For Chateau Mouton Rothschild, the 2012 vintage was year was full of contrasts. A cold and dry winter was followed by an unreliable spring and an exceedingly dry summer. The harvest began on October 1 and ended on October 15. 2012 will be a historic year as the new cellars, after almost three years of work, welcomed its first harvest.
Parker : 96 / 100
J. Robinson : 17 / 20
Wine Advocate-Parker :
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.
