HERMITAGE SPIRIT

Decanter # web : 19/20 Maturity: 2015-2045

Black-red colour, exotic spicy aromas, black chocolate and coffee bean, explosive fruit, lush and very seductive but packs power as well, very sophisticated and exciting wine, classic Mouton. Drink 2015-45.

Domaine

The wine has a lovely colour, dark and deep with cherry highlights. The elegant nose combines refined oak, toast and vanilla with intense bilberry and raspberry fruit. Touches of mint and spice round off the panoply of aromas, bringing freshness and complexity.Powerful yet silky on the palate, it displays densely-textured, well-rounded, supremely patrician tannins.The very long, complete and beautifully balanced finish, typical of rich, ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, is entirely in the tradition of the great Pauillac vintages. Overall, a wine as elegant as it is promising.

Jean-Marc Quarin : 18,5 (96) Maturity: 2020-2050

Magnificent wine – and I must say that I am really proud to have noted its amazing leap forward with this 2005 vintage as early as the en primeur campaign. With the 2005s came new tactile feelings and a higher quality of touch - and yet the traditional aromatic pattern and the complexity of the estate were unaltered. Superb and subtle finish. Wait till at least 2020 and before 2050.

Neal Martin's Wine Journal : 98 Maturity: 2017-2040

Tasted blind against its peers, this brilliant Mouton-Rothschild trumped both Latour and Lafite! If it lacked the same level of breeding out of barrel, then it sure as hell is making up for its now. The nose is incredibly ripe and is perhaps more accessible than those aforementioned Pauillacs. Dark cherries, kirsch, cedar and some lovely vanillary new oak – sleek and sophisticated. Great definition. The palate has a viscous entry, fat round tannins, voluptuous, generous and sensuous. Great depth with blackberry, raspberry, a touch of black olive tapenade. Sensuous, feminine finish. Sublime. Drink 2017-2040+ Tasted January 2009.

Parker # 176 : 96 Maturity: 2018-2040

The 2005 Mouton Rothschild will have to take a back seat to the prodigious 2006, but administrator Philippe Dalhuin deserves considerable credit for pushing Mouton to higher quality levels over recent years. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot, the dark purple-hued 2005 exhibits a restrained but promising nose of cedar, tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, and toasty oak. Full-bodied, tannic, and extremely backward, with the vintage’s tell-tale acidity, it appears to be even more closed in the bottle than it was from barrel. It does possess a long finish and multilayered mouthfeel. This is an undeniably outstanding, yet restrained, shy wine for a Mouton Rothschild.

Revue du Vin de France # 514 : 4,5/5

Si "Mouton ne change", il évolue vers un style plus droit et plus élégant. Il a perdu ses arômes exotiques qui plaisaient tant à ses aficionados pour aller vers plus de finesse avec de délicats arômes mentholés. La bouche a gagné en densité et en race. L'exceptionnelle densité du 2005 lui dessine un avenir radieux.

The Wine Doctor # web : 19+/20

Another supremely elegant style on the nose, although here we have a darker character than Lafite which was more perfumed and feminine. There is a more honeyed edge to the oak, also a slightly richer style to the fruit. It has that typical Mouton spice, hard to describe but perhaps a blend of smouldering embers with cinnamon, but I am sure there are better descriptions available! Great style on the palate, broad and rich, defined, very well structured, fleshy and more flattering than Lafite. Brilliantly composed, slightly loose-knit at present but this is just the wine's youthful character I think, as there is a great core of smoky tannins and fine acidity at the bottom of it all. Very impressive and a great wine for fans of Mouton. From a 2005 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age.

Weinwisser (René Gabriel) # 04/2006 : 19/20 Maturity: 2014-2035

Wine Spectator (James Suckling) # web : 92-94

Lots of currants, berries and minerals and light toasted oak on the nose. Full-bodied and very refined, with lots of silky tannins and a long finish. Elegant and fine. Very pretty. But should be up with the rest of the first-growths. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.