Chateau Mouton Rothschild Premier Cru Classe, Pauillac 2009

Pure perfection and reminding me slightly of 1982, the 2009 Château Mouton Rothschild boasts an opaque ruby hue as well as an incredibly perfumed, sexy, seductive style in its ripe currant and cassis fruits as well as new saddle leather, spicy oak, smoke tobacco, and graphite-driven aromas and flavours. Complex, full-bodied, and beautifully concentrated, with sweet tannins, this masterpiece is already impossible to resist yet won't hit full maturity for another decade and will evolve for 50-60 years if well stored.

Drink 2033 - 2069

Deep garnet-coloured, the 2009 Mouton Rothschild gives up bold, earthy notions of underbrush, tilled soil and fungi over a core of crème de cassis, plum preserves and Indian spices with a waft of camphor. Full-bodied with a firm, velvety tannin texture and packed with black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, it has seamless freshness and a very long, decadently fruited finish.

Drink 2020 - 2060

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 liquorice, espresso roast and chocolate, it possesses high but sweet, velvety tannins, a massive body, and fabulous purity and length. This could turn out to be a candidate for perfection in another 8-10 years. It will drink well for 30-50 years but will always be much more approachable and charming than its 2010 counterpart.

Drink 2022 - 2065

Hold +3 years or double decant, then carafe for 5 hours.

Interesting to taste this vintage alongside the 2015, as the two have much in common - both generous, opulent and seductive, with tannins that are abundant but deceptively supple. Signature Mouton, muscular architecture, delivering cocoa bean, cedar, crème de cassis, fresh mint, liquorice, crayon, orange zest and pomegranate, celebrating a still-youthful expression of the juicy blackberry and cassis fruits, and a testament to this exceptional vintage. This was drunk over dinner and certainly tasted wonderful, but it has decades ahead of it and will just keep on getting better—100% new oak, Philippe Dhalluin, director.

Drink 2025 - 2045

The blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot. Harvest occurred between September 23 and October 6 in a year marked by dry weather, higher-than-average temperatures and generous sunshine.

The 2009 Mouton Rothschild is exceptionally beautiful. A huge, powerful wine, the 2009 possesses stunning richness and radiance, with plenty of underlying structure to support that exuberance. Smoke, grilled herbs, tobacco and incense give 2009 much of its exotic, captivating personality. Seamless and opulent, yet with terrific freshness, the 2009 will surely thrill those fortunate enough to have owned it for several decades, in a word: dazzling.

Drink 2024 - 2059

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.

Drink or hold

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.

Drink 2022 - 2055

Opaque, almost impenetrable purple-ruby. Closed nose hints at ripe dark plum, cassis, violet, coffee, minerals and ink. Opulent blackcurrant flavours, minerals, and herbs are pure and clean, with harmonious acidity lifting and extending them to the long, rich, suave finish. This wine has improved considerably since the Primeurs. In fact, this is even more true of the 2010, which makes me think that Mouton may now require extra patience and leeway when it's tasted during the spring following the harvest—another stellar wine for this property.

A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot; 13.1% alcohol; pH 3.8.

Deep ruby. Flamboyant, super-ripe aromas of spicy blackcurrant, strawberry jam, smoky plum, vanilla, exotic wood and minerals scream Mouton this would rate 100 points for its nose!). Rich, lush and powerful, with impressive fullness and volume to its ripe strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, sweet spice and cedar flavours. I picked up a hint of pomegranate at the end. The slightly chewy tannins are less fine-grained tannins at this stage than I expected, but this is a monumental and extraordinarily long wine that must be among the four or five best ever made at this estate.

Le Petit Mouton de Mouton-Rothschild, which I rated 86-89, will give pleasure while your Mouton matures in the cellar. Its pretty nose is dominated by cabernet franc notes of violet, cocoa and white pepper, and an intriguing earthy note on the back complicates its plum and blackberry flavours. With moderate generosity of texture, it displays a slightly aggressive mouth feel.)

Mouton was making great wine before 2004, but that year, Philippe Dhalluin, the perfectionist technical director, came on board, and the wines became more consistent. The success in 2009 of Armailhac and Clerc-Milon, the two other classed growths in the stable, indicates how well the Mouton group has been performing, but Mouton remains supreme.

Stephen Brook: New oak dominates the nose, but there’s ample cassis fruit. Suave attack, juicy and succulent, velvety despite the tannins, which are firm but ripe. This is hedonistic stuff with good structure and acidity. Excellent finish, with flair and persistence. Gorgeous!

Alun Griffiths MW: Firm, full, ripe black fruit and graphite nose. Excellent ripe fruit palate with fine but abundant tannins, balanced acidity and oak subdued into the wine. Potentially very fine, with a long finish.

Steven Spurrier: Fine, concentrated cassis nose with very good depth. Intense vineyard ripeness gives a lissom texture to the palate, yet the fruit purity is so forceful; it dominates yet is still lifted, fragrant and elegant. Great wine.