Real purity of fruit with currants, blackberries and flowers that show on both the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins that are polished and creamy. Delicious finish. So attractive now. Second wine of Mouton. Ethereal. But give this three or four years to come around. March 2021

Is Le Petit Mouton the best second wine from Bordeaux today? After tasting the 2018, it is a distinct possibility. Dark in color, the nose jumps with 5 spice, currants, smoke, blackberries and light oak aromas. Silky, lush and polished with layers of sweet, ripe, fresh, round red fruits that build and linger. Disarmingly easy to taste, this has the ability to age for at least two decades. Blended using 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14% ABV, part of the reason the wine feels so rich that for the first time, the wine was aged in 100% new, French oak barrels, instead of closer to 50%. Tasted March 2021

A brilliant effort that matches most estates' Grand Vins, the 2018 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc) reveals a deep purple hue as well as a ripe yet fresh bouquet of crème de cassis, candied violets, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and background oak, with a touch of rocky, crushed stone-like minerality showing with time in the glass. Beautifully concentrated and full-bodied, with a solid spine of acidity and ripe polished tannins, give bottles 5-7 years, and it's going to evolve for 20-30 years or more. This is a serious, elegant yet powerful second wine. March 2021

Exuberant as always but here with pretty serious tannins, the result of small berries and a low yield of 28hl/ha, so a little more tension than many vintages of Petit Mouton (they also harvested a little earlier). This gives a finesse that is highly appealing with tons of coffee, chocolate and damson character. 26% of overall production - a little less than usual - and 11% press wine. Harvest September 10 to October 3. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 10 Nov 2020)
Part of Best 2018 Bordeaux second wines: Re-tasted in the bottle

The 2018 Le Petit Mouton is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. It represents about 26% of the total crop and has 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it struts its way out of the glass with showy, flamboyant scents of Morello cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, preserved plums and black raspberries, plus suggestions of potpourri and Chinese five spice. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers fantastic freshness with velvety tannins and loads of spicy sparks emanating from the red and black berry preserves layers, finishing with a minty kick. LPB March 2021

Just as it was from barrel, the 2018 Le Petit-Mouton is fleshy, radiant and very easy to enjoy. Soft contours and silky tannins add to its considerable allure. Because of low yields, the Petit-Mouton was aged entirely in new oak. Rich, sumptuous and bold to the core, the 2018 is a rock star wine. March 2021

Dark, rich fruit, edged with new oak vanilla characters.Intense palate with some good freshness and expression. - April 2019

The 2018 Le Petit Mouton continues a strong run for this Second Wine. It has an upfront, quite bold bouquet offering a mixture of red and black fruit, freshly tilled soil, potpourri and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins on the entry. A structured Le Petit Mouton with good grip and salinity. It becomes a little peppery toward the finish, and the graphite lingering on the aftertaste is très Pauillac. Excellent. March 2021

Black cherry to the rim, very dark. Ripe, sweet and gently chocolatey on the nose. Ripe plum and cassis. Fleshy and generous on the palate, rounded and smooth even though there's clearly massive structure. Just enough freshness. Rich rather than elegant, the fruit ripe and lifted. Much more open than many wines from this vintage. Fruit bomb but well structured and just a hint of chocolate.Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2019