Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2014
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An iconic, silky and complex Pauillac First Growth
The estate
In 1853, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild acquired Chateau Brane-Mouton at an auction. Located in the heart of the Medoc, in Pauillac, he renamed the estate Chateau Mouton Rothschild. In 1924, Baron Philippe de Rothschild took over the running of the estate. A true pioneer, he decided to start bottling directly on the estate and designed the label of the wine. 1973 marked the year when Chateau Mouton Rothschild became a Classified first Growth. Iconic in the Pauillac appellation, Chateau Mouton Rothschild has made fine Bordeaux wines shine throughout the world.
The vineyard
Situated to the north-west of Bordeaux, in the Medoc, Chateau Mouton Rothschild’s vineyard spreads across 90 hectares. The vines are planted on gravelly soils that retain the heat and release it during the night, thus favoring the ripening of the grapes. These poor, draining soils rest on a clay-gravel subsoil, giving the wines by Chateau Mouton Rothschild a unique powerful, elegant and tannic structure.
The vintage
A wet winter was followed by a spring with milder weather conditions, which favored the early budburst of the vines in April. May was particularly cool, with alternating sunny days and rainy spells. A beautiful and hot month of July preceded a cool August with changing weather conditions. An exceptionally long Indian summer sets in from the end of August until the end of October. During this period, the warm, sunny and dry conditions enabled the grapes to ripen, they were then harvested at optimum ripeness between September 19th and October 9th.
The blend
Cabernet Sauvignon (81%)
Merlot (16%)
Cabernet franc (3%)
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2014: Characteristics and tasting tips
The tasting
Color
Intense red color with purple hues.
Nose
A very fine nose with aromas of ripe fruit, spices and vanilla.
Palate
The attack is dense and velvety. Smooth, the palate seduces with its fine tannins and its delicate balance between a silky texture and a subtle minerality. Full and persistent, the finish blends a wide aromatic palette with a beautiful freshness.
The 2014 Mouton-Rothschild was closed at first when I tasted the wine in bottle with winemaker Philippe Dhalluin. But as it transpires, this First Growth is just toying with you. Initially quite understated, it responds to aeration like a young child peeking from around a corner and then running out, waving its hands. It suddenly hits you with gorgeous black cherries, bilberry, cedar and wilted rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth entry. This is utterly seductive: a wine without a hair out of place. It is not as powerful or as complex as the 2015 Mouton-Rothschild, yet the precision and focus here is beguiling. It will require five to seven years to absorb the 100% new oak, then it will be an utterly delicious and to use a term employed at en primeur, cerebral First Growth that is destined to give two or three decades of pleasure.