Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2022

Dark-fruited, smoky, licorice, cassis, wonderful fruit; already approachable on the palate, full-bodied, round, ripe tannins, generous fruit, great length; A very great little Mouton...

Dark, brooding nose of espresso, bitter chocolate, cassis, and toast. Plump and lively, with juicy cherry, chewy fruit, and tobacco. Broad and expansive on the palate, filling the mouth with bold ripeness. Tannins are creamy, framing the structure beautifully. This exudes power and shows exuberance from the warm vintage, packing a punch with liquorice and spice. Pent-up energy, still settling, but a well-constructed, serious second wine with personality. Bottled in June. 3.83 pH. 60% new oak.

The 2022 Le Petit Mouton has a well-defined bouquet with graphite-tinged black fruit that gains intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite peppery in style but there is ample sapidity and freshness on the finish. Very fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Truffles, cigar wrapper, black currants, and black cherries burst forth with a single swirl and a sniff of the perfume. The palate is silky, creamy, fresh, and fruity, showcasing purity, concentration, and, most importantly, character. This represents Classified Growth in quality and embodies the true essence of Jr. Mouton Rothschild! The wine blends 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. 14.2% ABV. Drink from 2027–2045.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, brightening edge. Delicate caramel and roasted aromas, fresh cassis, blackberry confit, some blueberry, very attractive. Juicy, elegant, good freshness, fruity texture, supporting tannins, salty finish, balanced and accessible, chocolatey nuances in the aftertaste. (1/25, +20).

Up there with the top second wines in the vintage, the deep purple-hued 2022 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild offers up textbook Pauillac (and Mouton) notes of ripe black fruits, spicy wood, crushed stone, and graphite, with a terrific floral character with air. It's medium to full-bodied, pure, layered, and flawlessly balanced. Drink bottles over the coming two decades.

You often get powerful colour and texture with Petit Mouton, because it is never afraid to lean into its exuberant character, but this really does take things up a notch. Think chocolate brownies, olive paste, baked plum, damson, cassis, huge structure and phenolics, well integrated, with a plush mouthfeel and velvety tannins. Not easy to say when to drink this, because it is so appealing right now, even as an En Primeur sample, but the amount of tannins are going to safely take it through the years. One of the first wines that made me see the potential greatness of the vintage. Harvest September 1 to 26. 32hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. 32hl/ha yield. 80 IPT. This is a buy.

Beautiful deep red color. Intense nose with ripe fruit, notably smoky when the glass is swirled. Juicy on the attack, smooth mid-palate with a refined texture; the wine builds through to the finish, deep, flavorful and long.

A really flamboyant wine beginning with lots of berries, plums, asphalt and orange peel before turning to blue fruits. Full-bodied and medium round tannins give a softness and drinkability. Long finish. Give it three to four years to come together but already gorgeous. Hard not to drink now.

A captivating, dynamic bouquet where notes of toasted bread and chocolate mingle, lifted by hints of blueberry and heather, like a hiker’s footsteps crossing the verdant moorlands of the Pyrenees. On the palate, it enchants with absolute precision while unfurling beguiling generosity, thanks to its brushed-silk texture, before concluding with a saline finish. A very serious wine: could this be the best Petit Mouton to date?

This second wine has depth and intensity as well as ripe black fruits. It is stylish with black currant flavors and a tight texture. Drink from 2027.

The 2022 Le Petit Mouton opens in the glass with aromas of ripe black fruits, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and saddle leather. Full-bodied, rich and layered, it's built around powdery tannins that assert themselves on the discreetly drying finish. Greater aromatic purity and structural integration would have seen this score higher.