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Wine Description
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)
Wine Information
1966 Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)
The 1966 vintage is an excellent one for classic and delicate wines. They combine the typical classic features, style and quality of Bordeaux wines, which makes them elegant and balanced. Most of them are still in fine condition today. Many of the best wines may still mature if kept correctly, but the general principle is: drink now or sell.
In 1966 Mouton made first-rate wine; dark colour, earthy, tobacco, open and fine bouquet. Very full and not as light-bodied as many other wines of this sensitive vintage. Complex with a good balance. At first it was a bit too tight and dry, but after one hour, it opened up completely and developed richness and beautiful fruit flavours. Good and long, but a bit awkward and dry aftertaste. Will not improve, but will still last well. Good, skilfully made wine.
1966 – Pierre Alechinsky
Drinking Ram
The Belgian author, poet and painter Pierre Alechinsky (born in 1927) found a major influence for his sketches and etchings in calligraphy, for which he developed a special appreciation during his studies in Japan. In the 1950s, he learned Far Eastern painting techniques from one of his friends, a Chinese artist. Alechinsky’s paintings were created on paper, and he worked with ink and acrylics. His art strikes a balance between writing and painting. His works are characterised by the multiple margin drawings that he called “marginal notes”.
These drawings in several individual parts form a unit with the main work, just like a pictorial or comic strip. Paintings in ink correspond with coloured marginal drawings in acrylics and the other way around. He often used paper such as historic maps, notepads or receipts as a grounding. Following his idol Paul Klee, Alechinsky was drawn to the mystery and spontaneity in painting. His quick but carefully planned sketches always show a sense of organic movement and naturalness.
With a wink and a smile he created his design for the Mouton label, featuring a ram – Mouton’s heraldic animal – as a wine-drinking cartoon figure. The background of Alechinsky’s design has a hatched structure that lends depth to the drawing.
After a mild winter and beautiful spring, conditions for blossom time were very good. The summer was cooler than usual with a lot of rain. The hot, pleasant September allowed the grapes to thrive though, and harvest began as early as September 26.
92 pts 1966 Château Mouton-Rothschild 2012/2015 x12 D 30 min / G 1 h
The 1966 vintage is an excellent one for classic and delicate wines. They combine the typical classic features, style and quality of Bordeaux wines, which makes them elegant and balanced. Most of them are still in fine condition today. Many of the best wines may still mature if kept correctly, but the general principle is drink now or sell.
In 1966 Mouton made first-rate wine; dark colour, earthy, tobacco, open and with a fine bouquet. Very full and not as light-bodied as many other wines of this sensitive vintage. Complex with a good balance. At first it was a bit too tight and dry, but after 30 minutes, it opened up completely and developed richness and beautiful fruit flavours. Good and long, but a bit awkward and with a dry aftertaste. Will not improve, but will still last well. Good, skilfully made wine.
1966 is an outstanding year for very classic and delicate wines. However, the year started out as anything but promising. The major rainfall that started at the end of June continued into July, but the hot start to August dried the soil and the weather gradually improved toward autumn, until it was nearly perfect for the harvest.
These wines share a truly classic, graceful and high-quality character so typical of Bordeaux wines, thus making them elegant and well balanced. Today many of these are still good. If carefully stored, many of the best wines may still mature, but the following rule of thumb should be observed: drink or sell them off immediately. In our opinion, this is one of the finest vintages that can be purchased today. Nearly all the AOC wines are still in excellent condition, and the top examples, such as the Palmer, Latour, Haut-Brion, Lafleur and Pétrus, are excellent. There is a wide selection of nicely priced First, Second and Third growth wines on the market. For example, the Cos d’Estournel, Calon-Ségur and Lynch-Bages offer an exceptional price-quality ratio. As a rule, a one hour decanting is sufficient.
Price trends for this vintage no longer show any significant upward movement – the increase in price over the past ten years has been around 55%. The rise in price will continue alongside the maturation of top wines perhaps until 2010, when any wines still surviving should be removed from the cellar and sold or drunk immediately.
Vintage 1966
1966 was an exceptional year in Bordeaux for very classic and delicate wines. However, the year started off as anything but promising. The main rainfall that began in late June continued into July, but the hot start to August dried out the soil and the weather gradually improved towards autumn, until it is almost perfect for harvest.
These wines share a truly classic, graceful and high quality character so typical of Bordeaux wines, making them elegant and balanced. Today, many of them are still good. If carefully stored, many of the best wines can still mature, but the following rule of thumb should be observed: drink them or sell them immediately. In our opinion, this is one of the finest vintages you can buy today. Almost all AOC wines are still in excellent condition, and the best examples, such as Palmer, Latour, Haut-Brion, Lafleur and Pétrus, are excellent. There is a wide selection of well-priced first, second and third growth wines on the market. For example, Cos d’Estournel, Calon-Ségur and Lynch-Bages offer exceptional value for money. As a general rule, decanting for one hour is sufficient.
The price development of this vintage no longer shows any significant upward movement – the price increase over the last ten years has been around 55%. Rising prices will continue as the best wines mature, perhaps until 2020, when any surviving wines should be removed from the cellar and sold or drunk immediately.
