Mouton Rothschild - Pauillac 2000

Wine Advocate

97

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe10/31/2019

Deep garnet colored with a touch of brick, the 2000 Mouton Rothschild (composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot) boldly bursts from the glass with tantalizing Black Forest cake, dried mulberries, kirsch and blackcurrant pastilles notes plus wafts of iodine, incense, potpourri and cinnamon stick with a hint of cigar boxes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs in the muscular fruit, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with phenomenal length. This is an incredibly complex and multifaceted wine, and it's drinking deliciously now. This said, I can’t help but feel that it is holding something back, that it still has another layer of opulence and seduction to reveal in its tight-knit fruit and solid structure. I personally can’t wait to see how this beauty will continue to unfold over the years to come.
97+

Wine Advocate

96

byRobert Parkerthe6/29/2010

Perhaps the most beautiful packaging ever on a Bordeaux bottle, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild literally produced a work of art in the gold-engraved bottle of 2000 Mouton Rothschild. Of course, one can’t drink the glass, but this is a top-flight Mouton Rothschild, eclipsed only by the 2006 and 2009. A rich, tannic, earthy style, with loads of creme de cassis and floral notes, the final blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot is a full-bodied wine with plenty of coffee, earth, chocolatey notes, and still plenty of tannin to resolve. I gave it an anticipated maturity range of 2015-2050 back in 2003, and that looks on target. 96+

Wine Advocate

97

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2003

The 2000 Mouton Rothschild is at its best with about 24-48 hours of decanting. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, the wine offers a saturated ruby/purple color in addition to reticent but promising aromas of toast, coffee, licorice, creme de cassis, and roasted nuts. Dense, chewy, and backward, with tremendous purity and density in addition to obvious toasty oak, it is full-bodied, powerful, tannic, and backward. Twenty-four to 48 hours of aeration only hints at its ultimate potential. This blockbuster will be exceptionally long-lived. It is not as expressive as the other first-growth Medocs, but give it time. As I predicted in my first report on the millennium vintage (April, 2001), Philippine de Rothschild could be expected to do something special with her presentation of 2000. She has exceeded everyone's expectations with a work of art. Those who have seen the extraordinary packaging of the 2000 Mouton Rothschild must certainly realize this is a brilliant achievement. The bottle is extraordinary, and likely to have nearly as much value empty as full! Her genius is obvious, but it's what's inside that counts! Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+.

Wine Spectator

93

byJames Sucklingthe3/31/2003

Rich, with loads of tobacco, berry, currant and coffee. Full-bodied and round, with velvety tannins and a long, vanilla aftertaste. If this had a tiny bit more concentration in the center palate, it would be a few points more. Still, it's an outstanding wine. A generous and opulent Mouton. Best after 2009.

Wine Advocate

96-98

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/2002

A behemoth, the gigantic 2000 Mouton-Rothschild (86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot) boasts a saturated purple color as well as aromas of ink, cassis, licorice, damp earth, and sweet oak. It reveals a cassis liqueur-like flavor profile with a hint of truffles. This majestic effort will undoubtedly close down, but enjoy an exceptionally long life. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050+.

Wine Advocate

96-98

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2001

The 2000 is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot, and the wine comprises 80% of the production, which averaged 35 hectoliters per hectare. A potentially immortal wonder, Mouton's 2000 is so thick, it almost needs to be drunk with a spoon. At the same time, it has brutally high tannin. There is a lot going on in this backward effort, including phenomenal concentration and extract, and a huge nose of smoke, creme de cassis, truffles, and new saddle leather. A wine of enormous constitution and awesome power, but neophytes and readers unwilling to invest twenty years of cellaring should look elsewhere. If the tannin becomes more integrated, and the wine increasingly seamless, it will merit its lofty rating. However, if the tannin becomes more abrasive, or the wine totally shuts down, the score will drop. This is a long-term prospect for prospective purchasers given the fact that most Moutons made with this level of extract and tannin need 15-20 years of cellaring (look at the still infant 1982 and 1986). Nevertheless, this is a fabulously pure, brilliant achievement, perhaps destined for your children's children. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. P.S. Don't be surprised if the proprietor, the creative Baronne Philippine de Rothschild, does something dramatic regarding the label or bottle in celebration of 2000.