2023 Le Petit Mouton
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Tasting notes
Mouton’s second wine is a powerful and compact Pauillac in 2023. There’s a rich creaminess to the nose from the oak (50% new), but backed up pure and vibrant dark fruit, dusted with pencil shavings. Gradually, sweet spice and florals emerge. The palate is intense and closed, with a redcurrant freshness that complements the wall of broad and structured tannins that demand time to soften. 13.3% alcohol and 3.74pH. Blend: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
In the running for the best second wine of the vintage, the 2023 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild’s deep purple hue is followed by smoking good aromatics of black cherries, roasted herbs, graphite, and spicy wood. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and layered on the palate, it has ripe, velvety tannins as well as a Mouton-like texture and richness. Drink this beauty over the coming 20-30 years. Drink 2026-2056.
The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton is a very sexy wine. Silky contours wrap around a core of red plum, blood orange, spice, pomegranate, rose petal and cinnamon. More than anything else, I am blown away by the wine's textural finesse and exceptional balance. This vivid, sexy Petit simply has it all. Brisk acids and beams of tannin pull it all together on the lifted, floral-inflected close.
The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton has quite an opulent bouquet with pure blackberry, cassis and violet scents that burst from the glass. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, well-balanced with touches of black pepper and seaweed toward the finish. Give this three years or so in bottle (tasted from two different bottles).
About the producer
Pauillac-based Ch. Mouton Rothschild is one of the five First Growths, producing some of the finest wine in Bordeaux and the world. Known for its flamboyant style, the label for the Grand Vin is designed by a different artist each year.