Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 1986 Mouton-Rothschild is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that was picked from 2 October until 16 October. Winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, who was not working at the property back then, told me that the pH was fairly low at 3.54 when it is usually around 3.75, due to the natural tartaric acid in the vines. It has a powerful and intense bouquet as always: exemplary graphite and cedar scents, a touch of black pepper and incense. It seems to unfurl in the glass, like a motor revving its engine. The palate is beautifully balanced with its trademark firm tannic structure, a Mouton-Rothschild with backbone and masculinity. Layers of black fruit intermingling with mint and graphite, a hint of licorice emanating from the Merlot, gently fanning out and my God, it is incredibly long. It is not like the 1985 Mouton-Rothschild that is so fleshy and generous. This is serious, aristocratic Mouton, a true vin de garde and yes, I do think drinkers will have to wait until it reaches its true peak. Sometimes that´s just the way it is. Tasted September 2016."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is finally coming around with such fine tannins and beautiful fruit after all these years. Full and balanced. Historical. And so long. Beautiful. Fresh and bright."

WEINWISSER: 20 RENÈ GABRIEL´S BX TOTAL: "Konzentriertes, komplexes, tiefgründiges, kraftvolles Bouquet, schwarzer Cassis, Eukalyptus, Lakritze, Tabak, weisser Trüffel, Minze. Konzentrierter, vielschichtiger, wuchtiger, super Gaumen mit viel gutem Tannin, genialer, vielschichtiger Aromatik, sehr langer, konzentrierter Abgang. 20/20 trinken - 2060" - A. Kunz

DECANTER: "Wonderful, concentrated and still astonishingly young, this has brushes of violet aromatics rising above the tight cassis fruits and rich black truffle, and the classic menthol edging of a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Pauillac. We drank this over lunch and it was breathtaking, but were told that 24 hours later it had blossomed even further, so make sure you give this a serious amount of time in carafe to open up - something that gives you just a small clue as to how structured, layered and complex the wine we are dealing with here is. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Ageless, yet balanced. Black color. Mint, mineral, berry and cherry. Full-bodied, chewy and tight. Long, long finish. A great, great wine.--Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: 98 THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Firm, set in its ways, powerful and tannic, yet, even though it´s set in its ways, there is movement here. One of the more youthful bottles I recall tasting, the nose is there, with its cassis, cedar, Asian spice, tobacco and forest floor glory. The body is full, in fact, this is massive in its concentration, equaled only by its tannic structure. With air, 4-6 hours, the wine softened, opened and showed its stuff. The wine was made from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "This was always an exceptional wine, but an exceptionally slow-maturing one. It was served blind and seemed immediately like Mouton with its sweet, light mintiness and spice. This opulent monument of a wine has at least cast off enough tannin to provide majestic drinking now. What a treat to encounter this wine again at this exciting stage of its life."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Karmingranat, breiter Ockerrand, Orangereflexe. In der Nase attraktive dunkle Beerenfrucht, tabakig, Nuancen von Trockenkräutern, etwas Nougat, reife Kirschenfrucht, lässt allerdings die gewohnte Eukalyptusnote vermissen. Am Gaumen feste Tannine, Anklänge von Brombeerkonfit und dunklem Nougat, mineralisch, tabakige Nuancen, sehr gute Länge, frisch und anhaltend, salziger Nachhall, gutes weiteres Reifepotenzial."