Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2016

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Along with the Château Lafite, the 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild is the wine of the vintage from the Médoc and is a truly profound, magical, blockbuster wine in every sense. It’s based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in new French oak. Boasting a saturated purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of thick black fruits, lead pencil shavings, new saddle leather, and burning embers, with just a hint of its oak upbringing, this beauty hits the palate with a mammoth amount of fruit and texture yet stays fresh, pure, and light on its feet, with a thrilling sense of minerality as well as building tannins on the finish. It’s one of the most profound young wines I’ve ever tasted, and while it will probably keep for three-quarters of a decade, it offers pleasure even today. Bravo!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The nose can only be described as black currant liqueur. From there you find 5 spice, blackberry and wild cherry. The barrel aging has really concentrated this wine. Unctuous, intense, concentrated and flat out, delicious. It is not often Pauillac is described as decadent. But that is exactly what takes place here. The wine covers every taste receptor on your palate. If you have the chance to taste this elixir, don't pass on it. If you have the disposable income to lay this incredible wine down, do it,. As this is going to be impossibly expensive as it matures."

DECANTER: "A higher level of acidity than is usual for Mouton is buttressed by waves of fruit and tannin. It's a modern take on 1986 that shows the most wonderful precision of creme caramel, liquorice, blackcurrant, creme de cassis and cedar. It's opulent but also has great tension through the palate - a monumental Mouton that for me has gained in stature over the past two years of ageing. The idea of a drinking window almost feels like a mirage - the perfect moment is likely to recede into the distance time and time again. It could be drunk in the next decade perhaps, but it's going to take 20 years or more to really get into its stride. Easily one of the wines of the vintage, for me this is showing even better than during en primeur."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, mit feinen Gewürznoten unterlegte schwarze Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von Nougat und Edelholz, feiner Cassistouch im Hintergrund. Komplex, reife Herzkirschen, integrierte, reife Tannine, feines Brombeerkonfit, zarter Nougat, beeindruckendes Rückgrat, sehr viel Rasse und Frische, Brombeeren und Cassis im Abgang, mineralischer Nachhall, große Länge, sicheres Reifepotenzial."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The rich fruit in this wine nearly envelops the tannins. Flavors of black plums, blackberries and blueberries meld with intense acidity to mask the power and concentration of the polished tannins. With this structure, will age for many, many years. Do not drink before 2026."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A generous, pure and lush ball of Cabernet, with wave after wave of unadulterated cassis and blackberry puree flavors rolling through. Features notes of roasted apple wood and sweet tobacco, offset by a long tug of sweet earth, but that's all background music to the impressive core of fruit, which steams along like a cruise ship with enough stores in reserve to go around the world twice without stopping. Best from 2025 through 2045."

WEINWISSER: "83 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 % Merlot, 1 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot. Dunkles Purpur mit satter Mitte und lila Rand. Dicht verwobenes blaubeeriges Bouquet mit Brombeeren und Lakritze, dahinter schwarze Johannisbeeren und ein Touch After-Eight-Minze. Am Gaumen mit stützendem Tannin, fein aufrauend, aber in der Entwicklung am weitesten von allen drei Pauillac-Premiers, da ist Fülle und Frische bereits in Balance, ein beruhigender Mouton, der frühes Genussvergnügen bereiten wird."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Rich, round and juicy. Very transparent and easy and beautiful. Just the job. Great balance. Glorious."