Quality 942 | Brand 999 | Economics 970 | buzz brand, investment staple
Quality: Predicted life of 15 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2008 vintage, which averages 10 years Brand: #1 Most sought after wine globally, with 93,283 searches on Wine-Searcher per month Economics: #1 most active wine at auction, its top 5 vintages having seen 5,632 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

From an underrated vintage for many Bordeaux wines, the 2008 Mouton-Rothschild reveals classic notes of cigar box, forest floor, underbrush, vanillin, camphor, chocolate and abundant blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Beautifully finessed tannins coat the mouth, giving the wine a savory, expansive texture with no hard edges. It still has some tannin to shed, but this beauty is evolving quickly, displaying wonderful secondary nuances. It should age for 25+ years.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #216, Dec 2014)

The 2008 Mouton Rothschild has a more open bouquet than I expected: blackberry, pencil box, a whiff of the Gironde estuary, a hint of pressed flowers with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet tannin, a little fleshier than the Château Margaux with a lovely saline finish that does not outstay its welcome. You could broach this now though personally I would prefer to wait. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits' annual 10-Year On tasting.)

– vinous.com, Feb 2018

Deep, bright ruby-red. Flamboyant aromas of cassis, roast coffee, chocolate, minerals and smoky oak. Large-scaled, concentrated and sweet; so seamless today as to seem a bit monolithic. But this powerfully structured Mouton is almost too big for the mouth. Finishes with big, broad tannins and outstanding palate-staining persistence. One of the stars of the vintage.

(a blend of 83% cabernet sauvignon and 17% merlot) Saturated purple-ruby. Pure, deep aromas of blackberry, cigar box and graphite, lifted by a delicate peppery note. Fresh balanced, scented and quite suave, with pure mineral, plum and redcurrant flavors. The slowly building, very long finish features ultra-smooth tannins and compelling subtle minerality. Yet another success for Mouton, and a testament to the talents of Philippe Dhalluin, the estate manager who came over from Branaire-Ducru and has really turned things around at Mouton. Bordeaux insiders know not to miss out on the fantastic '06 Mouton, which I rate ahead of their '05.

Tasted blind. Particularly dark crimson. Quite dramatic. Well balanced but a bit cool and lacking intensity – but it’s long and well balanced. I want to drink this! Very fresh. (JR)

Coffee, sweet spice, bonfire smoke and graphite on the nose. Impressive glossiness and purity to these flavours, and they combine beautifully on the palate. Mellow tannins, medium body, long persistence. (RH)