12 bottles per lot
Details
Offered in original wooden case
Château Mouton-Rothschild--Vintage 1985
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Original tissues. Excellent appearance. Levels: ten base of neck or better and two very top-shoulder
Tasting note: I also had the pleasure, and always the privilege, of tasting this in cask in June 1986. At Mouton, one does not taste directly from the cask. In this instance from a cask sample in the small tasting room of the maître de chai. The wine was marvellously deep of course, but not opaque; glorious young fruit superstructure above a firm foundation. A touch of leanness but fleshy. Already by December 1990 it had started to mature, its nose inimitably Mouton, spicy Cabernet, glorious; showing some elegance, lovely texture and aftertaste. Eighteen subesequent notes, and even if space permitted, some would be repetitive if not tedious. I have therefore looked up notes made in 1995, when it was at an interim stage of maturity. Alas at the 15th Grand Awards banquet in New York I found it 'surprisingly chunky and uncharming. Expected better.' The filet mignon was excellent, so it must have been all the chatter and noise from the Marriott Marquis ballroom. Or it might just have been me, because at my Bordeaux Club dinner in January 1996 I described the bouquet as 'exotic, lovely Cabernet Sauvignon, and at 9.40 pm very fragrant'.
Note the time: I had drawn the cork at 4.30 pm, decanted it at 5.40 pm and served it at 8.50 pm. I also served Pol Roger '34 and '88; Laville-Haut-Brion '89; Cheval Blanc, Lafite and Mouton -all '85s; Lafite '59 (the best of the lot) and Suau, an '85 Barsac. Oh, and Hine Grande Champagne '66, landed '67, bottled '82. Just odd bottles, I don't have a great cellar.
Back to Mouton briefly. At exactly 15 years of age, two bottles both medium deep, one still a bit hard but fragrant, with a lovely texture, soft, fruity. The other, strangely, with a lovely sweet bouquet but a touch of woodiness and acidity. Both a wine dinner at home, November 2000. Most recently, another Bordeaux Club dinner, this time hosted by Dr Louis Hughes, a new member. It had all the exotic Mouton fragrance; soft, flavoury, crisp but, I noted, with a touch of astringency. Last noted at the Savile Club, London in Jan 2001 ***** An exciting wine at the top but not over it yet. Will continue recklessly for another ten years or more. Michael Broadbent, Vintage Wine
12 bottles per lot
Château Mouton-Rothschild--Vintage 1985
Pauillac, 1er cru classé. Château-bottled
Original tissues. Excellent appearance. Levels: ten base of neck or better and two very top-shoulder
Tasting note: I also had the pleasure, and always the privilege, of tasting this in cask in June 1986. At Mouton, one does not taste directly from the cask. In this instance from a cask sample in the small tasting room of the maître de chai. The wine was marvellously deep of course, but not opaque; glorious young fruit superstructure above a firm foundation. A touch of leanness but fleshy. Already by December 1990 it had started to mature, its nose inimitably Mouton, spicy Cabernet, glorious; showing some elegance, lovely texture and aftertaste. Eighteen subesequent notes, and even if space permitted, some would be repetitive if not tedious. I have therefore looked up notes made in 1995, when it was at an interim stage of maturity. Alas at the 15th Grand Awards banquet in New York I found it 'surprisingly chunky and uncharming. Expected better.' The filet mignon was excellent, so it must have been all the chatter and noise from the Marriott Marquis ballroom. Or it might just have been me, because at my Bordeaux Club dinner in January 1996 I described the bouquet as 'exotic, lovely Cabernet Sauvignon, and at 9.40 pm very fragrant'.
Note the time: I had drawn the cork at 4.30 pm, decanted it at 5.40 pm and served it at 8.50 pm. I also served Pol Roger '34 and '88; Laville-Haut-Brion '89; Cheval Blanc, Lafite and Mouton -all '85s; Lafite '59 (the best of the lot) and Suau, an '85 Barsac. Oh, and Hine Grande Champagne '66, landed '67, bottled '82. Just odd bottles, I don't have a great cellar.
Back to Mouton briefly. At exactly 15 years of age, two bottles both medium deep, one still a bit hard but fragrant, with a lovely texture, soft, fruity. The other, strangely, with a lovely sweet bouquet but a touch of woodiness and acidity. Both a wine dinner at home, November 2000. Most recently, another Bordeaux Club dinner, this time hosted by Dr Louis Hughes, a new member. It had all the exotic Mouton fragrance; soft, flavoury, crisp but, I noted, with a touch of astringency. Last noted at the Savile Club, London in Jan 2001 ***** An exciting wine at the top but not over it yet. Will continue recklessly for another ten years or more. Michael Broadbent, Vintage Wine
12 bottles per lot
Special notice
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