Chateau Mouton Rothschild Red Dry Wine 2019 - Pauillac Premier Grand Cru Classe

Tasting notes

The wine is an intense garnet red with a purplish hue.

Fresh, highly expressive and precise on the nose, it reveals blackberry, black cherry and liquorice aromas with a slightly mineral cast.

It is smooth and opulent on the palate, with an attractive sweetness, enfolding superbly patrician, rounded and powerful tannins.

Beautifully rich overall, it culminates in a stylish, succulent and very harmonious finish..

Harvest : From 18 September to 5 October

Varietal mix : 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot

Harvest : From 18 September to 5 October

Climatic conditions

The year started with a warmer- and drier-than-usual winter, with the temperature reaching a record 24.7° C on 27 February. The mild weather triggered an early start to the vine cycle, which gradually slowed with the arrival of a cooler spring and lower-than-average temperatures. As a result, flowering finally took place around the normal time.

After sharply contrasting conditions in June, when a late cold spell and heavy rainfall were followed by an early heatwave, very fine weather prevailed in July. The summer was particularly sunny and hot, leaving the vines in perfect condition on the eve of the harvest. A few welcome showers in July and August greatly helped to dispel any fears of dehydration.

Picking started with the white varieties on 5 September, in a quick harvest which yielded remarkable Semillon grapes in particular. All the Aile d’Argent vines had been harvested by 11 September.

Picking of the red varieties at Château Mouton Rothschild took place between 18 September and 5 October. Although a few drops of rain fell during the harvest, the conditions remained generally very good, guaranteeing grapes of outstanding quality.

Mirroring nature’s generosity in 2019, the wines are very rich, deeply coloured and with good alcohol content. Close-knit, satin-smooth tannins make this a very promising vintage.

Illustration of the label

OLAFUR ELIASSON - Solar Iris of Mouton

Specially designed by Olafur Eliasson for Château Mouton Rothschild, the label is an abstract portrait of the location.

The label is divided in two horizontally – a strip of gold at the top reflects the daytime, and a dark midnight blue at the bottom represents nights. At its centre is a circular cut-out that allows a glimpse of the wine inside the bottle. Around this hole, a series of ellipses form a ring that charts the path of the sun in relation to the planet at the location of Château Mouton Rothschild, in Pauillac. The segments of the ring above the dividing line form white arcs on the gold surround, with the lowest arc designating the shortest day of the year and the top arc, the longest. On the lower-half of the label, the sun’s path dips below the horizon, out of view from the vineyard, and is drawn in white against the dark background.

Along the top part of the solar diagram, elongated figure-eight shapes intersect the arcs at regular intervals. These shapes, known as analemmas, present the path of the sun as seen from a single point throughout the year. In the past, they were used in astronomy and in connection with sundials to make the telling of time more accurate. The variations in the sun’s position in the sky arise from the movements of the earth around the sun and along its axis. The motion of the earth and the passing of time become visible in the shape of the analemma. Sun charts, astronomical phenomena, and navigational instruments have served the artist as inspiration for a wide range of artworks over the years, and in 2009, Eliasson captured a photographic image of an analemma by photographing the sky at the same time of day for a year.

Eliasson says: “Solar iris of Mouton is a map of all the sunsets and sunrises that take place over a year at Château Mouton Rothschild. Depicting each hour of daylight and night-time that go into the growing of the grapes, it is a kind of signature for the vineyard, telling us something about the conditions in which the wine grew and the intimate relationship between the wine and its location. Tasting the wine connects us to the local environment, to the soil, and to the particular weather, seasons, and lighting of the place. Visible through the eye-like oculus at the centre of the label, the wine contains the golden