2008 Ch. Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac

Tasting at Mouton is an entertaining affair, with top-of-the-range golf buggies driven by chic ladies clad all in black brought in to ferry the trade from Check In to the hallowed halls of the Departure Lounge. The château seems to feel the need to impress but there really is no need – the wine does this all on its own in 2008.

With a dense, dark nose and juicy, brooding fruit, the 2008 Grand Vin is a wine of which the Baroness can be proud. Quite clearly one of our favourite of the First Growths this year, it has a lovely, savoury minerality that gives it elegance, despite its power. This is a wine of gravitas with layers upon layers of dark fruit coating fine tannins with an almost glycerol-like texture. It is encouraging to see that Mouton has once again performed superbly in 2008; this is one of the top wines of the vintage.
(Simon Staples, Berrys' Fine Wine Director)

Tighter and denser than the Petit Mouton with hidden depths and less obvious seduction. Very neat and firm with some fine polishing of texture and definite minerality at its core. Dry finish. Very fresh and neat. Finer boned than many Moutons – almost playing the Lafite card. All very introvert but nothing flashy. I found myself swallowing this at 9.20am! Well done.
(Jancis Robinson MW - jancisrobinson.com - Apr 09)

The final blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot exhibits tell-tale black currant liqueur, incense, charcoal and floral-like characteristics. The oak is pushed to the background, one of the major improvements director Philippe Dalhuin has made at this estate. Full-bodied, deep and impressively endowed, it is a deep, rich, less massive effort than either the 2010 or 2009. This gorgeous Mouton will be drinkable in 4-5 years and age effortlessly for three decades.
Mouton’s vineyard was harvested between October 2-15, and the wine possesses an unexpectedly high pH of 3.85 (high for this vintage, but normal for a riper year). Made from low yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare, it achieved a natural alcohol content of 13.2%, one of the highest ever for this estate. Made from 54% of the production, the 2008 Mouton Rothchild’s final blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot has resulted in an atypically sweeter, more direct and opulent, fleshy Mouton. Keep in mind that this cuvee, because of the high Cabernet Sauvignon content as well as the terroir, is often backward, structured, and nearly foreboding in its youth. However, I do not think the 2008 will behave in that manner. There is plenty of tannin and exceptional density and ripeness, but the tannins are velvety, and I was amazed by how charmingly forward and fleshy this wine already is. A deep purple color, sweet aromas of creme de cassis, smoke, cedar, and an unmistakable floral component (another characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon in 2008) are found in this precocious, succulent Mouton that should firm up and put on more weight with aging. My score is somewhat conservative because it is hard to forget their prodigious 2006, but the 2008 will provide far more enjoyment and pleasure over the near-term than the 2006.