A medium-bodied, lighter style of Mouton. Paler in colour, this has a cool, leafy, slightly herbal character with some cooked fruit on the nose. Fresh, black and raspberry characters on the palate. Lacking a bit of concentration, this is at its best now, and finishes a bit short. Harvested 11 September to 30 September. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 55% of production used for the Grand Vin. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2021
Tasted by: Andy Howard MW (at Red Herring Wine Club, London, 24 Sep 2021)
Part of Château Mouton Rothschild vertical: 1993 - 1999

Spicy cassis, incense, cedar chest, tobacco and smoke aromas, medium body and a light, black raspberry and spice filled finish are found in this wine. This is showing well today. However, it is not a vintage of Mouton Rothschild I’d hold for further aging. May 2012

Deep ruby. Exotic, enticing aromas of black fruits, cherry cough syrup, roast coffee and caramel, along with pungent oakiness. Sweet, fat and thick in the mouth, but with adequate framing acidity. Quite ripe on the back end, with much finer tannins than the foregoing '97s.

Only 55% of the harvest was utilized for the 1997 Mouton-Rothschild. One of the most forward and developed Moutons over recent years, it possesses all the charm and fleshiness this vintage can provide. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, and an open-knit nose of cedar wood, blackberry liqueur, cassis, and coffee. Fleshy, ripe, and mouth-filling, with low acidity, soft tannin, and admirable concentration and length, this delicious Pauillac will be drinkable in 2-3 years, and should age for 15+. It is an impressive effort for this vintage.

The appearance is similar to Latour ’97 and in fact the nose seems to have more vigour althought the new oak is not so seamlessly melded. Blackberry, a touch of cassis, but the oak sticks out rather. The palate is full-bodied, quite dense with a touch of opulence and showiness about it (well, it is Mouton!) I am not sure about the balance: difficult to discern the fruit intensity under than oak. Leathery finish. Not bad. Drink 2010-2020.Tasted September 2006.

A curious wine this, with bottle deposit lining the inside of the bottle and by far the most sediment. Crimson and a relatively light rim. Big, sweet but rather simple, so much so that the acidity is rather showcased. Solid, earthbound, sweet and flattering to the taster but not flattered by being next to the much more engaging, subtler Lafite. JR