Chateau Mouton Rothschild - Pauillac Red 1er Grand Cru classe 2012

Wine Region: Bordeaux - France

Grape: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc.

Tasting notes: "Tasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2012 Mouton-Rothschild clearly has the upper hand over the 2011, if not quite at the level of the 2009, 2010 and what I envisage will be the 2015. There is obviously greater fruit intensity here, as if the contrast has been dialed up a couple of notches. It is quite showy on the nose, preening in its infancy with pure black cherries, graphite and hints of cold slate-like scents, later that hint of seaweed I observed when tasted blind a few months earlier. The palate is beautifully balanced with great vim and vigor. This is a Mouton that will not be put down - vivacious, vivid and delineated with wonderful focus and crucially, impressive persistence on the finish. Do not underestimate this Mouton-Rothschild, because I can see an upswing as it matures in bottle. Tasted April 2016." Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate

Expert Rating: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96/100.

About the winery: Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild bought the chateau in 1853 but the legend of "Mouton" began in 1922 with Baron Philippe de Rothschild. At the age of 21 and driven by ambition full of originality, Baron decided to devote his life to forge for the winery an identity and a worldwide fame, which, from its first hour, inspired a sense of pride for Bordeaux as a whole. In 1945, to celebrate the liberation, "V" for Victory crowns the label of the vintage, an initiative that will mark the beginning of a series of original works created each year by famous painters.

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