Mouton Rothschild 2018
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$1,065.47 CADMember Price: $1,012.20
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99 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, March 2021
The 2018 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc—there is also a splash of all the Petit Verdot they had, but it doesn’t even register in the percentage. It has 13.8% alcohol, which is relatively modest for the vintage. Deep garnet-purple colored, it straight away pops with bright, vivacious notes of crushed blackcurrants, juicy blackberries and redcurrant jelly with slowly emerging nuances of candied violets, stewed plums, licorice and black tea, plus a waft of dusty red soil. The medium-bodied palate is built like a brick house with super firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing long and savory with lingering mineral suggestions. This is so, so delicious and, due to the ripeness of tannins, approachable now. It will be difficult to keep your mitts off it for a good 5-7 years, when all those tightly tucked away nuances should begin to emerge. After that, it should improve over the course of 25 years or more and drink for 40+.
“We only suffered 2% loss due to mildew in 2018,” Managing Director Philippe Dhalluin informed me. “But we had low yields on all the deep gravelly soils because of the dry period, more so at Mouton than at Clerc Milon. Clerc Milon has three meters of gravel before you get to the clay and limestone that holds the water. At Mouton there are six meters of gravel before you get to the clay and limestone.” This made for yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare at Mouton Rothschild, while Clerc Milon came in at 32 hectoliters per hectare, and the average for Pauillac was around 38 hectoliters per hectare. “In late September, it was still hot during the days, around 32 degrees Celsius, but the night temperatures dropped down to around seven degrees to allow the ripening to slow down,” Dhalluin said, explaining how the berries made it over that magic finish line to full phenolic (tannin) ripeness. All the Baron Philippe de Rothschild 2018 wines were blended early, from the end of November through early December, because the ferments went quite quickly. A lot of Merlot went into the second wines this year. Dhalluin commented that the Merlots were amazing this year, but Cabernet was even better. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown
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Wines of Kings is a US-registered wine importer and online wine store, offering a curated selection of high-end European wines. We are devoted to the direct sourcing, handling, importing, sale, and delivery of some of the most sought-after and beloved wines in the world - selected carefully for their quality, vintage and terroir.
From cellar-to-cellar, or cellar to shelf, we maintain the highest standards, thanks to close relationships with the finest producers of wine across the globe, ensuring authenticity.
We maintain strict, direct, temperature- controlled delivery from the cellar to the customer, guaranteeing the integrity of each vintage’s character and flavor profile.
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Founders Marco Prete and Cristina Fragni have spent a lifetime in close contact with the top European winemakers and cellar masters, and have spent decades on their shared passion for learning, tasting, and even assisting in the production of fine wines.
After relocating to NYC in 2013, they found that many of their favorite vintages were not available in the US. Inspired by a lack of available inventory on the usual channels, they decided that it was essential to them personally and professionally to create a bespoke, world-class collection of fine wines available for US import.
The Wines of Kings collection of exquisite wines reflects the founders’ obsession with premium wines that are made authentically.
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