Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2016

100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild has an opaque garnet-purple color. WOW—the nose explodes from the glass with powerful blackcurrant cordial, black raspberries, blueberry pie and melted chocolate notions, plus suggestions of aniseed, camphor, lifted kirsch and the faintest waft of a subtle floral perfume in the background. Full-bodied, concentrated, bold and totally seductive in the mouth, it has very fine-grained, silt-like tannins, while jam-packed with tightly wound fruit layers, finishing in this wonderful array of mineral sparks. Magic. Drink: 2022-2085. (Oct 2019)"

100 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "A towering, thrilling wine, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild is unbelievably beautiful today. Aromatics, fruit density and vertical structure all come together. In the glass, the 2016 is remarkably vivid and powerful, and yet a gentler, more feminine side emerges with time in the glass. The intense, mineral, savory profile recalls the 1986, but the 2016 has more grace, inner sweetness and sophistication than that wine. Even so, the 2016 is going to need at least a number of years in bottle before it starts drinking well, although it won't be the bruiser the 1986 remains to this day. This is breathtaking wine from Mouton, Tecnical Director Philippe Dhalluin and his team. Drink: 2026-2041. (Jan 2019)"

100 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2016 Mouton Rothschild bowled me over when I tasted it from barrel. Philippe Dhalluin compares it to the 1986 in terms of intensity of fruit, although there is more maturity and refinement in the tannins apropos of the 2016. Bottled in July 2018, this has an intense bouquet with pixelated black fruit, crushed stone, hints of blue fruit and a touch of India ink. But it is the delineation and focus that take your breath away. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannin framing the pure black currant and cassis fruit. The acidity is pitch-perfect, and there is a gentle but insistent grip toward the extraordinarily long finish. Racking my brains to think of another Mouton Rothschild that I have tasted over the last 20 years that was as good as this, I simply cannot come up with one. Drink: 2030-2080. (Jan 2019)"

100 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Along with the Château Lafite, the 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild is the wine of the vintage from the Médoc and is a truly profound, magical, blockbuster wine in every sense. It’s based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in new French oak. Boasting a saturated purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of thick black fruits, lead pencil shavings, new saddle leather, and burning embers, with just a hint of its oak upbringing, this beauty hits the palate with a mammoth amount of fruit and texture yet stays fresh, pure, and light on its feet, with a thrilling sense of minerality as well as building tannins on the finish. It’s one of the most profound young wines I’ve ever tasted, and while it will probably keep for three-quarters of a decade, it offers pleasure even today. Bravo! Drink: 2023-2098. (2/28/19)"

100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Mouton Rothschild has a pH of 3.62 and a very deep purple black color. It is very closed to begin, requiring a lot of swirling to unleash a powerful wall of crème de cassis, juicy black plums, and scents of boysenberries, followed by nuances of star anise, incense, violets, crushed rocks, and camphor, plus emerging iron ore and rose oil hints. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and perfumed floral and exotic spice accents, framed by beautifully ripe, plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with an epically long fruit and mineral firework display. Gorgeous! Alcohol 13.5%. Drink: 2027-2065. (12/8/22)"

100 points James Suckling: "Dark ruby, purple color. Aromas of blackcurrants, black truffle, crushed stone, licorice and hints of tar. Full-bodied, deep and vertical on the palate, drawing you in and down. The structure is very tannic and powerful, yet the tannins are folded into the wine. One of the most powerful Moutons ever for me. Try after 2027. (3/2/20)"

100 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "The nose can only be described as black currant liqueur. From there you find 5 spice, blackberry and wild cherry. The barrel aging has really concentrated this wine. Unctuous, intense, concentrated and flat out, delicious. It is not often Pauillac is described as decadent. But that is exactly what takes place here. The wine covers every taste receptor on your palate. If you have the chance to taste this elixir, don't pass on it. If you have the disposable income to lay this incredible wine down, do it,. As this is going to be impossibly expensive as it matures. (Sep 2019)"

100 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 15% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the latter two varieties vinified together, so small was the crop. As you might expect the élevage was in 100% new oak, for 18 months. Tasted at the estate after Château d’Armailhac and Château Clerc-Milon, this feels decisively darker and more concentrated than the other Rothschild wines. The nose is very different, showing a very fine combination of perfumed crushed-limestone rocks, with a seam of toasted oak, and a silky presence of dark and savoury fruits. The palate seems so composed and integrated, it feels almost effortless and pure as it rests in the mouth, with a broad wealth of super-cool fruit, wrapped up and lifted by the spice of the Mouton oak, while underneath there surges a fresh and defining streak of acidity. The tannins seem almost imperceptible, so tightly knit and silky are they, their presence suggested only at the finish of the palate, where the wine floors you with a flourish of complex flavours, all tobacco, toast, cigar box and grilled cherry fruit. Only at the very end do you realise there are also tannins here, which serve to wrap up the finish in a more confident manner. This is beautifully composed, an absolute stunner. (Dec 2018)"

100 points (20/20) La Revue du Vin de France (Jan 2020).