2012 Mouton Rothschild
By Chateau Mouton Rothschild
2012 Mouton Rothschild from Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux
The heralded 2012 Mouton Rothschild from Chateau Mouton Rothschild represents a vintage of both challenge and triumph. It is an opulent testament to a year that asked much of its vignerons. Patience and precision were the watchwords in Pauillac in 2012, where meticulous vineyard management offset the vagaries of nature to create a wine that now captivates investors and collectors alike.
Vintage Nuance and Investment Panache
The climatic dance of 2012 – a chilly spell followed by warmth – brought out a distinct profile in this iconic cuvée. If one were to characterise this vintage succinctly, it harmonises power with elegance, a signature style of Chateau Mouton Rothschild wines but with a unique twist found only in this particular year. Fine tannins underpin the architecture of a wine that offers hints of blackcurrant, violets, and a whisper of oak. Worth noting is how the delicate balance struck in 2012 provides a captivating investment opportunity, as each passing year allows the wine's complexity to unfurl further.
A Vintage with Defining Characteristics
Even considering the remarkable track record of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, the 2012 Mouton Rothschild stands out in its youth for its poise and potential longevity. This vintage is defined by its subtlety and depth—a wine astutely laced with potential for those who appreciate the maturation journey that only Bordeaux's finest can embark upon.
On the palate, the 2012 emits layers of well-integrated dark fruit contrasted by an edgy graphite tone that adds gravitas to each sip. The finish is lengthy, leaving behind an ever-evolving bouquet that assures you this vintage is not just another fine offering but one imbued with the capacity to transcend its era.
As one considers the investment potential of this particular Mouton Rothschild, it is crucial to recognise how it eloquently expresses the 2012 vintage's unique character. For investors searching to diversify portfolios or collectors seeking hidden gems skilfully entering their phase of drinkability, this 2012 Mouton Rothschild warrants profound consideration.
Market price (USD)
$6,152.83
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
315
Scores and tasting notes
Tasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2012 Mouton-Rothschild clearly has the upper hand over the 2011, if not quite at the level of the 2009, 2010 and what I envisage will be the 2015. There is obviously greater fruit intensity here, as if the contrast has been dialed up a couple of notches. It is quite showy on the nose, preening in its infancy with pure black cherries, graphite and hints of cold slate-like scents, later that hint of seaweed I observed when tasted blind a few months earlier. The palate is beautifully balanced with great vim and vigor. This is a Mouton that will not be put down - vivacious, vivid and delineated with wonderful focus and crucially, impressive persistence on the finish. Do not underestimate this Mouton-Rothschild, because I can see an upswing as it matures in bottle. Tasted April 2016.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 31 January 2017
Wonderful beauty to this wine with currants, blackberries and flowers. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Creamy texture with a minerally, almost salty undertone to the wine. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, April 4th 2013
The intensely ripe Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the plateau at Mouton has produced an inky/purple-colored wine with the famous Mouton creme de cassis and floral characteristics vividly displayed. For the first time in a number of years they appear to have outdistanced their cross street rival, the biodynamically farmed Chateau Pontet Canet of Alfred Tesseron. Wonderfully sweet tannins envelop the enormous fruit and extravagant richness of this full-bodied Mouton Rothschild. With profound density as well as surprisingly sweet tannin, this terrific effort will probably shut down slightly and require 5-8 years of cellaring after bottling. It appears to have 30 or more years of aging potential, making it potentially one of the 3 or 4 longest-lived wines of the vintage. Mouton Rothschild has produced one of the vintage's most profound wines in 2012, and possibly the -wine of the Medoc.- About 49% of the production made it into the 2012 Mouton, which is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The harvest took place during the middle two weeks of October. This may be one of the few 2012s that comes close to equaling what was achieved in both 2009 and 2010, two far superior vintages.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #206
Tasted twice en primeur at Mouton-Rothschild. A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot harvested from 1st October and finished on 15th October, with the best Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 8th and 12th October. This is the first vintage in the new facility – now there are 56 instead of 28 vats to make the selection. We can vinify plots that have never been vinified in isolation before. It has a very “classic” Mouton bouquet with small black cherries, blackberry, graphite and hints of vanilla lending it sweetness. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine, quite supple tannins. It is a very “correct” Mouton, without the flamboyance of the 2009 or 2010, but showing a little more delineation on the finish compared to the 2011. The aftertaste is long in the mouth with fine minerality – here we find the class and sophistication. This is an impressive, “stately” Mouton. Tasted April 2013.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal May 2013