CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 1er Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac 2022 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2022 is a compelling modern Pauillac combining power with clarity. Deep ruby with purple hints, it shows blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherry, with violet, graphite and discreet cedar, clove and toast. Full bodied with muscular yet refined structure, fine tannins and lively acidity, the palate offers cassis, plum, olive tapenade, smoked meat, dark chocolate and espresso, with a saline mineral thread and persistent finish. Matured in French oak, approachable with careful decanting but built for long ageing. Drink 2028 to 2050. Pair with roast beef, lamb with herb crust, game and mature cheeses. Critics: James Suckling 100 ; "Quintessential, great Bordeaux with no limits." Decanter 99 ; "Controlled power." The Wine Advocate 97 ; "Prodigious Mouton built for the cellar."

ABOUT THIS WINE
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1er Grand Cru Classe Pauillac 2022 is a compelling modern expression from one of Bordeaux’s greatest estates, combining Pauillac power with clarity and precision. The colour is a deep ruby with youthful purple hints. The nose opens with pure blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, followed by layers of blue fruit and a bright seam of black cherry. Floral notes of violet and a gentle graphite minerality appear with aeration, while discreet oak contributes cedar, clove and a toastiness that enhances rather than masks the varietal profile.

On the palate the wine is full bodied with a muscular yet refined frame. Fine grained tannins provide structure and grip while a lively vein of acidity keeps the fruit vibrant and forward. Primary fruit of blackcurrant, plum and dark cherry is joined by savoury elements of olive tapenade, smoked meat and bay leaf, and secondary notes of dark chocolate and espresso add depth to the mid palate. There is a saline mineral thread and a faint iron note that reinforce the Pauillac signature and extend the finish.

The 2022 vintage in Bordeaux was marked by a warm and dry growing season with some late summer showers in places that helped maintain balance. At Mouton the result is ripe, expressive fruit combined with fresh acidity and polished tannins, producing wines that are generous yet precise and built for both early enjoyment and long term ageing.

Matured in new and seasoned French oak with attentive élevage, this bottling is approachable with careful decanting now but will reward medium to long term cellaring as tertiary complexity develops. Drink 2028 to 2050, peaking 2034 to 2042. Serve with roast or braised beef, lamb with herb crust, game and mature hard cheeses to match the wine’s power and refinement.

JAMES SUCKLING 100 points
Wow. The aromas here are so complete with blackcurrants, asphalt, violets, lead pencil, orange blossoms and black truffles. A perfect nose. It's full-bodied yet tied down with seamless tannins that run the length of the wine and give such a seductive mouthfeel and persistence. A vintage with one of the highest percentages of cabernet sauvignon ever. Quintessential, great Bordeaux with no limits. Drink after 2028.
James Suckling, Senior Editor

DECANTER 99 points
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 09 Jan 2025) Part of Best Pauillac 2022 tasted in bottle
Drinking Window: 2031 - 2050
Spicy liquorice, bitter chocolate, tobacco, cigar, and aniseed on the nose. Round and bright, with juicy, delicate fruit and velvety tannins. Super concentrated yet graceful, layering ripeness, freshness, and stoniness. Controlled power - soft in texture but packed with Cabernet structure. Starts juicy and creamy, then surges with depth and length. Sweet black fruit meets cool, steely minerality, giving complexity and definition. Black liquorice on a sticky finish. Bold for Mouton but outstanding, this is going to deliver for decades. 3.68pH. Ageing 100% new oak.

JANCIS ROBINSON 19 points
Tasted blind. Deeper crimson than most. Nose is really buried! Savoury and saline and mineral. Not nearly ready but with masses of ambition. Tannins are not ridiculous but it’s just backward. (JR)

THE WINE ADVOCATE 97 points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Drink Date: 2032 - 2065
The 2022 Mouton Rothschild is one of the most muscular, almost brutally powerful wines of the vintage. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums and sweet crème de cassis mingled with notions of espresso roast, pencil lead and petroleum jelly, it's full-bodied, dense and concentrated, with huge reserves of tannin and fruit. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot that represents 49% of the estate's production, this is a prodigious Mouton that's built for the cellar.

VINOUS 97 points
Drinking window: 2032 - 3075
The 2022 Mouton Rothschild, built around 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, is a little reticent at first, as I noticed at primeur. It just requires several swirls of the glass to reveal its core of blackcurrant, cassis and violet scents. Underlying crushed stone and iodine notes join the chorus line later. The palate has exquisite balance. It is very concentrated, as you would expect, and perhaps a little more so than out of barrel—layers of black fruit fill and lacquer the mouth. Rich but effortlessly controlled, the 2022 fans out with decadence on the persistent finish. This is an audacious Mouton Rothschild that will offer decades of drinking pleasure.
Neal Martin. Tasting date: January 2025

WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 points
96-98 Barrel sample. Big and bold, this is a classic Mouton, with the difference of acidity and freshness. The wine's structure shows some powerful tannins, giving richness balanced by a crisp touch at the end. — Roger Voss

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ABOUT CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD
Château Mouton Rothschild is a First Growth from the 1855 Classification with a rich history of viticulture that stretches back to Roman times. The estate entered the Rothschild family in 1853 and was transformed in the modern era by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who assumed control in 1922. Baron Philippe professionalised production and was a pioneer of château bottling from 1924. He also introduced the celebrated practice of commissioning a contemporary artist to design each vintage label, attracting names such as Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.

Baroness Philippine de Rothschild further elevated the house through sustained investment in the vineyards and cellars, including the inauguration of a new vat house in 2013. Today the estate remains family owned, managed by her three children Philippe and Camille Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, who continue the family tradition of combining custodianship with innovation.

Viticulture at Mouton places emphasis on careful vine management, precise parcel selection and strict yield control to achieve fully ripe, concentrated fruit destined for long ageing. The property extends to approximately 83 hectares planted predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon at 78 percent, followed by Merlot at 18 percent, Cabernet Franc at 3 percent and Petit Verdot at 1 percent. The average age of the vines is around 45 years.

The winemaking team is now led by Jean Emmanuel Danjoy, who succeeded Philippe Dhalluin in 2020. Danjoy brought extensive experience from his previous role as director at Château Clerc Milon and from more than a decade working alongside Dhalluin. Vinification favours small parcel handling, meticulous sorting, temperature controlled fermentations and thoughtful oak ageing to build depth while preserving clarity of fruit.

In style Mouton Rothschild is often described as opulent and flamboyant, with powerful aromas of cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite and mineral notes, layered over generous palate textures and impressive finishing length. The wines combine ripe intensity with structure and remarkable longevity.