Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2001

A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the opaque purple-colored, chunky 2001 Mouton-Rothschild does not possess the finesse and stature often achieved by this first-growth. It offers a tell-tale cassis-scented nose, and a monolithic, medium to full-bodied style with relatively high, austere tannin in the finish (a characteristic I also noticed in cask). A dry, angular, backward effort for the vintage, it should be forgotten for at least a decade. Let’s hope the fruit continues to expand and sweeten, but that’s no sure thing. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2025+.

Very smoky, with berry, coffee and tobacco aromas. Full-bodied, with polished velvety tannins, plenty of fruit and a cedary aftertaste. Tight and compacted. This is better than the 2000 Mouton. It's a baby 1986 Mouton. Solid and very, very fine. Persists for a long time on the palate. Best after 2009.

Complex on the nose with black cherry, black currant and graphite aromas. Very fleshy on the palate with chewy tannins and plenty of fruit. This is still a reserved and structured Bordeaux, but with power lurking beneath. Still a baby.

The 2001 Mouton-Rothschild contains 20% press wine and 12.6% alcohol. It has a vibrant, captivating bouquet that bursts from the glass with early black cherries, sous-bois, mint, and a touch of Seville orange, displaying precision and class. The medium-bodied palate shows good density and offers sappy black fruit, white pepper, and just a touch of tobacco. Quite muscular for a 2001, and perhaps missing the clarity and pixelation that the next winemaker, Philippe Dhalluin, subsequently imparted. This is a thoroughly enjoyable Mouton-Rothschild, even if it does not have the same pedigree as recent vintages.

Close to fully developed, for a First Growth, it is a bit of a disappointment. Medium-bodied, earthy, and showing a good amount of secondary character with its cedar, cigar box, herb, forest floor, spice, and crisp red berries, there is a slight rusticity to the tannins and a general simplicity to the wine on the palate and in the finish. This is unlikely to improve much with age.

I was shocked by the quality of the 2001 Château Mouton Rothschild. A concentrated, rich, textured wine in the vintage from the Médoc, it reveals classic Mouton dark, chocolaty fruits as well as spicy oak, graphite, and smoked tobacco. With plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe yet still present tannins, and outstanding length, it's a more foursquare, rich, mouth-filling style from this estate that will continue evolving for another 20-25 years.

Dark garnet, dense core. Dry bouquet, plenty of mocha and smoke, dried fruits, mahogany, tar, dark malt with hints of Guinness. On the palate the dryness continues; astringency combines with a massive tongue-coating from these grainy tannins. In terms of power, a wine monster, but for a Premier Cru it (currently) lacks the necessary finesse. Totally closed; even decanting doesn’t help, so leave it alone. Then the wine can gain a point again.

Far less Mouton than last year! Maître de Chais Gérard Linaires during my en primeur visit: <div style="font-style:italic;color:#990033">We still don’t know exactly how much less Mouton there will be compared to last year, as the blends haven’t been finalized yet. However, we expect a smaller production volume of between 10 and 15%. From mid-July to mid-August, we invested 12,000 man-hours in the vineyards to reduce yields and ensure optimal vineyard management. Some plots yielded only 28 hl/ha. 66% of the harvest was selected for the Grand Vin. This year again, we are not using new barrels for the entire wine, but 10% used barriques from last year.</div> 02: Barrel sample: (86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc): compact, ripe bouquet with a baroque sweetness of terroir, olives, dark chocolate, vanilla, prunes; feels rich and shows considerable potential on the nose. Firm, likewise rich palate, again that gorgeous, almost praline-like chocolate note, dried fruits, black currant, a warm presence with dark, malty tones in the opulent finish. A surprisingly opulent Premier Cru with finely grained tannins. A great Mouton vintage with a certainly very popular, winning taste (18/20). 04: Intense, sweet bouquet; complex with a fine buttery note, roasted nuts, toast, light coffee, cassis. On the palate a dreamy, nonchalant, sweet Cabernet note, vanillin, exotic woods and dried fruits, enormously concentrated, reflected in the compact extract, a powerful finish that lingers for a very long time. In ten years it will deliver a very sensual Pauillac experience (18/20). 05 in Bora Bora: Currently closing down again and shows a dry dark-chocolate bitterness on the tongue and, due to the compression, relatively astringent, sandy tannins. Wait! (17/20). 06: On the Germany tour: dark garnet, dense at the core. Dry bouquet, lots of mocha and smoke, dried fruits, mahogany, tar, dark malt in the form of Guinness traces. On the palate the dryness continues, the astringency merges with a massive coating on the tongue in the form of these grainy tannins. In terms of power, almost a monster – but as a Premier Grand Cru Classé it (currently) lacks the necessary finesse. The wine is totally closed at the moment. Decanting doesn’t help. So leave it alone. Then it can gain a point again. (18/20). 09: Medium Bordeaux red with a purple rim. Plenty of roasted notes, ripe plums with first hints of dried fruit, linden wood and Dominican tobacco. Juicy, elegant on the palate, surprisingly close to first drinking pleasure, hazelnut pralines (gianduja), light malt, sensual but somehow evolving a bit too quickly and lacking the depth of other Premiers. Opening it now for the first time is no youthful sin! 09: From a double magnum during a Bordeaux tasting course in Stuttgart. Lots of warmth with soft tannins and, of course, many typical Mouton roasted notes. It’s already a lot of fun now. (18/20). 11: Wine-red with first maturity. Malty, ripe bouquet, showing early maturity on the warm nose, cake fruits, candied orange peel, roasted almonds and a hint of mint. Soft palate, round and caressing, plummy extract; only on the second pass do reserves come into play, and it shows a dramatic sweetness in the tannins. Developing incredibly positively compared to earlier impressions. 11: Extremely toasty notes, dark bread crust, mocha and dark chocolate tones. On the palate first creamy, then offering a sturdy note in the extract. At the beginning of the very first drinking window. (19/20). 13: Dark, slightly matte wine-red. Clearly toasty tones, smells of freshly baked, cooled dark bread and a hint of pumpernickel, Californian prunes, milk chocolate notes; fairly accessible at the moment. Juicy palate, quite substantial, fine texture, shows a nice balance. A very refined, feminine Mouton. Not a Pauillac drug, but it has something “Lafite-like” about it. A beautiful delicacy which, right now, is by no means a youthful sin. (19/20). 14: Dark wine-red, still black reflections. Starts with a gigantic “wow bouquet”, lots of rock candy, and lots of ripe plums, vanilla pod, dark pralines and black currant, almost North Rhône-like with a hint of caramel over the aromatic profile. On the palate soft, velvety and with a nonchalance, round tannins that feel plush. Sexy through and through and now in a possible first maturity. Not a truly great Bordeaux but a very great Mouton! (19/20). 16: Smoke and pepper on the nose, rather red-berried. On the palate, mealy texture, so it’s closing down again for now. (18/20). 16: Medium wine-red, dense core, lightening at the rim, little sign of maturity. The bouquet explodes right away with the Mouton-typical roasted notes, caramel, half-white bread crust, coffee, then showing caramel and hazelnut notes, multi-layered and seductive. The nose is almost overly communicative. On the palate with quite a bit of gloss, the tannins seem ripe, the flow is homogeneous and so this Mouton seems to be in an uninhibited drinking phase at the moment. Only the density doesn’t quite keep up with the other Médoc Premiers. This bottle: 18/20, the other 2001 Premiers were stronger! (19/20). 17: An Imperial during a large-format evening at Vila Vita in Portugal. Sweet, sensual, caramel. On the palate a very slight hint of lightly green Cabernet. But somehow you feel that this is exactly part of its charm. (19/20).

Dark, full, powerful bouquet, cassis, fine roasted notes, currants, licorice. Balanced, fine, fresh palate with good fruit, silky tannins, elegant structure, and a full finish. 18/20 drink - 2032

The 2001 is an amazing vintage that has inched forwards over the past 20 years, still muscular although always more elegant in its tannic frame than the 2000 vintage before it. I served it out of magnum, and if wines of the year are about emotions, this definitely deserves to be among them. I was given this bottle back in 2011 when I won the Prix Baron Philippe de Rotshchild for my first book Bordeaux Legends, and I have kept it safely at home ever since. Honestly I should probably have waited another decade, as it was still young, but I had something special to celebrate, good friends coming over, and it seemed like the right moment. Definitely needs time in a carafe, but as it opened up, the creamy blackberry and cassis fruits began to show the traditional Mouton welcome, and coffee and woodsmoke curled out of the glass alongside grilled cedar and liqourice root. Patrick Léon technical director at the time.

Full-bodied and rich, very deep, with Mouton’s opulent style, but with slightly less vigor and breadth than the 2000.

The color is dense and the nose open, with notes of fruit and smoky oak. While the barrel-aging is still present, it is gently integrating. We would, however, have preferred a more discreet élevage. Firmly structured by its Cabernets, Mouton 2001 still needs time, as the finish remains strict.

The intense, exotic nose of Mouton 2001 is very Mouton. The palate is broad, with volume and flesh—very Mouton as well—ending on a spicy finish. A fine success.

Logo on the cork: K Dark, intense, and developed color. Very aromatic nose, fruity, toasty, and vanilla. Soft on the attack, broad and juicy mid-palate, with flavor and present tannins; the wine finishes smoky and slightly oaky, yet with lovely aromas that make it appealing. Good length. This is the description that suits it best.