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Robert Parker Wine Advocate
2012 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, France
Climatic conditions
2012 was a year of contrasts. The winter was cold and very dry. The average temperature in February was the lowest for fifty years. April brought cool weather and abundant rainfall, while the weather in May and June was in-between. The flowering and veraison dates for Chateau Mouton Rothschild Cabernet Sauvignon were the same to the day as the average dates for all the vintages since 1962.
Exceptionally dry conditions prevailed from 20 July to 20 September, concentrating sugar and tannins in the grapes. The month of August was the fifth driest in the last fifty years. By the end of September, the aggregate amount of rainfall was 26% lower than the average since 1962 (435 mm compared with 589 mm). Picking at Chateau Mouton Rothschild began on 1 October and ended on 15 October. 2012 will be a landmark year, since after almost three years of work the new vat room welcomed its first harvest. Rich, deeply coloured, well-structured, and very full-bodied, the 2012 vintage promises to be a great success.
Harvest 1 September to 15 October
Varietal mix Cabernet Sauvignon 90% Merlot 8% Cabernet Franc 2%
Tasting notes
A dense and Opaque, almost black colour with a very attractive glint.
The nose, patrician, refined, complex, and expressive, mingles black fruit with aromas of blackcurrant and crushed blackberry, opening with airing to display more complex notes of cigar box and spice. The attack is sumptuously full and substantial. The tannins are mature and crisp, enveloped in a beautiful body, dense and firm, that reveals chocolate and vanilla flavors. On the palate, the wine displays an irrepressible panache that leads into an utterly lovely, fresh, intense and mineral finish.