2003 Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

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2003
96
Cigar box, jammy black raspberry, mint, ash, tobacco, cedar wood, cloves, cinnamon and wet forest floor notes start the fireworks. On the palate, the rich, sensuous, flamboyant, showy wine is a hedonistic treat for the senses from start to finish. The early harvest took place between September 15 and September 25. The wine was made from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Cigar box, jammy black raspberry, mint, ash, tobacco, cedar wood, cloves, cinnamon and wet forest floor notes start the fireworks. On the palate, the rich, sensuous, flamboyant, showy wine is a hedonistic treat for the senses from start to finish. The early harvest took place between September 15 and September 25. The wine was made from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

12,174 Views   Tasted
In a vintage that produced several legendary wines from the Northern Medoc, the 2003 Mouton Rothschild is a bit of a disappointment. From a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is already starting to open up, which is a rarity for Mouton, a wine that's known for often taking decades to mature. Tobacco, earth, Asian spice, creme de cassis, blueberry, smoke, licorice and gravel scents produce the perfume. Soft and opulent in texture, with a flamboyant personality, the wine is surprisingly low in ABV for the vintage at 12.9%. It lacks that special something found in the top wines from the controversial vintage.

In a vintage that produced several legendary wines from the Northern Medoc, the 2003 Mouton Rothschild is a bit of a disappointment. From a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is already starting to open up, which is a rarity for Mouton, a wine that's known for often taking decades to mature. Tobacco, earth, Asian spice, creme de cassis, blueberry, smoke, licorice and gravel scents produce the perfume. Soft and opulent in texture, with a flamboyant personality, the wine is surprisingly low in ABV for the vintage at 12.9%. It lacks that special something found in the top wines from the controversial vintage.

14,152 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Mouton Rothschild is not a wine to drink on the young side. The wine is usually far too tannic, concentrated, and reserved during its youth. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 3-6 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild is usually better with at least 15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Latour offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 18 and 60 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Mouton Rothschild with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Mouton Rothschild is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Mouton Rothschild is also good when matched with Asian dishes, Chinese food, rich fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, and pasta.

Aile d'Argent, the white wine of Mouton Rothschild with wine and food matches are perfect for the table. Aile d'Argent is best paired with all types of seafood, sushi, sashimi, crab, lobster, chicken, veal, pork, and a myriad of different cheeses.

Aside from their three Classified estates in Bordeaux, the company also produces wines in the Napa Valley with Opus One, in Limoux with Domaine de Baron'arques, and in Chile, where the Rothschild family formed a partnership with Concha y Toro in Chile to create Almaviva.

When added to all their branded and negociant wines, like Mouton Cadet, in total, the company sells more than $350,000,000 worth of wine each year! Part of the reason for their success in creating an international brand has to do with their nonstop marketing all over the world.

In fact, Chateau Mouton Rothschild was one of the first 1855 Classified chateau to begin marketing in China. To further their connection to the country of China, for the 2008 vintage, Chateau Mouton Rothschild chose Xu Le, the Chinese-born artist to design their label.

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