2023 Mouton Rothschild
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Tasting notes
In 2023, Mouton Rothschild’s Grand Vin has the second-highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon after the 2010 (which had 94%). It’s precise and pinpoint with a brooding depth to the fruit, cut by a herbal line that brings additional freshness. There’s an impressive, creamy mouth-feel, with wave upon wave of crunchy fruit. The tannins give a velvet grip, framing the powerful fruit. It’s long, intense – a serious Mouton that should develop beautifully in the cellar. Aged in 100% new oak, 13.3% and 3.79pH. Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Mouton Rothschild is bright and explosive in the glass. Vibrant, rich, deep and so beautifully expressive, the 2023 Mouton is one of my early candidates for wine of the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon is bumped up to 93% (the highest ever, just behind the 2010), with 7% Merlot and no Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot in the blend. Time in the glass brings out darker shades of fruit along the wine's complex, dynamic personality. This is a magnificent Grand Vin.
This was one of my 100 point potentials when tasting En Primeur, and it's fully delivering. It has closed down in the way that Petit Mouton has opened up, and here I really feel the full power of the tannic grip, one of the highest amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon on record, coiled and still-concealing a ton of graphite, cocoa bean, cool blue fruits set against creamy damson, cigar box, crayon, sandalwood, incense, promise. A long lived Mouton, with depth, power and balance at just over 13%, the magic of these soils. 100% new oak for ageing, harvest September 7 to 30.
Pulled from just 40% of the production, the 2023 Château Mouton Rothschild is based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot that will see 18 months in new barrels. Tasting like the blood of Cabernet with its smoky red, black, and blue fruits, tobacco leaf, graphite, and cedar-driven aromatics, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a pure, polished, layered mouthfeel, beautiful concentration, and ripe, velvety tannins. Not the massive style of the 2022, it’s more in line with the 2016. This rich, elegant, seamless 2023 will need a decade to hit its prime.
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.