Château Mouton-Rothschild 2006 [magnum]

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Mouton-Rothschild has a brilliant bouquet that is extremely well defined: blackberry, minerals and graphite aromas that you could pluck from the ether. That sets you up nicely for what follows. The palate is very harmonious with supple tannin. The silver bead of acidity is beautifully judged and interwoven through this linear and classic Mouton that is reminiscent of those ethereal wines Baron Philippe oversaw during the 1950s. It is all about the precision and classicism without denuding the fruit intensity, to wit, a complete Mouton-Rothschild that is a strong candidate for wine of the vintage. This is the wine that really put winemaker Philippe Dhalluin on the map and rightly so.

James Suckling

This is an eye-opener with a tight core of complex fruit character as well as subtle chocolate and spices. Full body, firm tannins and a classy finish. Holding back. Much better than expected. A vintage forgotten.

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Tom Cannavan

87% Cabernet sauvignon with 44% of the harvest making it into the Grand Vin. A flash of creamy new oak then a very deep-set quality of berry fruit comes through. Some cedar and coffee and again that earthiness. On the palate the oak is noticeable, with lovely fruit filling in, and although there is plenty of tannin, that is quite decisive, the balance is very good.

Falstaff

Wine Enthusiast

At the time it was shown as a barrel sample in early 2007, this was the best wine of 2006. That accolade remains. It has all the power of the Cabernet Sauvignon in Pauillac, which was the greatest success of the vintage. That power comes from the dense tannins as well as the black plum and spice flavors and minerality. The texture becomes velvet, giving a final richness, but never losing its long aging potential. In a year that is good, but not at the top, Mouton has made a great wine.