Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2015

JAMES SUCKLING: "Decadent and rich aromas of black cherries and plums with wet earth and sandalwood. Turns to dried mushrooms. Full-bodied, tight and closed with big, polished tannins, yet this is very closed and shy right now. Despite this, underneath it shows such depth and beauty. Tangy acidity. This is a combination of 2005 and 2009. Try it in 2024."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The crème de la crème from the northern Médoc is the 2015 Mouton Rothschild and this incredible wine flirts with perfection. Made from 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, this inky purple-colored effort offers sensational Cabernet flare in its crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, floral, and Asian spice aromas and flavors. It is full-bodied, dense, and incredibly concentrated, yet still has the sexy, opulent, seductive style of the vintage front and center. It will be a candidate for perfection in 10-12 years and is going to be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage. Hats off to Philippe Dhalluim and his team for this incredible effort that’s a step up over just about every other northern Médoc out there!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Exotic Asian spices, oyster shell, cigar wrapper and black fruits command your attention. On the palate, the wine is elegant, energetic, refined, polished and full bodied. Even with as much as it is showing now, there is even more going on that is held in reserve. The long, creamy, sensuous, concentrated finish sticks with you for close to 60 seconds."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2015 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc aged in 100% new oak with a mid-July 2017 bottling. Deep garnet-purple colored, this Mouton pulls off an incredibly impactful entrance, emerging from the glass with profound notes of blackberry preserves, plum pudding, crème de cassis and grilled meats, featuring perfectly accessorized accents of sandalwood, cinnamon stick and fenugreek with wafts of dried roses, unsmoked cigars and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely packed with rich, ripe black fruits sparked with blue and red fruit undertones and an incredible structure of very firm, very ripe tannins, with seamless freshness and an epically long, earth-laced finish. Possessing striking natural beauty framed by impeccable crafting, this 2015 is a total diva and well worth attention. Give it a good 7-8 years in bottle, at least, and drink it over the next 30+ years."

DECANTER: "Gorgeously confident and rich in colour, you can see the silkiness in the glass from the first look. This has 11% press wine, which tells you how good the skins were and how gently they extract at first. Winemaker Philippe Dhalluin and team have really succeeded in this vintage. It is beautifully integrated, and full of verve and sexiness, just stopping short of swagger. It approaches the heights of 2015 in the most successful appellations and will age well. Bottled in June, with zero oxygen added at bottling and just 25 ppm of SO2. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This is a hugely opulent wine, packed withblack fruits, rich tannins and great concentration. It is a gorgeous wine that's full of potential, with the dense, dark core showing how well this wine will age. Drink this complex wine from 2027."

WEINWISSER: "82 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 16 % Merlot, 2 % Cabernet Franc. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Das Bouquet beginnt genauso wie ein Mouton sein soll: röstig, reife Pflaumen, Cassis, Schwarztee und ein Hauch Minze. Überhaupt ein schier parfümierter Cabernet-Duft zeigend. Im Gaumen verführt er mit einer berauschenden Pauillac-Süsse, wieder pflaumig und mit deutlichen Cassisspuren, tolle Extraktion, aromatisches Finale. Kein Hammer- Mouton, sondern dieses Jahr auf Eleganz und Balance setzend. Irgendwie spürt man eine tendenziell frühere Genussmöglichkeit, ohne dass dabei Potenzial eingebüsst wird."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Offers a prodigious core of steeped fig, black currant and blackberry compote flavors, enmeshed with notes of smoldering tobacco, charcoal and licorice. Broad, deep and long, with a deep foundation of graphite through the finish. Despite the heft, this manages to show off some purity too. Best from 2025 through 2045."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral unterlegte rote Kirschenfrucht, Nuancen von Cassis, etwas Tabak und Nougat, zarte kandierte Orangenzesten, Lakritze-Akzente. Sehr elegant, feine Fruchtsüße, präsente Tannine, die gut eingebunden sind, mineralisch und anhaftend, frische Kirschen, zart nach Minze, extraktsüßer Abgang, bleibt haften, ein hocheleganter Wein, auf den man nicht mehr allzulange wird warten müssen."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Very heady and opulent on the nose. Really seductive. Broad with masses of interesting fruit that almost completely submerges the tannin. Savoury and interesting but not forced."