Winery: Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Country / Region: France / Bordeaux

Date Winery was established: 1853

Alcohol / Volume: 13% / 750ml

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

First Vintage released: 1874

Ratings: 94pts CellarTracker

Good to know: The château started life as Brane-Mouton, and was among the best in Bordeaux through the 18th and early 19th Centuries, although there was a dip in quality and price in the 1840s. The Rothschild family bought (and renamed) the property in 1853 and quickly restored its reputation, but not in time for the 1855 Classification of Médoc wines, in which Mouton was only ranked a second growth wine. Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion attained Premier Cru Classé status.

The grand vin is among the most highly rated and priced wines in the world, and is generally regarded as the most exuberant and powerful of all Bordeaux. It was famously added to the First Growths set out in the 1855 Classification in 1973.

Mouton's parent company, Baron Phillippe de Rothschild SA, also owns the Pauillac Châteaux d'Armailhac and Clerc Milon, Domaine de Baronarques in Limoux and various other wine brands. In partnership, it also owns Almaviva in Chile and Opus One in California, which began as a collaboration with Robert Mondavi. A different branch of the Rothschild family owns the adjacent Château Lafite-Rothschild property.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1989 is an opulent, aristocratic First Growth expression originating from the estate's renowned Günzian gravel plateau overlooking the Gironde estuary in Pauillac. Hailing from an exceptionally warm, historically early-ripening vintage, it is shaped by a blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (around 78%) alongside Merlot (around 14%) and Cabernet Franc (around 8%), matured in 100% new French oak barrels. The nose is flamboyant, fully mature, and unmistakably Mouton, unfurling with aromas of crème de cassis, stewed dark plums, and dried blackberries interwoven with roasted coffee bean, cigar box cedar, worn saddle leather, graphite, a hint of mint, and warm Asian spices. On the palate, it exhibits generous volume and tertiary complexity, delivering a supple, medium-to-full-bodied core of mature dark fruit supported by seamlessly melted, velvet-textured tannins and balanced acidity, coasting into an expansive, savory, and delicately roasted finish marked by lingering notes of sweet tobacco, cocoa, and crushed stone.