Chateau Mouton Rothschild Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 2008

The 2008 Mouton Rothschild checks in as a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot brought up in mostly new barrels. Undeniably one of the top wines in the vintage, it offers a rare opulence and sexiness in its awesome bouquet of crème de cassis, Asian spices, chocolate, and crushed flowers. Deep, full-bodied, powerful, and still young, it fills the mouth with fruit, has sweet tannin, and a great finish. It's still ruby/plum-coloured, with no signs of evolution, but it is far from unapproachable and is drinking incredibly well today. It will keep for another two decades.

Drink 2019 - 2039

Harvest from October 2-15, with relatively low yields of 34hl/ha.

Starting to really come into its own, this is packed full of savoury blackberry, redcurrant and blueberry fruit with layers of liquorice, black chocolate, grilled cedar and a gentle lick of salinity through the finish. Excellent quality, and now starting to open - it was a baby at the 10 years on tasting but has inched open over the past three years.

Drink 2021 - 2040

Deep, bright, ruby-red. Flamboyant aromas of cassis, roast coffee, chocolate, minerals and smoky oak. Large-scaled, concentrated, and sweet, it is so seamless today that it seems a bit monolithic. But this powerfully structured Mouton is almost too big for the mouth. It finishes with big, broad tannins and outstanding palate-staining persistence—one of the stars of the vintage.

Aromas of roasted fruit plus hints of grilled meat and chocolate. Full body, firm and chewy tannins and bright acidity. Tangy and lively. It needs time still to come together to soften the tannins. A little hard.

Better in 2018

After the 2009 and 2010, the 2008 Mouton Rothschild comes across as a touch slender. Lavender, smoke, grilled herbs and liquorice add the closing shades of nuance in this delightful, mid-weight Mouton. In 2008, the blend was 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, harvested between October 2 and 15. Two thousand eight is remembered as a highly variable year. Overcast skies finally opened in mid-September, which allowed the growing season to conclude on a high note.

Drink 2020 - 2038

The 2008 Mouton Rothschild has a more open bouquet than I expected: blackberry, pencil box, a whiff of the Gironde estuary, and a hint of pressed flowers with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet tannin, a little fleshier than the Château Margaux, and has a lovely saline finish that does not outstay its welcome. You could broach this now, though I would prefer to wait personally.

Drink 2018 - 2040

From an underrated vintage of many Bordeaux wines, the 2008 Mouton-Rothschild reveals classic notes of cigar box, forest floor, underbrush, vanillin, camphor, chocolate, and abundant blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Beautifully finessed tannins coat the mouth, giving the wine a savoury, expansive texture with no hard edges. It still has some tannin to shed, but this beauty is evolving quickly, displaying wonderful secondary nuances. It should age for 25+ years.

Drink 2016 - 2040

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot.

Saturated purple-ruby. Pure, deep blackberry, cigar box and graphite aromas, lifted by a delicate peppery note. Fresh, balanced, scented and quite suave, with pure mineral, plum and redcurrant flavours. The slowly building, very long finish features ultra-smooth tannins and compelling subtle minerality. This is yet another success for Mouton and a testament to the talents of Philippe Dhalluin, the estate manager who came over from Branaire-Ducru and has really turned things around at Mouton. Bordeaux insiders know not to miss out on the fantastic '06 Mouton, which I rate ahead of their '05.