First Growths

Tasting Notes for Margaux, Magnums, 2006:
The strictest selection ever instituted at this estate resulted in only 36% of the crop being utilized for the blend of 2006 Chateau Margaux. Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, it is similar to the 1996, but with sweeter, more seductive fruit in the nose. A big, tannic, dense effort displaying terrific purity, power, elegance, and a distinctive mineral/flower component, it is a medium to full-bodied wine of great nobility that should be at its finest between 2017-2050+. Wine Advocate # 170 Apr 2007.
Parker Points: 93-95
Drinking Period: 2017-2050

Tasting Notes for Mouton Rothschild, Imperiale, 2006:
This extraordinary Mouton should turn out to be the finest they have made since the monumental 1982 and 1986. In early tastings, Mouton often seems to tag along behind the other first-growths. Yet in 2006, there is no question that the Baronne Philippine de Rothschild gave carte blanche authority to her talented administrator, Philippe Dalhuin, to turn up the heat in 2006. Yields were a tiny 32 hectoliters per hectare, the harvest took place between September 20 and October 15, and a minuscule 44% of the crop made it into the grand vin (the lowest percentage in more than half a century). The final blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot is unusually high in Cabernet Sauvignon, but it possesses MoutonÕs hallmarks of pure creme de cassis and flowers in addition to a toasty oak character. Profoundly concentrated, super-textured, and rich, MoutonÕs powerful, full-bodied 2006 is unquestionably a strong candidate for the Ùwine of the vintage.Î Kudos to MoutonÕs winemaking team for fashioning this brilliant wine. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050. Wine Advocate # 170 Apr 2007.
Parker Points: 96-100
Drinking Period: 2018-2050

Tasting Notes for Mouton Rothschild, 2006:
A sensational effort, the 2006 Mouton Rothschild exhibits an opaque purple color as well as a classic Mouton perfume of creme de cassis, flowers, blueberries, and only a hint of oak. Dalhuin told me that in whisky barrel-tasting vintages such as 1989 and 1990, Mouton was aged in heavily-toasted barrels, and they have backed off to a much lighter toast for the barrelsÕ interior. I think this has worked fabulously well with the cassis quality fruit they get from their Cabernet Sauvignon. The full-bodied, powerful 2006 possesses extraordinary purity and clarity. A large-scaled, massive Mouton Rothschild that ranks as one of the top four or five wines of the vintage, it may turn out to be the longest-lived wine of the vintage by a landslide. The label will undoubtedly be controversial as a relative of Sigmund Freud, Lucian Freud, has painted a rather comical Zebra staring aimlessly at what appears to be a palm tree in the middle of a stark courtyard. I suppose a psychiatrist could figure out the relationship between that artwork and wine, but I couldnÕt see one. This utterly profound Mouton will need to sleep for 15+ years before it will reveal any secondary nuances, but it is a packed and stacked first-growth Pauillac of enormous potential.
Parker Points: 98+
Drinking Period: 2020-2060