Château Mouton Rothschild - Pauillac 1998 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Jamessuckling.com

91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/17/2015

This is spicy and peppery with dried fruits and currants. It's full and velvety on the palate showing pretty berries and toasted coffee beans. Long, long finish.

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2001

Like many of its peers, the 1998 has filled out spectacularly. Now in the bottle, this opaque black/purple-colored offering has increased in stature, richness, and size. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc (57% of the production was utilized), it is an extremely powerful, super-concentrated wine offering notes of roasted espresso, creme de cassis, smoke, new saddle leather, graphite, and licorice. It is massive, with awesome concentration, mouth-searing tannin levels, and a saturated flavor profile that grips the mouth with considerable intensity. This is a 50-year Mouton, but patience will be required as it will not be close to drinkability for at least a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.

Wine Spectator

90 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/31/2001

Cigar tobacco, cedar and red fruit aromas. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a delicate finish. Elegant, seductive Mouton. Best after 2006. 22,915 cases made.

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/1/2000

A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc (57% of the production was utilized), this powerful, tannic, masculine-styled Mouton is, as the French say, a vin de garde (a wine to keep). Along with the vintage's harsh, high tannin, it exhibits good density and enough concentration, extract, and richness to balance its structure and tannic ferocity. However, patience will be warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.

Wine Advocate

91-94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/1/1999

This a massive, concentrated wine. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, it represents only 57% of Mouton's total production. It's a behemoth, with an opaque purple color, as well as a huge, concentrated, massively powerful style with mouth-searing levels of tannin. Somewhat of a freak, if the tannin becomes integrated and the fruit holds, this could be one of 1998's superstars. Given its backwardness, purchasers should not touch a bottle for 12-15 years. It will undoubtedly age for 4-5 decades. I do not know how Mouton achieved this given the dilution so apparent in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2040.