The final day of Mark’s tasting was a celebration of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. We had some great examples. All were from the time of the elevation forward.
Superb! Thanks Mark.
Again, we knew all six wines but were blinded as to what was in the glass. One was double blind. Mark has a lot of these first growths so he always invites 30 people and opens two bottles. The bottle variation will sometimes surprise you with the older ones. The younger ones are very consistent.
Flight One
Glass 1 - The aromatics here are soaring. Intense. Cedar. Fruits. Some coffee. So sexy. Hard to put into words. This is a very special nose. The palate is incredible. There is fantastic balance. A length that is first growth special. Truly amazing and a rare opportunity. My guess was 1982.
Glass 2 - The nose on our wine (there were 2 bottles for 30 people) was oxidized. The other side of the table however had a really wonderful wine. Older aromas. Smoky in a way. Very precise too even with all the age. The palate shows resolved with some finishing dry tannin. A treat! My guess 1975.
Glass 3 – Very tight on the opening. The nose is intense dark fruit mixed with some coffee and spice. The finish is long and there is really great intensity. Young and very good. My guess is 1995.
Glass 4- Effusive nose of dark fruit, coffee, cedar shavings and a really sexy spice. Very precise. The palate is still showing young. The balance is the star here. It is so precise and so long. Amazing. My guess was 1985.
Glass 5- Dense dark fruit. The nose takes a lot of coaxing. The palate is so dense on the mid palate. So complex with swirling. Fabulous length. A baby. I guessed 1986.
Glass 6 - Old wine. There is some salvageable note on the back palate but this one has seen better days. This was double blind. I have no idea. (I should have guessed it however knowing Mark’s cellar)
1. 1985 Mouton Rothschild
2. 1975 Mouton Rothschild
3. 1995 Mouton Rothschild
4. 1982 Mouton Rothschild
5. 1986 Mouton Rothschild
6. 1973 Mouton Rothschild (Picasso Bottle - First year of elevation)
Great flight!
Flight Two
Younger Wines
Glass 1- This is so powerful. Dark fruits. Coffee. Intense. Gorgeous balance with incredible length. Fantastic. My guess was 2000.
Glass 2- Wonderful mouthfeel. Tannic. Lighter vintage but all the components are there. Very long. My guess was 2001.
Glass 3- This opens with lots of coconut notes. Candied. VERY young. Very primary on the nose and palate. Incredibly dense and will be incredibly good.
My guess was 2003.
Glass 4- Medium concentrated. This one is aromatically nice. Wonderful balance with a very long finish. Less power and more finesse. My guess was 2002.
Glass 5- Very dense. Primary nose and palate. There is a special complexity here and length that is hard to describe. Very long. Exquisite. My guess was 2005.
Glass 6- Medium density. Great nose which is just showing a little secondary character. Lots of coffee however. The palate is fantastic with a long finish. Wonderful. My guess was 1996.
1. 2002 Mouton Rothschild
2. 1996 Mouton Rothschild
3. 2003 Mouton Rothschild
4. 2001 Mouton Rothschild
5. 2005 Mouton Rothschild
6. 2000 Mouton Rothschild
A few surprises but all of these young ones are first growth quality to me. Wonderful.
Thanks again to Mark for assembling such a great collection of wines and people to enjoy them. A special couple of days.