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  • Country ranking ?

    23
  • Producer ranking ?

    4
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    Now-2040
  • Food Pairing

    Honey Soy Venison

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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 I am always blown away by the 1959 Mouton!

Parker 100 points: I am always blown away by the 1959 Mouton, one of the greatest Moutons made in the last thirty-five years. Every time I have this wine it is undeniable that Mouton made a richer, more persuasive wine in 1959 than in 1961. Astonishingly young and unevolved, with a black/purple color, the wine exhibits a youthful nose of cassis, minerals, and new oak. It is exceptionally powerful and super-extracted, with the fruit supported by high levels of tannin and some lusty quantities of alcohol. This mammoth, full-bodied Mouton-Rothschild should continue to evolve for another 20-30 years. It may well be a 100-year wine!

 

Incredible plummy nose, full of scented spices. Real mintiness as well, à la Heitz Martha's Vineyard at its zenith. Glorious,
sweet and heady. Super chocolate finish, like chocolate-covered blackcurrants. Marvellously fascinating, ripe and exotic. Riveting to compare with the stylistically quite different 1961 and the room usually divides on this one. At its half century, this was an absolute knock-out. Peppermint, eucalyptus nose. Incredibly rich and voluptuous on the palate - total glycerol. A wine for hedonists! Burnt cassis berries and liquorice, with coffee beans on the end. Serena Sutcliffe, MW
WA 100 

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The Story

Château Mouton Rothschild A Premier Cru Classé in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild, owned by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, consists of 205 acres of vines near Pauillac, in the Médoc, North West of the city of Bordeaux. This Premier Cru benefits from exceptionally good natural conditions, both in the quality of the soil, the position of its vines and their exposure to the sun. It is regarded today as one of the world's greatest wine. 


The name Mouton is said to be derived from the word „Motte“ meaning mound or elevation of the ground. It was bought in 1853 by Philippe de Rothschilds great-grand father it was in a fairly bad shape and when the classification of 1855 was set up it was not deemed to be good enough to be qualified as a first growth but put in first place amongst the second growths. An injustice it took Philippe de Rothschild until 1973 to rectify. 1920s Philippe de Rothschild called together the owners of Haut Brion, Latour, Lafite, Margaux and Yquem to talk about the idea of bottling and marketing their wines on their own.

The first vintage to be bottled exclusivly at the château was the 1924 vintage. To commemorate this, the cubistic painter Carlu was asked to design the label, yet another revolutionary idea in this most conservative of surroundings. The idea of an artist designing the labels was dropped until 1945 when Philippe Jullian was asked to design a label commemorating the victory over nazi Germany. Since then works of such famous artists as Picasso, Miró, Dali, Chagall and personalities like John Huston and Prince Charles have been used for the labels.


In 1988, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who had already been associated with her father's work for some time, succeeded her father. She has in turn become the guarantor of the quality of an illustrious wine whose motto proudly proclaims : "Premier je suis, second je fus, Mouton ne change". First I am, second I was, I Mouton do not change

Vineyard soil: very deep gravel on a limestone base Production area: 82.5 ha Grape varieties: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot Average age of vines: 48 years Harvest method: hand picked. The grapes from the younger vines are harvested first and vinified separately.

Winemaking: Before destemming, the grapes are hand-sorted then selected one by one. Vinification depends on each vintage and the characteristics of each vat. All the relevant parameters, such as temperature, pumping over, aeration, vatting time and running off, are monitored by the technical manager, the cellar-master and the laboratory.
Ageing: 19 to 22 months in oak barrels (almost all new, the percentage varying according to the vintage)
 

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Wine Information

1959 Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)

In 1960, when the Bordeaux 1959 vintage came into the market, some critics predicted the wines would not age in a good way because of their low acidity and high alcohol. But excellent years such as 1947, 1945 and 1928 were all characterised by low acidity and high alcohol, and as we all acknowledge, these vintages are still generous to drink, as is this marvellous Mouton.

Excellent appearance, level by the neck. This was, as expected, a gorgeous and approachable wine. At first quite closed and blank, but after half an hour it had a sound sensual and reduced nose, and became rich and intense. It's all there, and it is graceful and exciting. Mouton 1959 really takes you to another planet. This is one of those rare "feet off the ground" wines, with unbelievable presence.
When people talk about great claret, this is what they are talking about. Classic stuff!


February and March showed their best side. April was very hot and the weather remained warm in May. June and July were dominated by great heat, while August was pleasantly warm and dry.
There was enough rain in September.

99p 1959 Château Mouton-Rothschild 20012/2025 x12 D 2 h/G 2 h

In 1960, when the Bordeaux 1959 vintage came onto the market, some critics predicted the wines would not age in a good way because of their low acidity and high alcohol. But excellent years such as 1947, 1945 and 1928 were all characterised by low acidity and high alcohol, and as we all acknowledge, these vintages are still generous to drink, as is this marvellous Mouton.

Excellent appearance; level by the neck. This was, as expected, a gorgeous and approachable wine. At first quite closed and blank, but after half an hour it had a sound, sensual and reduced nose, and became rich and intense. It‘s all there, and it is graceful and exciting; Mouton 1959 really takes you to another planet. This is one of those rare “feet off the ground“ wines, with unbelievable presence. When people talk about great claret, this is what they are talking about. Classic stuff! Drink now to 2025

PN

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Vintage 1959

Bordeaux 1959 was proclaimed the wine year of the century by overzealous journalists. Even though it was an excellent year, it simply was not the best of the century. The year started off with ideal weather conditions. Summer was perfect all the way until the autumn, when the rains came in mid-September. But the rains made way for hot, dry weather, thus setting a magnificent stage for the start of the harvest.  The result was a truly ripe and juicy crop. The reds are typically full-bodied, with soft acidity and a fat mouthfeel that comes from the high alcohol content. Even though the vintage is generally compared to 1961, it has much in common with the 1949. The Sauternes vintage was equally a success and the region produced some very long-lived wines. Once again the Château Lafite-Rothschild achieved complete success, sharing the title of best wine of the vintage with the Haut-Brion. Right on their heels is the Pétrus, which should be decanted for at least three hours before drinking, and the La-Mission-Haut-Brion.

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Average Bottle Price

2020 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2005 2000
3 490€ +12.1% 3 112€ +7.5% 2 895€ +9.0% 2 655€ +32.2% 2 009€ -7.2% 2 165€ +8.8% 1 989€ -18.2% 2 432€ +11.1% 2 189€ +57.5% 1 390€ +92.5% 722€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Full, Ruby red and Bright

ending

Long, Vibrant and Smooth

flavors

Coffee, Leather, Cassis, Chocolate, Blackberry and Mint

nose

Intense, Generous, Refined and Complex

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Medium tannin, Well-structured, Perfectly balanced, Complex, Mature, Medium-bodied, Rich, Ripe, Elegant, Dry and Sweet tannins

Verdict

Excellent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

When the Bordeaux 1959 vintage came into the market, some critics predicted the wines would not age in a good way because of their low acidity and high alcohol. But excellent years such as 1947, 1945 and 1928 were all characterised by low acidity and high alcohol. All of these vintages are still generous to drink, as is this marvellous Mouton.
Excellent appearance, level by the neck. This was, as expected, a gorgeous and approachable wine. At first quite it appeared closed and blank, but after a half an hour it had a sound sensual nose, and became rich and intense. It's all there, and it is graceful and exciting. This is one of those rare "feet off the ground" wines, with unbelievable presence. When people talk about great claret, this is what they are talking about.

  • 98p

The 1959 Mouton Rothschild had a similar personality with an inky, deep color.  There were more caramel and carob twists in the nose, and its palate was meaty and decadent.  It was thicker than the Latour and showed more pencil, but I found them qualitatively equal (98+).

  • 98p

Château Mouton-Rothschild 1959 / Another perfect bottle. This has been a long-time favorite with mint and fresh basil, as well as currants and dried fruits on the nose. It turns to dried flowers. Full-bodied with spices, berries, and light eucalyptus character. Christmas cake too. Full body with velvety tannins. This bottle was almost mid-shoulder height, but it was a perfect wine. 100 points

  • 100p

A poetic wine that will enthrall any wine lover. Dark garnet in color, it offers an unbelievable nose, with stylish, minty cassis aromas that keep developing in the glass and supple, minty eucalyptus flavors that are beautifully integrated. Powerful yet seductive; this great wine should hold for years, but why wait to drink something that's already perfect?

  • 98p

The 1959 Mouton has fabulous aromas of black truffles, currants, raspberry and dried flowers. Mind-blowing on the palate, it’s an emotional and soulful red. Almost as good as 1945. 99 Points

  • 99p

Full, deep red. Knockout nose combines plum, exotic woodsmoke, cedar, menthol and grilled nuts, plus a hint of maple syrup. Powerfully structured and still tightly wound; today the lively acids and strong tannins combine to give the wine a somewhat rigid texture. Still rather austere, even a tad dry, on the finish. Not quite up to past bottles of this great vintage of Mouton, which typically displays more richness and primary fruit character to go with its steel-like spine.

  • 93p
So fresh, but still matured. Fantastic eucalyptus and mint notes, on top of fresh cassis. Sexy wine!
  • 99p
Mouton Rotschild 1959 From a bottle with level at mid shoulder. Pitch black in color with just a slim garnet red rim. Ripe, open and very very intense nose of coffee, pure dark berries, soy, mushrooms, asian spices. A touch of VA but very deep and alluring. Huge nose that ticks every box. Full bodied with massively concentrated fruit of ripe dark plums, cassis, coffee, chocolate, mushrooms, tobacco and cedar wood. Very smooth and mature, silky tannins that keeps the huge palate in check on the never ending finish. A mind blowing wine that is still youthful and perfectly balanced. This beast keeps more or less unchanged in the glass for three hours. Divine. A bottle with perfect level probably has one more point in it. Now-2030 99p
  • 99p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Best buy

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Be Cautious

Glass time

1h

Drinking temperature

16

Inside Information

1959 – Richard Lippold  -  Bright Red Grapes

The German-American artist Richard Lippold (1915–2002) began his career as an industrial designer. In the early 1940s, he came to fame with his linear metal sculptures. His first major work was bought right away by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Some of his often monumental sculptures are displayed in similarly prominent American places, such as the Lincoln Center, the former Pan-American Building and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Lippold’s great technical skill creates the impression of an almost weightless use of metal. With his compositions, he managed to design divided spaces and rearrange them in a geographic manner. The weightlessness of Lippold’s art and his understanding of three-dimensional geometry are apparent in his design for the Mouton label. The colours and shapes of Richard Lippold‘s abstract drawing are reminiscent of rows of vines with bright red grapes.

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