x
  • Country ranking ?

    1 615
  • Producer ranking ?

    91
  • Decanting time

    1h
  • When to drink

    now to 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Roast Pauillac Lamb

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.

Close

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)
 

Close

Wine Information

HISAO DOMOTOA

Born in Kyoto of a family of painters, Hisao Domoto (1928-) studied traditional Japanese painting before travelling to Europe in 1952. This introduced him to Western abstract painting and persuaded him to break with his earlier training.

Resolutely abstract, his work was inspired initially by the theory of Informality. His “Solutions of Continuity” followed: superimposed strips of contrasting colours. Then came his “Possibilities of Chain Reaction”, marrying the theme of the chain to that of the circle, caught in fluid and rhythmical movement, reinforced by vivid and radiant colours.

His design for the 1979 Mouton Rothschild label is a brilliant example of his third period. This is the first label to have been commissioned from a Japanese artist.

Close

Vintage 1979

Bordeaux / The year 1979 partly repeated the 1978 vintage with a wet and cool spring, a hot summer, a cool and dry autumn. Dry whites did well this year while reds, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, struggled to reach full physiological maturity. Once again, Mouton was a disappointment. The right bank did better with Merlot. The best wine of the vintage is the first Le Pin ever produced. Other excellent wines worth mentioning are La Mission Haut-Brion and Haut-Brion. Haut-Brion was a bargain at 200 euros. Sauternes wines also turned out to be quite good, the best of which was Yquem.

Close

Tasting note

color

Medium, Brownish and Dark

ending

Medium and Lingering

flavors

Mint, Toasty, Nutty and Cassis

nose

Intense, Complex, Seductive and Generous

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Medium tannin, Balanced, Good texture, Mature, Medium-bodied, Elegant, Round and Silky tannins

Verdict

Good everyday wine and Impressive

Written Notes

I have tasted this wine at various times since 1989, and it has regularly been better and more enjoyable than its reputation suggests. Old-looking bottle, but level by the neck. Dark and brownish colour. Healthy and fresh on the nose. Elegant and open, typical Mouton bouquet which tended to grow in amplitude and articulateness. Quite neat, full-bodied and soft wine, but very forward. Not much tannins, and slightly high acidity. Somehow off-balance, a bit short and hard finish. At its peak but will hold. Certainly a good wine, but not a great one.
  • 89p
The 1979 Mouton Rothschild had a rich and buttery nose with coffee aromas. Its palate showed the darker side of Mouton, with nice chocolate flavors. There was presence to its palate without weight, like a good ballerina. It had a full body and the longest finish of the flight, evoking ‘warmth’ from the crowd (92).
  • 92p
Ruby, brick rim. Bell peppers, herbs, tobacco, coffee and a bit heavy nose. Medium acidity, mature tannins, almost gone, leaner body and fruit than nose. Dark chocolate bitterness in the finish, wood polish. Only tasted this once before, and that felt fresher and more together.
  • 87p
Load more notes

Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

None
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register