2016 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Case of 6 btls

RP100 "Composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild has an opaque garnet-purple color. WOW—the nose explodes from the glass with powerful blackcurrant cordial, black raspberries, blueberry pie and melted chocolate notions, plus suggestions of aniseed, camphor, lifted kirsch and the faintest waft of a subtle floral perfume in the background. Full-bodied, concentrated, bold and totally seductive in the mouth, it has very fine-grained, silt-like tannins, while jam-packed with tightly wound fruit layers, finishing in this wonderful array of mineral sparks. Magic." LPB Oct 2019

JD100 "I believe the 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild will be one of the legendary wines of the 21st century, and it might be the finest wine I've ever tasted. Still deep purple-hued and incredibly young, it offers an incredible sense of purity and precision in its darker currant, blueberry, and cassis-like fruits as well as classic graphite, lead pencil, violet, and tobacco aromatics. With flawless balance and perfect integration of its fruit, acidity, oak, and tannins, this concentrated, full-bodied, utterly magical Pauillac is going to need 15 years to hit its prime drink window, and I suspect will see its 75th birthday in fine form. The blend is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 1% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot." JD May 2023

LP100 "A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild has a pH of 3.62 and a very deep purple black color. It is very closed to begin, requiring a lot of swirling to unleash a powerful wall of crème de cassis, juicy black plums, and scents of boysenberries, followed by nuances of star anise, incense, violets, crushed rocks, and camphor, plus emerging iron ore and rose oil hints. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and perfumed floral and exotic spice accents, framed by beautifully ripe, plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with an epically long fruit and mineral firework display. Gorgeous!" LPB for TWI Dec 2022

AG100 "A towering, thrilling wine, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild is unbelievably beautiful today. Aromatics, fruit density and vertical structure all come together. In the glass, the 2016 is remarkably vivid and powerful, and yet a gentler, more feminine side emerges with time in the glass. The intense, mineral, savory profile recalls the 1986, but the 2016 has more grace, inner sweetness and sophistication than that wine. Even so, the 2016 is going to need at least a number of years in bottle before it starts drinking well, although it won't be the bruiser the 1986 remains to this day. This is breathtaking wine from Mouton, Tecnical Director Philippe Dhalluin and his team." AG for VM Jan 2019

JS100 "Dark ruby, purple color. Aromas of blackcurrants, black truffle, crushed stone, licorice and hints of tar. Full-bodied, deep and vertical on the palate, drawing you in and down. The structure is very tannic and powerful, yet the tannins are folded into the wine. One of the most powerful Moutons ever for me. Try after 2027." JS Jan 2019

William Kentridge
The owners of Mouton, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild, and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, commissioned the 2016 vintage label from painter, sculptor, video artist, and stage director William Kentridge. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1955, Kentridge is the first internationally renowned artist from the African continent to illustrate a Mouton label. Exhibiting in the world’s leading galleries and the winner of prestigious prizes, he asserts a “political art” that is nevertheless open to both humour and poetry.
In his work for Mouton, The Triumphs of Bacchus, the silhouettes he assembles in a joyful procession are inspired by Bacchic characters from the paintings of great masters from Titian to Matisse. This underlines the truth that a great wine, although first and foremost a pleasure, is also inseparable from a cultural tradition which demands respect and moderation—not least Château Mouton Rothschild 2016! Published: chateau-mouton-rothschild.com