1995 Mouton-Rothschild

Mouton began harvesting its merlot on September 11, but then waited patiently for the cabernet sauvignon to ripen. "The maturity in '97 was blocked, and nothing budged," explained cellar manager Eric Tourbier. Finally, the estate harvested its best cabernet in a matter of just three days, according to Tourbier. Mouton makes a point of waiting for surmaturite (a pH of 3.8-3.85 is typical), and, indeed, my sample of the '97 showed a distinct note of cooked fruit reminiscent of so many wines from the 1983 vintage. It difficult to say whether this character comes from a percentage of raisined grapes or from prolonged heating of the must, but the result is a wine that appears to lack first-growth refinement. Tourbier believes the tannins of the '97 are softer than those of the '94; polyphenol levels were higher in both '95 and '96. Tourbier describes the former vintage as more concentrated and more perceptibly tannic, while the '96 is more fruity and elegant, and perhaps ultimately more complex. The 1995, he adds, is likely to stay closed for a long time.

Mouton began harvesting its merlot on September 11, but then waited patiently for the cabernet sauvignon to ripen. "The maturity in '97 was blocked, and nothing budged," explained cellar manager Eric Tourbier. Finally, the estate harvested its best cabernet in a matter of just three days, according to Tourbier. Mouton makes a point of waiting for surmaturite (a pH of 3.8-3.85 is typical), and, indeed, my sample of the '97 showed a distinct note of cooked fruit reminiscent of so many wines from the 1983 vintage. It difficult to say whether this character comes from a percentage of raisined grapes or from prolonged heating of the must, but the result is a wine that appears to lack first-growth refinement. Tourbier believes the tannins of the '97 are softer than those of the '94; polyphenol levels were higher in both '95 and '96. Tourbier describes the former vintage as more concentrated and more perceptibly tannic, while the '96 is more fruity and elegant, and perhaps ultimately more complex. The 1995, he adds, is likely to stay closed for a long time.

Mouton began harvesting its merlot on September 11, but then waited patiently for the cabernet sauvignon to ripen. "The maturity in '97 was blocked, and nothing budged," explained cellar manager Eric Tourbier. Finally, the estate harvested its best cabernet in a matter of just three days, according to Tourbier. Mouton makes a point of waiting for surmaturite (a pH of 3.8-3.85 is typical), and, indeed, my sample of the '97 showed a distinct note of cooked fruit reminiscent of so many wines from the 1983 vintage. It difficult to say whether this character comes from a percentage of raisined grapes or from prolonged heating of the must, but the result is a wine that appears to lack first-growth refinement. Tourbier believes the tannins of the '97 are softer than those of the '94; polyphenol levels were higher in both '95 and '96. Tourbier describes the former vintage as more concentrated and more perceptibly tannic, while the '96 is more fruity and elegant, and perhaps ultimately more complex. The 1995, he adds, is likely to stay closed for a long time.

Maître de chai Michel Bosq, who has been associated with this estate since 1956, told me that as of last September 2nd he had never seen such perfect grapes at Mouton. Despite the ensuing rains, he still considers the '95 a très grand millesime for Mouton, due in part to very low yields. This larger-than-life wine is indeed an attention-grabber, and will surely be a crowd-pleaser. One is tempted to view it as Mouton's response to those who have criticized recent vintages. Mouton Rothschild typically consists of 80% cabernet sauvignon, the rest merlot and cabernet franc, while Clerc-Milon features as much as 40% merlot.