TN: 1975 and 1985 Chateau Mouton Rothschild

[Baby Chickpea]

<b>1975 Chateau Mouton Rothschild</b>
Ullage of 1.5cm. Cork saturated but no signs of leakage. Decanted straight away. Light red colour with orange tinges (barely an brown hues). No turbidity – held up to light the wine was very clear. The bouquet reflected pronounced coffee, stewed plums, some green eucalyptus, sweet berries and a hint of capsicum. Beautiful poise and mid-weight. On the palate, very dry. Bone dry in fact. Huge cedary overtones (classic Mouton). Very good length and quite full-bodied. Finishes with huge tannins but well integrated – dusty, fine and chalky. The fruit is receding (that’s clear) but the remnants are enough to coat the mouth and bombard the tongue. Lovely old wine still in pretty good nick but clearly drying out. Reminds me of the Bruce Springsteen line: “You ain’t a beauty but hell you’re alright.” Like an aristocratic old, aged wine showing well but like most 75s, the tannin is outlasting the fruit. I still consider this one of the better examples and rare successes from the vintage despite some negativity from recent posters. <b>Very Good 17.5 / 20</b>

<b>1985 Chateau Mouton Rothschild</b>
Light brown in colour with slight orange meniscus. The bouquet offers smoky oak, cedar, eucalypts (again!) and the inimitable strong cigar box (love it!), no hint of alcohol or “hotness”. Lovely and textbook-typical cabernet nose. When opened, the wine tasted very bitter, hard, tannic and steely. I thought the bottle “off” and undrinkable. There was no hint of fruit and I thought the dreaded TCA was to spoil my evening. Two hours later sitting placidly in the decanter a metamorphosis occurred – the wine became sensational! At one hour, the development was astonishing. No hint of the earlier bitterness. My scribbled notes state: Medium-bodied. Seamless. Brilliant. Beautifully structured. Great length. Drink this by the barrel. If the 1975 reminded me of Springsteen, this one recalled Queens of the Stone Age: “But I want something good to die for / to make it beautiful to live.” Extravagant wine to seduce the senses! This wine was an iron fist in the proverbial silk glove – it’s all there in abundance. To me, it had years to go but was at its peak suggesting no tangible improvement. After 10 seconds of beautiful cabernet berries and black fruits in the mouth, a smattering of fine tannin moves into the back palate – velvety, chalky, dry. To me, this is one of the finest wines I have had and did it without being too extracted, big or over-the-top. Balanced, well structured with everything integrated into what was a near flawless package for me. Even my girlfriend oohed and aahed. I’m just sorry that other tasters who have been critical of the wine did not get the pleasure and enjoyment I got (what’s that about no great wines only great bottles?). But then again I am a big fan of the 1985s from Bordeaux. <b>Grand Vin! 19.5 / 20</b>

[JamieBahrain]

Welcome Chickpea

Enjoyed your notes.

Did you buy Alan Bond's cellar? Not that often do we see notes from the 70's & 80's.

[simm]

Yes, welcome!!

Extraordinary collection, and obviously you have real passion for wine judging by your notes. You're in good comany here (and if you have trouble finding anyone to really appreciate those Chateau Mouton Rothschilds I'm certain... yes, there they are already, the hands are going up!

Kind regards,