Château Mouton Rothschild - Pauillac (Premier Grand Cru Classé) 1998 (750ml)

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Price: $849.99

Producer	Château Mouton Rothschild
Country	France
Region	Pauillac
Varietal	Bordeaux Blend
Vintage	1998
Sku	121556
Size	750ml

Château Mouton Rothschild Description

Winemaker Notes

The 1998 Rothschild is deeply colored, the wine is an attractive purple-red. The relatively discreet first nose displays aromas of black fruit, blackcurrant and leather with a mineral cast, while more intense, oaky notes appear on airing, together with a touch of mocha. The clean and well-structured attack displays a lovely, acidulated freshness that heralds high-quality texture. Powerful and smooth tannins support a mid-palate of surprising volume and depth, leading into a powerful and elegant finish.

Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc

About the Label Artwork

Born in Oaxaca (Mexico) into a family of Indian origin, Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) soon discovered the fascinating mysteries and diversity of pre-Columbian art, which was to inspire all his work. His career was divided between Mexico and the Unites States. Also a patron of the arts, in 1974 he donated a number of pre-Columbian artifacts to his home town. Likewise, he offered the Mexican people and outstanding collection of contemporary art, leading to the creation of Rufino Tamayo International Museum in Mexico City in 1981.

Tamayo’s painting, with its abundant richness of color, ranging from pastel shades to the most flamboyant red, displays a radiant inner energy in which Octavio Paz sees a “constellation of forces”. In his works, disturbing, even hallucinatory creatures seem to emanate at once from immemorial tradition and from the artist’s unconscious.

In 1990, Tamayo agreed to create an original artwork for the Mouton Rothschild label. Fate decreed otherwise, but his family wanted the master’s wish to be fulfilled. So to illustrate the 1998 vintage they gave us “Brindis”, a man proposing a toast: a commonplace ritual that Tamayo transforms, under a glowing sun, into striking allegory of raw desire.

Professional Ratings

96Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Like many of its peers, the 1998 has filled out spectacularly. Now in the bottle, this opaque black/purple-colored offering has increased in stature, richness, and size. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc (57% of the production was utilized), it is an extremely powerful, super-concentrated wine offering notes of roasted espresso, creme de cassis, smoke, new saddle leather, graphite, and licorice. It is massive, with awesome concentration, mouth-searing tannin levels, and a saturated flavor profile that grips the mouth with considerable intensity. This is a 50-year Mouton, but patience will be required as it will not be close to drinkability for at least a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.
94Wine & Spirits
No tasting note given.
91Wine Spectator
Blackberry and violets on the nose, with hints of roses. Sweet tobacco too. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and round tannins. A little tight and reserved now. Give it time.
91James Suckling
This is spicy and peppery with dried fruits and currants. It's full and velvety on the palate, showing pretty berries and toasted coffee beans. Long, long finish.