Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Mouton Rothschild
Produced from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, this sexy, seductive Le Petit Mouton is round, generous, elegant and pure with lots of blue and black fruits and no hard edges. Drink this seamless, impressive 2008 second wine over the next 10-15 years.
Second wine. Very dense purplish crimson. Tasted immediately after the Clerc Milon this seemed a distinct step up in ripeness and aromatic appeal. Very polished. Luscious start and lovely satin texture followed by an extremely respectable dry, neat finish. Extraordinarily delicious already! Just a measure of ripe tannins, pretty well covered by ripe fruit, on the finish. Seductive. 'Feminine'.
The second wine, Le Petit Mouton, continues to go from strength to strength. The 2008, a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot, represents 24% of the production. Notes of incense, graphite, and black currants are followed by a wine with sweet tannin and a fruit-forward, friendly style, much like its bigger and more dramatic sibling. It should be drinkable in its first 10-15 years of life.For California enthusiasts, while visiting Mouton Rothschild, I had the opportunity to taste several vintages of Opus One, which has taken on new, dramatically high quality now that the Rothschilds are sole owners. I'll just say that the 2007 Opus One promises to be the greatest example of that wine ever produced. More details will be published in the December issue on California wines.
A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot, this, again, is more introverted on the nose, or 'tightly coiled' being a more apt description. Blackberry, woodland, damp moss and a touch of burning embers. The palate is medium-bodied, very fine tannins, real weight coming through in the mouth. Blackberry, cedar, a slight coca-element from the new oak. Very harmonious with greater persistency than the '07.