2010 Mouton Rothschild

Huge, exotic multi-fruit nose, layers and layers of flavour, the richness lifted by ingrained acidity, perfect balance for such a richly textured wine, the best Mouton for years. Drink 2020-50. Steven Spurrier, decanter.com

Mouton Rothschild represents the largest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon used in blend in the history of the chateau at 94%. The remainder is Merlot. The wine reached 14% alcohol, which is slightly higher than the estate achieved in 2009. From 49% of the harvest, which already experienced low yields due to the weather, the wine achieved natural concentration. Inky dark ruby with purple edges, abundant scents of cedar, truffle, tobacco, boysenberry, cassis, and hints of blueberry prepare your palate for a bath in pure Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich silk textures, power and refined elegance with a suave, exotic, opulent style is the signature of this wine which explodes on your palate and continues to broaden and expand in flavor. This is a great vintage of Mouton which competes with the sublime 2006. winecellarinsider.com

Tasted 17 Feb: Very youthful and very Cabernet and pretty spicy. Very correct and with an attractive dryness on the finish. Very snazzy. Tasted 8 Apr: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot. Burnished dark pruney crimson. Very opulent and heady on the nose. Lovely perfume. Lots of fully ripe black fruits. Amazingly polished – so much so that you are almost distracted from the huge tannic charge. Not quite as dense as some of the greatest 2010s but very well balanced. Hugely Cabernet. As in 2009, great care has been taken not to produce too heavy a wine. There is almost Lafite-like structure here. Very, very polished middle palate. Bone dry, pretty tannic finish. jancisrobinson.com