Le Petit Mouton De Mouton-Rothschild 2005

SKU
PMCM200510 UCAU
  • The second wine of Premier Cru Estate, Mouton Rothschild
  • A dark red with a cherry tint, the wine has an ample, expressive nose that opens on attractive toast enhanced by red berry fruit, black cherry, and a touch of spice.
  • Full, round and substantial on the attack, it displays an elegant, rich, and well-integrated structure of silky tannins, developing a generous, complete, and nicely balanced palate
  • 1 or more bottles
    $775.01
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  • Stephen Tanzer
    90 points

Editors notes

The second wine of Premier Cru Estate, Mouton Rothschild, one of the most esteemed producers in the world.

Weather conditions for the 2005 vintage were unusual, since the year was 0.3°C colder than the average for the last forty years, mainly due to cooler-than-normal nights.

The period from April to September was particularly dry, with only 313 mm of rainfall being recorded between the start of the year and the harvest, compared with an average of 602 mm. However, these exceptional conditions did not affect the usual pace of the vegetation cycle. Flowering occurred for all three varieties around 5 June and veraison took place a few days earlier than the average, between 1 and 8 August. The grapes were harvested between 21 September and 6 October in conditions that may be described as ideal. Although the atypically dry weather meant that yields were relatively low, the wines show rich, powerful and stylish tannins. Overall, the profile of the 2005 vintage is rather reminiscent of 1976, 1982 and 1995.

A dark red with a cherry tint, the wine has an ample, expressive nose that opens on attractive toast enhanced by red berry fruit, black cherry, and a touch of spice. Full, round and substantial on the attack, it displays an elegant, rich, and well-integrated structure of silky tannins, developing a generous, complete, and nicely balanced palate on liquorice, cherry-stone and pepper notes. The powerful, richly flavoured, and highly expressive finish of a top Pauillac in an excellent year underlines its family resemblance with the senior wine.

Details

Tasting Profile

  • Light (Light)
    Full (Full)
  • Low Tannin (Low Tannin)
    Tannic (Tannic)
  • Sweet (Sweet)
    Dry (Dry)
  • Low Acidity (Low Acidity)
    High Acidity (High Acidity)
  • Aroma
    • Blueberry
    • Boysenberry
    • Herbal
  • Palate
    • Blue Fruits
    • Cassis
    • Graphite

Food Pairings

  • Pork
  • Red Meat

Critic Scores & reviews

  • Stephen Tanzer

    90
    "Ruby-red. Pungent aromas of currant, lead pencil, minerals, and flowers. Juicy, floral and precise, with a penetrating flavour of blackcurrant. In a leaner style but with lovely sweetness of fruit and some incipient complexity suggesting that this will be drinkable within four or five years. Very good for this second wine."

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Locations

France

Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.

Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.

Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)

The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.

The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.

Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.

Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.

Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.

About the brand Chateau Mouton Rothschild

In 1853 Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild purchased an existing chateau, Brane-Mouton in the Paulliac appellation of Bordeaux's left bank and named his property Mouton Rothschild. Excluded from the top tier in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, de Rothschild's great-grandson, Baron Philippe won a long fight to upgrade the status of his chateau in 1973, thus naming Chateau Mouton Rothschild one of five First Growths. After Philippe's death in 1988, his daughter Baroness Philippine inherited the estate. Sadly, the Baroness passed away in August 2014 but her family legacy is intact as her descendants continue to operate the estate.

The vineyard soils consist predominantly of inhospitable gravel, allowing Cabernet Sauvignon to shine to its purest expression. With 203 acres under vine, 77% are planted to Cabernet, while the remainder is home to Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Often referred to as exotic in style, Mouton Rothschild's grand vin broke the record for the world's most expensive wine in 2006 when a twelve-bottle lot of the 1945 vintage was sold Christie's auction for $290,000.

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