be fooled, this has everything to go the long haul. Fresh, structured, complex with wonderful tension – this is an outstanding wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Lifted dark and dark-red fruits but also lots of sweet oak spice. Very oaky, very smooth, luscious and long. So rich. Chewy, massive, dense. (JH)
The 2020 Mouton-Rothschild has a delineated and intense bouquet, slightly more tertiary than its peers, with graphite and cedar notes developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins. Silky smooth in texture, it's a very polished 2022, fanning out gloriously toward the finish. To put it prosaically, this is a very delicious First Growth with a very sustained aftertaste and the sapidity to tempt you back for more. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2020 Mouton Rothschild is a striking wine and one that I regretted not purchasing en primeur as soon as it landed in my glass. Offering up complex aromas of minty cassis, pencil shavings, loamy soil, cigar wrapper, espresso roast and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with terrific concentrated, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Checking in at 12.8% alcohol, its incipient complexity, ineffable sense of completeness and exquisite balance mark it out as the purists' choice among the trio of 2018, 2019 and 2020. In this vintage, the lots that made it into the blend were largely confined to the core gravel terroirs that represent Mouton's heart, meaning that there's a little less to go around. This was the first vintage overseen by Mouton's new technical director, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, and he has begun with a flying start.
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.