1998 Château Mouton Rothschild

Harvested 28 September to 6 October. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 57% of production used for the grand vin. The most variable wine of the tasting – one bottle corked, two edgy and a little green. The best bottle (described here) was much better. Deep core, intense purple, plenty of concentration and potential here. Powerful red- and black-cherry flavours combined with warm, spicy oak. Tannins still a little harsh on the finish. (AWH)

Composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 1998 Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet-brick in color with lovely crème de cassis, dried roses, hoisin and baking spice notes with underlying notions of dried cherries and mulberries plus touches of wood smoke, incense and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and packed with rich fruit framed by firm, chewy tannins, it is stacked with complex, evolving flavors and finishes with incredibly long-lasting perfumed notes. According to winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, this needs about three hours of decanting at this stage. I simply love the place this wine is in right now, possessing plenty of mature, tertiary characters yet still sporting bags of fruit. It won’t be fading anytime soon either and should cellar nicely for 20-25+ more years.