Producer | Château Mouton-Rothschild |
Country | France |
Region | Bordeaux |
Subregion | Pauillac |
Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
Vintage | 2003 |
Sku | 123971 |
Size | 750ml |
A heady exotic wine the 2003 Mouton Rothschild takes hold of all the senses. The ripeness and exuberance of the year comes through in spades as this dramatic opulent wine shows off its radiant personality. The 2003 can be enjoyed now but it could also use another few years for the tannins to soften. Still the 2003 is pretty hard to resist today. This is an exceptional deeply satisfying Mouton endowed with notable richness but also exceptional balance. Hints of toffee torrefaction and dark spices are laced into the finish. In 2003 the blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon 14% Merlot 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot all brought in between a fairly narrow window of ten days between September 15 and 25.
vThis wine is dominated by new wood which goes right through the big dark fruit flavors and tannins. Very ripe cassis flavors are under this wood waiting likely for many years before the wood flavors subside. This is very much in the modern polished style of Mouton today made even more pronounced by the heat of the 2003 vintage.
\"Blackberry cherry and currant with just a hint of toasted oak. Full-bodied with silky tannins and a lovely combination of ripe fruit and vanilla character. Goes on and on. Long and very stylish. Balanced and refined ...\"
"By no means the strongest of the first-growths in 2003 in fact the 2003 Mouton is probably the weakest. The selection process that was implemented by new administrator Philippe Dhalluin a few years later had not yet gone into effect. The harvest took place between September 15-25 and the wine shows lots of opulent cassis a hint of roasted coffee and an evolved fully mature style with light tannin in the finish. I wouldn?t push my luck although it is certainly capable of lasting another decade. There may be a tendency for the tannins to give the wine a more desiccated overall impression five or six years from now."