You really see the soil of Mouton in this wine with wet earth, stone and currants on the nose and palate. Full body, velvety tannins and a long and flavorful finish. - jamessuckling.com, February 2016

The 2013 Mouton Rothschild is delicate, pretty and nicely lifted throughout, with a Pinot-like purity to its fruit. A distinctly lithe Mouton, the 2013 should offer fine drinking over the next two decades, or so although it is certainly not a blockbuster. Bright red cherry, raspberry rose petal and blood orange are some of the signatures. Seventeen millimeters of rain at the end of the season caused an outbreak of rot and resulted in a compact harvest between September 30 and October 9. Because of the wine's mid-weight structure, Philippe Dhalluin brought the new oak down to about 80%. The 2013 is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. This is the second vintage made in the new cellar. More importantly, the 2013 is far more impressive from bottle than it was from barrel. Approximately 45% of the crop was used for the Grand Vin.

The 2013 Le Petit Mouton, one of the go-to second labels under winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, has an attractive blackberry, raspberry coulis and bay leaf scented bouquet that is simple but fresh and well defined. The palate is medium-bodied and initially angular in the mouth. The sharp acidity slight jars at first, although there are attractive blackcurrant pastilles that leaven what could have been a hard finish, dominated by the Cabernet Sauvignon that comprised 93% of the blend. This is a great deuxième vin that punches above its weight for the vintage, even if it does not quite match its showing from barrel. - robertparker.com, October 2016

Saturated ruby-red. Primary aromas of crushed blackberry, raspberry and violet. Then minerally and light on its feet, showing pure, sharply delineated flavors of black fruits, licorice and herbs. This has impressive concentration and spine for a second wine, finishing persistent and smooth, with a bright violet note. One of the two or three best second wines of the vintage; it won't age for a long time but should provide delicious drinking during its first five or six years of life in bottle.

Quality 729 | Brand 811 | Economics 975 |
Quality: Above the average quality score of its peer group for the 2013 vintage, 691 Brand: One of the most talked-about wines by the fine wine trade, with mention frequency in the top 10% in Wine Lister's proprietary Founding Member survey Economics: The 2013 vintage has exceptional long term price performance, with 3 year CAGR of 30% Production:

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

Tasted blind. Deep garnet. Very toasty aroma. Really tough. (JH)