Château Mouton Rothschild - Pauillac 2005
Château Mouton Rothschild Description
The wine has an attractive colour, dark, deep and still very young, and an elegant, complex nose that combines refined notes of oak, toast and vanilla with intense, wild berry fruit. Touches of mint and spice complete the array, bringing freshness and originality. The palate is both powerful and substantial, revealing attractively close-knit, juicy and succulent tannins combined with concentrated blackcurrant and blackberry flavours that reinforce the impression of fullness of flavour. The finish is very long, carried by a touch of sweetness and the perfect expression of rich, ripe Cabernet Sauvignon typical of great Pauillac vintages.
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
The 2005 Mouton Rothschild will have to take a back seat to the prodigious 2006, but administrator Philippe Dalhuin deserves considerable credit for pushing Mouton to higher quality levels over recent years. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot, the dark purple-hued 2005 exhibits a restrained but promising nose of cedar, tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, and toasty oak. Full-bodied, tannic, and extremely backward, with the vintage's tell-tale acidity, it appears to be even more closed in the bottle than it was from barrel. It does possess a long finish and multilayered mouthfeel. This is an undeniably outstanding, yet restrained, shy wine for a Mouton Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040+
Wine Spectator: 95 Points
Dark purple black in color. Complex aromas of mineral, licorice, lead pencil and blackberry follow through to a full body, with ultrafine tannins and a caressing, pretty finish. Has a lovely texture. Shows elegance and refinement. Best after 2012.
Stephen Tanzer: 95 Points
"Full ruby-red. Explosive, superripe aromas of black raspberry, currant, graphite and tobacco leaf. Outsized, opulent and generous; this big boy saturates the entire mouth. There's an almost exotic character to the plum and cedar flavors. Spreads out impressively on the back end, coating the palate with ripe tannins. The 2006 is at once finer and more powerful, with more noble tannins, but this is more opulent."
Wine Enthusiast: 95 Points
If 2005 was a rich year, Mouton reaches the heights of richness. Almost too rich, too New World, but you have to be impressed by the aromatic intensity of the black fruits, the dense, firm tannins, and the superripe black juice and licorice flavors. The wood is still too overpowering and needs time to settle in.
