Ratings & Tasting Notes:

100 points James Suckling

Dark ruby, purple color. Aromas of blackcurrants, black truffle, crushed stone, licorice and hints of tar. Full-bodied, deep and vertical on the palate, drawing you in and down. The structure is very tannic and powerful, yet the tannins are folded into the wine. One of the most powerful Moutons ever for me. Try after 2027.

100 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild has an opaque garnet-purple color. WOW—the nose explodes from the glass with powerful blackcurrant cordial, black raspberries, blueberry pie and melted chocolate notions, plus suggestions of aniseed, camphor, lifted kirsch and the faintest waft of a subtle floral perfume in the background. Full-bodied, concentrated, bold and totally seductive in the mouth, it has very fine-grained, silt-like tannins, while jam-packed with tightly wound fruit layers, finishing in this wonderful array of mineral sparks. Magic.

100 points Jeb Dunnuck

Along with the Château Lafite, the 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild is the wine of the vintage from the Médoc and is a truly profound, magical, blockbuster wine in every sense. It’s based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in new French oak. Boasting a saturated purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of thick black fruits, lead pencil shavings, new saddle leather, and burning embers, with just a hint of its oak upbringing, this beauty hits the palate with a mammoth amount of fruit and texture yet stays fresh, pure, and light on its feet, with a thrilling sense of minerality as well as building tannins on the finish. It’s one of the most profound young wines I’ve ever tasted, and while it will probably keep for three-quarters of a decade, it offers pleasure even today. Bravo!

99 points Decanter

A higher level of acidity than is usual for Mouton is buttressed by waves of fruit and tannin. It’s a modern take on 1986 that shows the most wonderful precision of creme caramel, liquorice, blackcurrant, creme de cassis and cedar. it’s opulent but also has great tension through the palate – a monumental Mouton that for me has gained in stature over the past two years of ageing. The idea of a drinking window almost feels like a mirage – the perfect moment is likely to recede into the distance time and time again. It could be drunk in the next decade perhaps, but it’s going to take 20 years or more to really get into its stride. Easily one of the wines of the vintage, for me this is showing even better than during en primeur. 1% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

98 points Wine Enthusiast

The rich fruit in this wine nearly envelops the tannins. Flavors of black plums, blackberries and blueberries meld with intense acidity to mask the power and concentration of the polished tannins. With this structure, will age for many, many years. Do not drink before 2026.

98 points Wine Spectator

A generous, pure and lush ball of Cabernet, with wave after wave of unadulterated cassis and blackberry puree flavors rolling through. Features notes of roasted apple wood and sweet tobacco, offset by a long tug of sweet earth, but that’s all background music to the impressive core of fruit, which steams along like a cruise ship with enough stores in reserve to go around the world twice without stopping. Best from 2025 through 2045.

Cult Wines International Notes:

Château Mouton Rothschild is one of the most famous and prestigious wineries in the world, located in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux, France. The estate is celebrated for producing one of the most sought-after and collectible Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines.

The winery’s history is intertwined with a legendary rebellion against the established order. In the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Château Mouton Rothschild was controversially ranked as a Second Growth, despite its reputation for quality. For over a century, the owner, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, campaigned tirelessly with the famous motto: “First, I cannot be. Second, I do not deign to be. Mouton, I am.” This led to a monumental achievement in 1973 when the classification was revised, and Mouton was elevated to the status of a First Growth, the only change to the original 1855 classification.

Beyond its winemaking prowess, Mouton Rothschild is also famous for its annual tradition of commissioning a different renowned artist to design the label for each vintage. This practice began in 1945 and has featured works from a who’s who of modern art, including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons. These unique labels have made each vintage a piece of collectible art, adding to the wine’s allure and value. The estate’s wines are known for their power, complexity, and incredible longevity, often described as having concentrated black fruit, cassis, and cigar box notes that evolve beautifully with age.