2020 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac (Pre-Arrival)

The purity of blackcurrants, blueberries, creme de cassis, and flowers. Hints of subtle spearmint. Iron. Blood orange. Medium-bodied with a compacted palate, like a cylinder of perfectly ripe fruit and fine tannins. A million layers of tight-grained tannins. It goes on and on. Such freshness and weightlessness to it. Ethereal. New classicism. Modern take on the 1986. 12.79% alcohol. 84% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Drink after 2030 but hard to not drink now. (3/2023)

The 2020 Mouton Rothschild is a striking wine and one that I regretted not purchasing en primeur as soon as it landed in my glass. Offering up complex aromas of minty cassis, pencil shavings, loamy soil, cigar wrapper, espresso roast and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with terrific concentrated, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Checking in at 12.8% alcohol, its incipient complexity, ineffable sense of completeness and exquisite balance mark it out as the purists' choice among the trio of 2018, 2019 and 2020. In this vintage, the lots that made it into the blend were largely confined to the core gravel terroirs that represent Mouton's heart, meaning that there's a little less to go around. This was the first vintage overseen by Mouton's new technical director, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, and he has begun with a flying start. (WK) (4/2023)

Intense, concentrated, powerful, deeply spiced, fleshy but restrained, this inches open and feels vibrant, pure, chiselled, seamless, with an electric charge. Expect plenty of smoked and grilled cassis, bilberry and damson fruits, sandalwood and mint leaf. Has the 2020 signature where flavours are classically serious and balanced but intense, just a monumental Mouton with the freshness and architecture of 2016, edged with floral aromatics, wonderfully enticing and with presence. 100% new oak. First vintage for Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy as director, following Philippe Dhalluin's retirement. One of the wines of the vintage. (11/2022)

The 2020 Mouton Rothschild is very clearly one of the great, great wines of the Left Bank in 2020. All the elements are in perfect balance. A wine of total sensuality and nuance, Mouton is all finesse in 2020, all elegance. An explosion of dark cherry fruit, plum, pomegranate, mint and cinnamon are all amplified. From barrel, the 2020 Mouton hinted at greatness. Today, that greatness is evident. The rich, vibrant finish is a thing of beauty. (AG) (12/2022)

The 2020 Mouton Rothschild is a striking wine and one that I regretted not purchasing en primeur as soon as it landed in my glass. Offering up complex aromas of minty cassis, pencil shavings, loamy soil, cigar wrapper, espresso roast and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with terrific concentrated, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Checking in at 12.8% alcohol, its incipient complexity, ineffable sense of completeness and exquisite balance mark it out as the purists' choice among the trio of 2018, 2019 and 2020. In this vintage, the lots that made it into the blend were largely confined to the core gravel terroirs that represent Mouton's heart, meaning that there's a little less to go around. This was the first vintage overseen by Mouton's new technical director, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, and he has begun with a flying start. (RV) (4/2023)

The 2020 Château Mouton Rothschild is in the running for the biggest, baddest, and most concentrated wine in the vintage. Based on 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petite Verdot brought up in new barrels, this inky hued beast of wine offers up classic Mouton ripe black fruits, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and freshly sharpened pencil-like aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, concentrated, tannic, backward 2020 with terrific purity, building, mouth-coating tannins, terrific balance, and one gorgeous finish. Unfortunately, as with many of the top 2020s, this isn't for those looking for instant gratification, and a decade (or more) of cellaring is advised. This hit 13.1% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.78. It will be a 50-, 60-, 70+-year wine. (3/2023)

Composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs considerable coaxing to unlock notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh blackberries, spiced plums, and raspberry coulis, leading to wafts of clove oil, sandalwood, and mossy tree bark. The medium-bodied palate has compelling poise, with silken tannins and seamless freshness to frame the delicate red and black fruit layers, finishing long and minerally. This is a wonderfully graceful expression of Mouton. 96+ (3/2023)

Smells wonderful, perfumed, herbal, milk chocolate, ripe blackberries, cherries and blackcurrants, quite soft and a tad shy but you get a sense of fullness on the nose. Supple, beautifully balanced and textured, round but direct, it’s not overt or too big but just settles in the right places. Really elegant and classy, just so easy to enjoy moving from start to finish with persistence and confidence. It's not trying too hard and nothing feels pushed with an overall gorgeous tetue, weight, balance, and push still with excellent acidity, ripe fruits and an element of minerality that cleans the tongue. Sharp, serious and long. A great wine that's a joy to taste. (GH) (1/2023)

Characteristic Mouton with its aromatic complexity and lift. Cassis, spice, chocolate and graphite notes to the fore. Lovely density of fruit. Powerfully structured with very fine tannins. A sense of verticality as it builds on the palate. Textured, clean and fresh. Clearly has more to give. 18.5/20 points (JL) (4/2021)

97 points Neal Martin for Vinous: "The 2020 Mouton Rothschild has a taut and fresh bouquet, vibrant black fruit, cedar and graphite - wonderful mineralité that floods through in this First Growth. This is a less flamboyant than the 2019, yet arguably more sophisticated and terroir-driven. The palate is medium-bodied with fine filigree tannins, an unerring sense of symmetry here, gradually building in the mouth towards a distinctively classically styled and quite persistent finish, pencil lead lingering on the aftertaste. This is an outstanding/upstanding Mouton-Rothschild." (12/2022)