Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2016
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2016 is the second wine of the prestigious Château Mouton Rothschild, located in Pauillac. It comes from an exceptional year, marked by a dry and sunny summer that produced small, highly concentrated berries. It reveals a powerful, elegant and modern expression. It has a dense and refined structure, with deep aromas of black fruit, toasted and spicy notes, reflecting the precise and concentrated style typical of Pauillac and the Château's philosophy of winemaking excellence. Harmonious and already balanced, it has excellent ageing potential.
Vinification: Hand-picked. The grape varieties were vinified separately in wooden and stainless steel vats fed by gravity, after careful manual sorting of the bunches. Fermentation and maceration took place with the aim of extracting fine tannins and intense colour, followed by ageing for around 18 months in French oak barrels, some of which were new.
Tasting Notes: The wine is a dark carmine red with a purplish tint. The expressive and complex nose opens on attractive black fruit and bilberry notes with a hint of cocoa bean. The attack is fresh and full-bodied, the texture dense with elegant and crisp tannins. The generous and smooth mid-palate, sustained by notes of graphite and spice, leads into a well-balanced, fresh and pleasantly long finish.
Grape Varieties: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc
Deep and dark berry aromas with a center of cedar and tobacco. Full-bodied, tannic and rich with a solid backbone and excellent structure. Plenty of fruit and flavor. It goes on for minutes. One hell of a second wine for Mouton. Try after 2025.
The second wine of Château Mouton-Rothschild, this has some firmness without losing sight of the great fruit and ripe acidity that gives it a very accessible character. It should develop quickly and be ready to drink from 2022.
The gently steeped plum and red currant fruit allows light anise, iron and cedar notes to enter slowly before taking hold on the slightly taut, savory-tinged finish. The iron element lingers longest in the end, giving this a sense of refinement. Best from 2022 through 2035.
Tasted blind. First bottle: Savoury yeast-extract nose. A little awkward and sinewy on the palate. Lots of greenness on the end. Actually very hard work. Second bottle: Still rather an indistinct nose. Then some fruit and pace on the palate, though very drying finish overall. But the juice and freshness saves it.
Dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate lightening at the rim. A hint of nougat, cassis and cherries, attractive bouquet of red forest berries, delicate orange zest. Fine heart cherry fruit, silky texture, delicate extract sweetness, integrated, barely noticeable tannins, delicate nougat kiss on the finish, elegant and well-adhering, already amazingly accessible, delicious food companion. Peter Moser
