CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2009 - Pauillac - 1er Grand Cru Classe A - France - Red Wine

Country : France
Region : Bordeaux - Pauillac
Type : Red
Year : 2009
Volume : 75 cl

WINEMAKER NOTES : The wine has a very deep, almost black colour with glittering highlights. The stylish and complex nose offers a wide array of aromas, bilberry, blackcurrant and blond tobacco mingling with subtle cedarwood and spice. The palate immediately shows all the wine’s density and refinement: very forward ripe fruit flavours are perfectly integrated with patrician, well-rounded tannins, revealing remarkable structure and balance.

The opulent and long finish confirms the very great success of this Mouton Rothschild, no effort having been spared to enable the wine to fully express the exceptional qualities of the 2009 vintage. Varietal mix : Cabernet Sauvignon 88%
Merlot 12%

WINE CRITICS 99 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate  : Outer quote mark The 2009 Mouton-Rothschild is as concentrated as the 2010, but it presents itself in a more consumer-friendly, seductive style. Opulently textured and full-bodied with gorgeous levels of crème de cassis, melted licorice, espresso roast and chocolate, it possesses high but sweet, velvety tannins, massive body, and fabulous purity as well as length. (RP) Inner quote mark (12/2014)

98 points Decanter : Outer quote mark The texture is the most striking thing on this wine, right from the attack. It rolls out a carpet of silk and welcomes you in, and displays the gourmet edge that Mouton does so expertly, with blackberry, black cherry, crushed blueberries and garrigue. It has a softness that makes it not necessarily signature Pauillac, but certainly signature Mouton, with the ripeness of the fruit tempered by firm, brushed tannins and a core of controlled acidity. Crushed mint leaves appear on the finish. Multi-layered and brilliant. (JA) Inner quote mark (2/2019)

98 points James Suckling : Outer quote mark With a ton of ripe blackcurrant and some bitter chocolate this is a rich and rather opulent wine that still retains a delightful freshness and has a long, positively dry finish. (JS) Inner quote mark (3/2019)

98 points Wine Spectator : Outer quote mark This will always be a great contrast to the dark power of the 2010, sporting lush layers of fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture, carried by velvety tannins, flowing through a long, anise-, tobacco- and cocoa-fueled finish. Not shy on grip, but much rounder and plusher in feel. Hard to resist now, but there's absolutely no rush. (JM, Web-2017) Inner quote mark

97 points Vinous  : Outer quote mark The 2009 Mouton-Rothschild has a more refined bouquet compared to the 2009 Latour, with scents of blackberry, graphite, undergrowth and hints of pressed rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with a rounded entry. The intense black fruit is laced with pencil shaving and white pepper notes (indeed, the tip of the tongue tingles after the wine has exited.) This is a multi-dimensional First Growth with a very persistent finish. Mouton-Rothschild? Bingo. (NM) Inner quote mark (2/2019)

96 points Wine Enthusiast : Outer quote mark The purest Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, with dark chocolate and intense dark berry flavors. The tannins are so enveloped by the fruit and yet they promise great aging. At this stage, wood shows through the fruit, but the texture is so rich and opulent that it should easily become integrated. (RV) Inner quote mark (2/2012).

ABOUT THE TERROIR : From the Médoc… : Château Mouton Rothschild spans 90 hectares (222 acres) of vines to the north-west of Bordeaux, on the edge of the Médoc peninsula, itself situated, as its name indicates, in medio aquae, amid the waters: those of the Gironde estuary to the east and of the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The Médoc vineyard, which dates back to Roman times, now covers around 16,500 hectares (41,000 acres). The vines are planted on a narrow strip of land 80 km long and 5 to 10 km wide, close to the river, which irrigates the soil in depth and moderates differences in temperature. Bordering the northern limit of the Landes forest, the Médoc benefits from the mildness of the ocean climate while also being protected from its excesses. …to Pauillac

As in every great winegrowing region, the vagaries of geology and microclimate produce wines of different styles and quality, some of which have to content themselves with generic appellations: Médoc, Haut-Médoc or Bordeaux. The elite are to be found within a handful of prestigious local appellations such as Margaux, Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe. One of the most famous is certainly Pauillac, where the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, first planted there in the early 19th century, reaches its finest expression. The 1,200 or so hectares (3,000 acres) of the Pauillac appellation include three of the five “Premiers Crus Classés du Médoc et de Graves” (Médoc and Graves First Growths), Lafite, Latour and Mouton. That glorious trio is surrounded by 15 of the 60 Médoc estates to feature in the famous 1855 classification.

FROM VINES TO WINES The birth of a First Growth The Château Mouton Rothschild vineyard, mostly situated on a hillock called the “Plateau de Mouton” which rises to 27m above sea-level, is planted on very deep gravelly soil with the varieties typical of the region: Cabernet Sauvignon (81%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). These proportions are not reflected identically in the wine, because the blend varies according to the character of each vintage. However, Cabernet Sauvignon always predominates: it is Cabernet Sauvignon that gives Mouton its rich tannins, its wealth of aroma and flavour and its ageing capacity, while Merlot, an inseparable companion, brings suppleness, roundness and exceptional length. As with other top Médoc wines, the vineyard is densely planted – 10,000 vines per hectare – and the average age of the vines is around 44 years.

ABOUT THE HARVEST The grapes are hand-picked and placed in open baskets that keep them intact. After destemming, they are hand-sorted on vibrating tables. Those that pass this rigorous test are transferred into mobile bins and fed into the fermentation vats by the action of gravity alone. Thus, from vine to vat, the fruit is not subject to any non-natural pressure or constraint.

ABOUT VINIFICATION : At the cutting edge of technology, the gravity-feed vat room ushers in a new era in Mouton’s history. Built on two levels linked by elegant metal pillars in a harmonious marriage of wood and steel, it remains true to the Mouton tradition of oak vats. Of different size, the vats correspond to the different parcels of the estate, helping to optimise both selection at harvest-time and the blending of the wine. The vast majority of the vats at Mouton are made of oak (44 vats, fitted with transparent staves, so that the vinification process can be monitored), the others are made of stainless steel (20 vats).

ABOUT MATURING After vinification, the wines are matured in new oak barrels and the various stages in the maturing process are carried out in the traditional Médoc manner, including topping-up, and fining with egg-white which is intended to clarify and stabilise the wine by precipitating the particles suspended in it. During the maturing process, which lasts about twenty months, the barrels are transferred from the Grand Chai to the second-year cellars, where the wine stays cool until the end of its stay at the Château.

ABOUT THE WINERY : The ambition of making Mouton a place of art and beauty can be seen everywhere. Outside, in the harmonious arrangement of buildings and open space, in the subtle play of perspectives, in the zen-raked pathways, in the peaceful symmetry of the two end-walls that frame the château, in the contrast between the vertical lines of Petit Mouton, a modest, ivy-covered, mansard-roofed Victorian residence built in 1885, and the horizontal lines of Grand Mouton, constantly enhanced and redesigned since the 1960s. The long façade of light yellow stone overlooks the sea of vines : Grand Mouton symbolises a whole art of living, and hence of receiving guests. It contains several large rooms: the Column Room and its Old Master paintings celebrating the vine and wine; the Dunand Room, in tribute to the famous lacquer artist, who around 1930 created a harvest dance for the liner Normandie; the Ramp Room with its sloping ceiling, its statues and its tapestries.

After the Grand Chai and its precious casks, the Museum of Wine in Art, situated in a former barrel hall, is a sight of splendour, containing exceptionally rare items of 17th-century German gold- and silverware, jugs, cups and goblets from the fabulous treasure of the kings of Naples, antiques, mediaeval tapestries, paintings, ivories, glassware, Chinese, Japanese and Persian porcelain and much more. An unforgettable experience, it is a magical place where so many artists and art forms, cultures and religions bear resounding witness to the eternal and fruitful dialogue between art and wine.

VERTICAL WINE TASTING with MOUTON ROTHSCHILD & JAMES SUCKLING



CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD explained by PHILLIPPE DHALLUIN