Château Mouton-Rothschild 1985

Château Mouton Rothschild 1985 – Pauillac, Bordeaux

The 1985 vintage in Bordeaux was a warm, harmonious year, producing wines of charm, balance, and immediate appeal, many of which have aged with grace. The 1985 Mouton Rothschild is a superb example, both refined and expressive. The bouquet opens with cassis, blackberry, and redcurrant, layered with cedar, graphite, cigar box, and a touch of roasted coffee and spice. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, with silky tannins, ripe fruit, and a polished texture, all lifted by vibrant acidity and Pauillac’s signature minerality.

The finish is long and elegant, echoing cassis, cedar, and fine spice, showing the poise and harmony of the vintage. A wine of finesse rather than sheer power, the 1985 Mouton is drinking beautifully now, though it retains further life in bottle. 96 points.

The label was painted by my favourite painter, Belgian surrealist Paul Delvaux (1897–1994), famed for his dreamlike compositions of classical architecture, moonlit landscapes, and nudes—his ethereal style perfectly capturing the elegance and allure of this vintage. The 1985 thus marries a graceful Bordeaux with a label by one of Europe’s most distinctive 20th-century artists, making it as captivating visually as it is in the glass.

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

1985 is a charming and elegant vintage at Mouton-Rothschild, known for balance rather than sheer power.

Medium-intense brick red colour. The nose is charmingly expressive with its toasty and chocolatey aromas topped up with roasted coffee and cassis notes. Medium-dry yet intense palate is savoury, vibrant and highly integrated. Lovely depth and polished style charms in this harmonious wine. – JL 97p (Aug 2025)

Food pairing:

Excellent with roasted beef, lamb, duck or richly flavoured meat dishes.

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