2012 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux

2012 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Product: 20128123549
 
2012 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux

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Description

2012 is a rubicon year for Ch. Mouton-Rothschild, being the inaugural vintage for its new vat room. Not that we can tell you much about it; its form and structure is being kept secret for a grand launch on 16th June this year during Vinexpo. However, it doesn’t take much to presume that the wines are now being handled on a parcel-by-parcel basis. If so, the benefits are clear and the wine shows rather more precision that it did when being made in exile in the cellars of sister property Ch. Clerc-Milon in the 2010 and 2011 vintages. This year Le Petit Mouton uses 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. It is loaded with black cherry fruits and, while the trademark linear impression of 2012 is initially present, the palate fills positively, even to the extent of notes of vanilla and prune. The extra detail this year makes this an ideal character reference for the Grand Vin, now back home after its peregrinational elevages. This looks to be an important step forward.
Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Buying Director

The second wine of Ch. Mouton-Rothschild, Le Petit Mouton continues to go from strength to strength in 2012. Expressive and complex on the nose, cherry and blackcurrants come to the fore, evidence indeed of the large dose of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. 19% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc complete the make-up and contribute to the expressively ripe and fruity aromas. A long, minerally finish with notes of spice, vanilla and prunes suggest that this will be wonderful to drink in a few year’s time, whilst waiting for the Grand Vin to mature.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate90/100
The 2012 Le Petit Mouton de Rothschild (79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc) shows loads of charcoal, burning embers, a nice hint of dark chocolate and blackcurrants. It is fleshy and medium-bodied, with up-front fruit and density. This second wine of Mouton has certainly gone from strength to strength under the administration of Philippe Dhalluin. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 30/04/2015 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17/20
Dark crimson. Opulent, already open nose. Really rather soft on the palate – chercher les tannins! This seems deliberately to have been made to be drunk early. Tingly and vibrant. Mouton Lite indeed!
Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com, April 24 2013 Read more
Wine Spectator89-92/100
Delivers a juicy, briar-framed core of plum and cassis, with savory and tobacco leaf notes already emerging on the finish. The tannins are supple, suggesting this will be very approachable from the beginning. Tasted non-blind.
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 8 2013 Read more
Robert Parker90-92/100
The 2012 Le Petit Mouton represents 38% of the crop, which is much higher than the normal 25% that usually makes it into the second wine. Composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, it reveals similar black currant liqueur notes, but they are less intense and pervasive. Administrator Philippe Dhalluin has fashioned a wonderfully opulent, round, juicy Petit Mouton exhibiting plenty of chocolaty notes intermixed with a subtle hint of oak offered in a lush, easily understood style. Enjoy this charming, endearing Le Petit Mouton over the next 15+ years.

Mouton Rothschild has produced one of the vintage's most profound wines in 2012, and possibly the -wine of the Medoc.- About 49% of the production made it into the 2012 Mouton, which is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The harvest took place during the middle two weeks of October. This may be one of the few 2012s that comes close to equaling what was achieved in both 2009 and 2010, two far superior vintages.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2013 Read more
Decanter17/20
Lovely black fruits nose, rich texture caresses the palate, long finish. Read more

About this WINE

Château Mouton Rothschild

Château Mouton Rothschild

Classified as a First Growth, Château Mouton Rothschild has a long and storied history; wine has been made here since Roman times. The property spans 82 hectares of vines in Pauillac, planted with the classic varieties of the region, Cabernet Sauvignon being predominant.

The estate has been in the Baron Philippe de Rothschild family since 1853, but it wasn’t until the arrival of Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1922 that its fortunes were transformed. Baron Philippe was a dynamic figure who revolutionised the estate and was the first to introduce château-bottling in 1924. He also introduced the concept of commissioning an artist to design each new vintage’s label. Some of the most notable contributors include Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Anish Kapoor and Peter Doig.

His daughter Baroness Philippine continued to help raise the estate to new heights with numerous endeavours, including the inauguration of a new vat house in 2013. Today, her three children, Camille and Philippe Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, continue the efforts of their predecessors.

Following the retirement in 2020 of Philippe Dhalluin, the winemaking team is now headed up by Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy. With his team, he oversees over 83 hectares of vines, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (78%), Merlot (18%), Cabernet Franc (3%), and Petit Verdot (1%). The average age of the vines is around 50 years.

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Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux remains the centre of the fine wine world. The maritime climate on the 45th parallel provides for temperate winters and long, warm summers, perfect conditions for growing grapes suited to the production of classically-constructed, long-lasting wines. This vast region of 120,000ha of vineyards (four times the size of Burgundy) is home to 10,000 wine producers and 57 different AOCs. Red now makes up 88 percent of Bordeaux wine, and is usually referred to as Claret. The origin of this name was to differentiate the lighter-coloured wines of the coastal region from the deeper "black" wines from up-country regions. 

The Left Bank, comprising the wine regions of the Médoc, Pessac-Léognan and Graves are planted predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives on the gravelly soils left by the ancient course of the river. This is a thick-skinned variety which ripens late, producing powerful, tannic wines capable of long ageing. It is blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petit Verdot. The highlights of the Médoc are the four communes of St- Estèphe (blackcurrant concentration); classical, cedarwood and cigar-box Pauillac; richly-fruited St Julien; and elegant, fragrant Margaux.

On the Right Bank, most famously in St-Emilion and Pomerol, it is the fleshy Merlot grape which prevails, sometimes supported by Cabernet Franc. Here the soils are more mixed, with gravel and clay underpinning the rich, fruity wines of Pomerol. Styles vary more in St-Emilion, depending on the predominance of sand in the lower-lying slopes, or limestone on the hillsides and plateau. 

By the 18th century, individual properties - known as châteaux, however humble - were becoming known for the quality of their wines and in 1855, those of the Médoc (plus Haut-Brion, a property commended by Samuel Pepys as early as 1663) were classified into five levels of classed growths. Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut Brion were cited as First Growths, to whose ranks Mouton Rothschild was elevated by presidential decree in 1973. Beneath the ranks of the classed growths lies a raft of fine châteaux known as Crus Bourgeois, while a host of less well-known "petits châteaux" still makes attractive, enjoyable Claret at affordable prices.

The other jewel in the Bordeaux crown is the district of Sauternes, making some of the most outstanding sweet white wines in the world (from the likes of Châteaux d'Yquem, Rieussec and Climens). The foggy autumn mornings along the banks of the Garonne River near Sauternes and neighbouring Barsac enable the noble rot, botrytis cinerea, to form on the skins of the grapes, which can still ripen in the afternoon sun as late as the end of October or early November. The Sémillon grape is the prime component, but Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle are also planted to provide insurance if the weather is less favourable to Sémillon, as well as offering a counterpoint in flavour.

There are many inexpensive dry white wines - more Sauvignon than Sémillon - from regions such as Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves, with just a handful of outstanding properties located in Pessac-Léognan. The most famous of the great dry whites hail from Châteaux Haut Brion, Laville Haut Brion and Domaine de Chevalier.

The finer wines of Bordeaux are sold en primeur in the late spring following the harvest, some two years before the wines are ready for physical delivery. The châteaux offer their wines through a system of Bordeaux négociants (brokers) who sell them on to importers round the world. Prices vary enormously from one vintage to another, dependent on perceived quality and world demand, which shows no signs of diminishing, especially for the great years.

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Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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