Chateau Mouton Rothschild Le Petit Mouton 2018
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The wine has a purplish color shading to carmine at the rim. The ample and expressive nose reveals aromas of ripe raspberry, cherry and redcurrant, complemented with airing by notes of white pepper and liquorice. The ample, full-bodied and rich attack is underpinned by substantial, grippy tannins, while the dense and smoothly textured mid-palate pleasingly combines vanilla flavors with a crisp and succulent fruitiness, leading into a full and generous finish.
Blend: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Real purity of fruit with currants, blackberries and flowers that show on both the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins that are polished and creamy. Delicious finish. So attractive now. Second wine of Mouton. Ethereal. But give this three or four years to come around.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and pure, with a mouthwatering edge to the cassis and bitter plum flavors that form the core. A bright iron streak defines the finish. Very focused.
Barrel Sample:91-94 -
Decanter
Exuberant as always but here with pretty serious tannins, the result of small berries and a low yield of 28hl/ha, so a little more tension than many vintages of Petit Mouton (they also harvested a little earlier). This gives a finesse that is highly appealing with tons of coffee, chocolate and damson character. 26% of overall production - a little less than usual - and 11% press wine. Harvest September 10 to October 3. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A brilliant effort that matches most estates' Grand Vins, the 2018 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc) reveals a deep purple hue as well as a ripe yet fresh bouquet of crème de cassis, candied violets, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and background oak, with a touch of rocky, crushed stone-like minerality showing with time in the glass. Beautifully concentrated and full-bodied, with a solid spine of acidity and ripe polished tannin's, give bottles 5-7 years, and it's going to evolve for 20-30 years or more. This is a serious, elegant yet powerful second wine. Rating : 94+
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Le Petit Mouton is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. It represents about 26% of the total crop and has 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it struts its way out of the glass with showy, flamboyant scents of Morello cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, preserved plums and black raspberries, plus suggestions of potpourri and Chinese five spice. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers fantastic freshness with velvety tannins and loads of spicy sparks emanating from the red and black berry preserves layers, finishing with a minty kick.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Made from young vines, this second wine of Mouton Rothschild was, unusually, aged in 100% new wood. While that does show as a vanilla edge to the wine, the ripe black fruits are moving forward to give richness and density. Drink the wine from 2025.
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
A First Classified Growth, Château Mouton Rothschild spans 82 hectares (202 acres) of vines at Pauillac in the Médoc, planted with the classic varieties of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon (79%), Merlot (17%), Cabernet Franc (3 %), Petit Verdot (1 %). The average age of the vines is 50 years.
The estate benefits from exceptionally favourable natural conditions, in the quality of the soil, the position of its vines and their exposure to the sun. Combining respect for tradition with the latest technology, it receives meticulous attention from grape to bottle. The wine is matured in new French oak barrels.
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is the second wine of Château Mouton Rothschild.
The estate also comprises 6 hectares (15 acres) of sandy, gravelly soil planted with Sauvignon Blanc (51%), Semillon (40%) and Sauvignon Gris (9%), used to make its white wine, Aile d’Argent.
Brought to the pinnacle by two exceptional people, Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1902-1988) then his daughter Baroness Philippine (1933-2014), its destiny has now been taken in hand by her three children: Camille and Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. True to their grandfather’s and mother’s work, all three are committed, with the same enthusiasm and determination, to perpetuating Baron Philippe’s dictum: “Live for the vine”. Almost a command, it means being there for the vineyard in good times and in hardship, serving it with skill and honouring it with art.
Château Mouton Rothschild is a place of art and beauty, famous for the spectacular vista of its great barrel hall, its remarkable vat room and its Museum of Wine in Art. Every year since 1945, the Château Mouton Rothschild label has been illustrated with an original artwork by a great contemporary artist. Dalí, César, Miró, Chagall, Warhol, Soulages, Bacon, Balthus, Tàpies, Koons and Doig are only some of the artists featured in a fascinating collection to which a new work is added each year and which makes up the Paintings for the Labels exhibition.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.