Château Mouton Rothschild 2015

Offers a prodigious core of steeped fig, black currant and blackberry compote flavors, enmeshed with notes of smoldering tobacco, charcoal and licorice. Broad, deep and long, with a deep foundation of graphite through the finish. Despite the heft, this manages to show off some purity too. Best from 2025 through 2045.

Gorgeously confident and rich in colour, you can see the silkiness in the glass from the first look. This has 11% press wine, which tells you how good the skins were and how gently they extract at first. Winemaker Philippe Dhalluin and team have really succeeded in this vintage. It is beautifully integrated, and full of verve and sexiness, just stopping short of swagger. It approaches the heights of 2015 in the most successful appellations and will age well. Bottled in June, with zero oxygen added at bottling and just 25 ppm of SO2.

Decadent and rich aromas of black cherries and plums with wet earth and sandalwood. Turns to dried mushrooms. Full-bodied, tight and closed with big, polished tannins, yet this is very closed and shy right now. Despite this, underneath it shows such depth and beauty. Tangy acidity. This is a combination of 2005 and 2009. Try it in 2024.

This could hit 100 points when fully mature. And why not? There is a gorgeous symmetry here, balancing intensity, concentration, length, purity, and elegance, along with an almost seamless finish that delivers layer after layer of opulent, flamboyant fruits that hold your focus for close to 60 seconds! Drink from 2025–2065.

Dark ruby with purple reflections, subtly lighter at the rim. Delicate floral aromas underlying red cherry fruit, nuances of cassis, some tobacco and nougat, subtle candied orange zest, and liquorice accents. Very elegant, with fine fruit expression and pronounced tannins which are well integrated. Offers a certain minerality and persistence, with fresh cherry, subtle mint, and a pronounced fruity finish. Lingers long. A seriously elegant wine for which one will not have to wait too long.

82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. The bouquet begins exactly as a Mouton should: toasty, ripe plum, blackcurrant, black tea, and a hint of mint. Overall, it shows an almost perfumed Cabernet character. On the palate, it seduces with an intoxicating Pauillac sweetness, again plummy with clear cassis notes, great extraction, and an aromatic finish. Not a powerhouse Mouton, but this year focused on elegance and balance. You somehow sense an earlier drinking window, without any loss of potential.

REMARKABLE BALANCE La Baronnie gives every visitor a whole booklet of information as a primeur gift. Among other things, it explains the composition of each wine. Five different wines are presented: the white Aile d’Argent, d’Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Le Petit Mouton and Mouton. The in-house sommelier has written a tasting note for each wine. The Mouton Rothschild concludes with: “The languor of the finish crowns a tasting of remarkable balance.” Somehow, I happened to reach the same conclusion by chance. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. The bouquet starts exactly as a Mouton should: toasty, ripe plums, cassis, black tea and a hint of mint. Overall, on the nose it shows an almost perfumed Cabernet. On the palate, it offers a heady Pauillac sweetness, again plummy and now displaying even clearer cassis notes, great extraction, aromatic finish. Not a hammer-blow Mouton, but this year it’s all about elegance and balance. You also sense a tendency for earlier drinking pleasure, without any loss of potential.

(82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc) Velvety, dense, complex, creamy, fresh bouquet; black berries, cassis, mint, dark chocolate, fine woods, currants. Fresh, elegant, multi-layered, seductive, sweet palate with plenty of fine tannins, varied dark aromatics, tightly woven, creamy structure, dense fruit, very long, dense, fresh finish. 19/20 2025 - 2045

Leans more into the exuberance of the vintage than Lafite, yet still has the effortless balance and stately, steady‑as‑she‑goes elegance of the Pauillac Firsts in 2015. Grilled sandalwood and cedar, crushed raspberries, crayon and graphite; it expands across the palate—I love this—thoroughly luscious yet with a sense of restraint on the finish. Philippe Dhalluin technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant. 100% new oak for ageing. Gerhard Richter label artist.

A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet in color. It rocks up with flamboyant scents of baked plums, crème de cassis, and menthol with underlying suggestions of rose oil, sassafras, cedar chest, and Indian spices, plus a waft of dusty soil. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers a great core of ripe, black fruits, framed by beautifully ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and spicy.

A sheep-like essence. The 2015 pulls off the feat of combining charm, power, and the wine’s fleshiness with a fresh finish that makes it feel airy.

Deep purple with violet highlights. What a beautiful aromatic expression. A great deal of complexity between the élevage, mint, black and red berries, and spices. Very sophisticated. A delicious attack, slightly suave and precise. On the palate, the wine confirms its finesse-driven profile, with a structure that provides support and delivers plenty of freshness. The tannins are compact, precise, well integrated, and endowed with a fine grain. A Mouton that will shine for its finesse and endure over time.

95–97. Barrel Sample. This wine is generous without being opulent. It has a straight line of bright acidity that shoots through the wine giving it a fresh character. At the same time, the Cabernet that dominates the blend offers some serious firm tannins. It is a wine that starts with fruit and will give fine fruit for many years to come.