Château Mouton-Rothschild 1996 (12x75cl)

"Incredible nose of ultraripe fruit, it's yet subtle and complex. Full-bodied, with very ripe, almost sweet fruit and a long, long caressing finish. Superb. This is edging out the 1995.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010." 96 points - WineSpectator, 2007

"This estate's staff believes that the 1996 Mouton-Rothschild is very complex. I agree that among the first-growths, this wine is showing surprising forwardness and complexity in its aromatics. It possesses an exuberant, flamboyant bouquet of roasted coffee, cassis, smoky oak, and soy sauce. The impressive 1996 Mouton-Rothschild offers impressive aromas of black currants, framboise, coffee, and new saddle leather. This full-bodied, ripe, rich, concentrated, superbly balanced wine is paradoxical in the sense that the aromatics suggest a far more evolved wine than the flavors reveal. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. By the way, the 1996 blend consists of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc." 94 points - Robert Parker - The WineAdvocate, April 1999

"This is the wine that Jean-Marc Quarin wrote about at length in relation to decanting it. This bottle was opened an hour before tasting. Very dark crimson with a little more sign of evolution than the 1995. Solid meat extract sort of nose – very much a notch up from the Clerc Milon and Armailhac. Very concentrated. Quite refined tannins and lovely savour. Worth waiting for, I think, and Philippe Dalhuin is convinced that it needs some aeration before serving. It is pretty solid but there is lots there. Funnily enough this seems a little more burnt on the nose than the drought vintage of 1995. And a bit skinnier." 18 points - JancisRobinson.com, September 2011

• collector
• 1st growth
• investment
• layered
• dense
• spices
• rare
• pure
• rich
• bordeaux
• fresh
• gift
• full bodied

• 94Robert Parker
• 18Jancis Robinson
• 96Wine Spectator