This is incredibly complex, with all the cabernet descriptors, from mint and lead pencil to blackberry, blackcurrant and menthol. It changes all the time in the glass, just as in the nose. Yet, it remains cool and classy. Full-bodied with very fine, tight tannins that run the length of the wine, carrying on and on and on. Well-framed and compact wine. Never-ending procession of currant, berry and black cherry fruit, together with licorice, earth and just a hint of black truffle. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Give this until 2028 to show its true greatness.

The blend this year is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, harvested from the 18th of September to the 5th of October. Opaque purple-black colored, the 2019 Mouton Rothschild simply shines, even at this very nascent stage, beaming from the glass with bright, vibrant scents of crème de cassis, blueberry preserves, boysenberries and black raspberries plus fragrant suggestions of lilacs, dark chocolate, sandalwood, jasmine tea and woodsmoke with a spicy waft of star anise. The medium-bodied palate shimmers with energy, featuring tightly wound layers of black fruits, exotic spices and mineral notions, framed by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing with epic length and perfume. This year's profound expression is without doubt a legend in the making. (For number crunchers, the alcohol is 13.5% this year, slightly lower than 2018, which came in at 13.8%.) Lisa Perrotti-Brown, June 2020

The 2019 Mouton Rothschild has a magnificent bouquet that gradually unfolds in the glass to reveal blackberry, iodine, touches of crushed violet and then, with time, that gorgeous mintiness, just like you get in the 1945 (not that this is the 1945). The palate is beautifully balanced with a lattice of fine, succulent tannins, pure black fruit laced with graphite, blood orange, a touch of black pepper and a hint of pitted black olives on the finish. Very persistent in the mouth, this is a brilliant Mouton-Rothschild that will blossom with bottle age.

A deep intense nose, this is another brilliant Pauillac First Growth in 2019, all different in style and true to themselves. The tannins are ripe and fleshed out, taking a confident hold around well-textured blackberry and cassis fruits that are fluid, supple and frankly delicious. This is pure Mouton, you couldn't mistake it, with its touch of mocha and chocolate, and its core of freshness. Has a feel of the 1996 about it. Harvest September 19 to October 5 (finishing a little earlier that Clerc and Armailhac because Mouton is always an early terroir due to its abundance of pure gravel). Jane Anson, June 2020

“This is Mouton” – showy, ripe, fresh, a textbook glass of Pauillac Cabernet. The style of 2019 is linear rather than broad, running on acidity not power. The texture dances but carries loads of pixelated blackcurrant fruit. Surprisingly open but in no way looking at a short life thanks to its perfect harmony and fruit intensity. This is an athletic Mouton, not burly in any way; a Mouton for our times.

The 2019 Château Mouton Rothschild offers the same crème de cassis, graphite, toasted spice, and gravelly minerality, yet turns up the dial and is full-bodied, concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and has the purity and elegance of the vintage, yet brings plenty of power. The tannins are incredibly polished, which will give this plenty of early appeal, yet it's still going to evolve for 40-50 years or more. A more elegant version of the 2009? A blend 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it's quintessential Pauillac as well as a textbook 2019. June 2020

The 2019 Mouton Rothschild is dark, sensual and enveloping. Readers will find a Mouton of notable finesse and class. In this tasting, the Grand Vin comes across as quite restrained, with lifted aromatics and tons of elegance, but also quite a bit in reserve. Time in the glass brings out the wine's aromatic presence and overall depth. June 2020