x
  • Country ranking ?

    774
  • Producer ranking ?

    29
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Pork Tenderloin

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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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

Château Mouton Rothschild 1985

Climatic conditions
January was very cold, with 16 days of subzero temperatures, falling as low as –20°C. There was also a week of heavy snow, but despite the poor weather the vines suffered relatively little damage.

The winter continued with temperatures closer to the seasonal average, though there was another very cold week during February. The vegetation cycle began with milder weather in March, and after mild and wet weather in April and May, flowering took place in June.

Fine weather arrived in July, despite some storms, followed by drought in August (there were only two days of rain during the month). With an exceptional amount of sunshine, 1985 was the driest year on record.

Mid-veraison occurred on 16 August for the three red grape varieties, with the prospect of a high-quality crop: the vines did not seem to have suffered too much from the drought and the grapes were of normal size, though a little sunburn was noted in certain parcels. The fine weather continued, ensuring easy conditions for picking and very high-quality grapes.

1985 PAUL DELVAUX
Paul Delvaux (1897-1994), born in Belgium, was influenced by the Flemish Expressionists before becoming one of the leading figures in Surrealism. In fact this master of modern art was probably closer to what we would now call "Magic Realism". He offers us a series of obsessional scenes of brooding mystery: remote, erotic female nudes with pale milky skin and enigmatic eyes; dream-landscapes, often moonlit, where rampant vegetation appears against bare cityscapes painted with an almost photographic precision.

The two demure little girls in his drawing for the label of Mouton Rothschild 1985, separate and apart, are drawn together by the lure of a bunch of grapes, gazed on, touched, soon to be tasted.

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Vintage 1985

Bordeaux 1985/ An extraordinary vintage. Particularly elegant in their early years, these wines are now mellow and suave with considerable finesse. The Médoc wines, supple with mellow tannins, are deliciously soft and fruity. The Pomerols and Saint Emilions possess a marvellous combination of concentration and finesse. The dry white wines are rich and complex. The sweet wines are ample, honeyed and fruity.

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Tasting note

color

Full

ending

Medium, Smooth and Round

flavors

Mint, Toasty, Cedar and Leather

nose

Intense

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Complex, Well-structured, Developing, Medium-bodied, Firm, Focused, Ripe, Dry and Silky tannins

Written Notes

Moderate intensity of garnet-tawny colour. Amazingly fresh, seductive floral nose with ripe red fruit and beautifully evolved bouquet of leather and earthiness. Medium-bodied palate is very stylish and restrained in style. Mineral and moderately acidic structure are well-balanced with ripe red fruitiness and smooth tannins. Mid-palate and finish show more earthy and leathery flavours with some tobacco and cedar. Very elegant and delicate wine with lingering classy finish. Drinking perfectly now!

  • 95p

1985 out of magnum, and it was very fresh and vigorous, more so than the average '85 I thought, which had to be the magnum factor. The nose was decadently nutty with toast, caramel drops, underlying cassis, coffee, minerals, earth and chocolate croissant aromas. The body was excellent, medium-bodied, spicy with great cedar flavors on its chalky finish. There was some richness to the palate and nice grit, but the wine lacked some weight in the middle, its only noticeable flaw. Bipin assumed his usual position about '85 vs. '86, saying 'The 1985 has been ready to drink for twenty years and is still drinking beautifully. You decide what is the better wine.' Despite Bipin using the force and one of his Jedi wine tricks, this is one '85 vs. '86 debate that he cannot win with me. On this night, however, he was correct, but that is because the '86 was off, although only my table seemed to notice

  • 93p

This Mouton is a wonderful surprise. I expected it to be good but was impressed with the wine’s intensity, youthfulness and balanced sweet dried fruit flvors. This wine is harmony in carnate with a long length filled with sweet fruit flavors. The large format size adds to the wine’s youthful vigor.

95 points

  • 95p

Ruby, thin brick rim. Cassis, blueberries, anise, nuanced, scented, detailed, almost floral nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark berries, anise, spices, lovely balance, long. 95

  • 95p
Mouton Rothschild – distinguished and classy stuff, extremely rich and refined, sophisticated, truffles, fabulous structure and depth. Bull’s eye! Easily additional 20 years in the cellar. 97p.
  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None
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