Petit Mouton - Pauillac 2023

Vinous

92

byNeal Martinthe2/1/2026

The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton has quite an opulent bouquet with pure blackberry, cassis and violet scents that burst from the glass. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, well-balanced with touches of black pepper and seaweed toward the finish. Give this three years or so in bottle (tasted from two different bottles).

Jamessuckling.com

95

byJames Sucklingthe1/27/2026

Very beautiful aromas of blueberries, plums and orange peel. It's full-bodied with juicy fruit and a tangy undertone of citrus acidity. The integrated tannins are poised and unseen, but you can feel the tannic tension. The second wine of Mouton. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Drink from 2028.

My Bettane + Desseauve

92-93

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/15/2024

Encore un peu ferme et sur la réduction, mais avec le corps et la consistance attendue dans ce millésime.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-95

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/13/2024

Representing 39% of the production, the 2023 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild is based on 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Inky hued, this beauty has more than a touch of Grand Vin character in its cassis, currant, spicy oak, lead pencil and smoke-driven aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, round, lush, and nicely structured, it's one hell of a second wine. While it will offer pleasure in its youth, it’s going to have two decades of longevity as well.

The Drinks Business

93-95

byColin Haythe5/7/2024

Le Petit Mouton (Pauillac; 79% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc; 2% Petit Verdot; pH 3.74; 13.3% alcohol; tasted at Clerc-Milon with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy). So cool and gracious. Plunge pool. Bramble and loganberry, mulberry. The fruit darkens with aeration, the berries joined by black cherries and assorted dark plums. Graphite. Quite broad initially, but then the tannins pinch and bring this back to the spine. Cascading layers of silky and velvety fruit make this very deep and reinforce the impression of concentration, density and compactness, but not at the expense of the sheer mobility and fluidity of the wine, with eddies of freshness disturbing the mirror pool. A fabulously composed and refined, cool and spiritual Petit Mouton. Very pure. Once again, I find this to star turn of the Pauillac 1^st growth second wines. 

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94

byJeff Levethe5/6/2024

Cigar box, tobacco, flowers, smoke, truffle, mint, and creme de cassis form the nose. On the palate, the wine is packed with ripe, juicy, flavorful currants, herbs, spice, and black raspberries. There is length, purity, and freshness. Perhaps, most importantly, you have lift, sweetness, and creamy textures on the mid-palate, and finish. The wine blends 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.13.3% ABV, 3.74 pH. Drink from 2028-2050. 92-94 Pts.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe5/6/2024

Slate and grip, clear again here that this is not the most exuberant of vintages, it's classical with a serious backbone. That doesn't mean that Petit Mouton isn't out to make you happy, and you can expect plenty of black chocolate, damson, black cherry, signature cocoa bean, espresso and salted cracker, but the tannins are pretty fierce. Harvest September 7 to 30 (but 2/3 of grapes coming in after September 21), 39% of production.

Vinous

93-95

byAntonio Gallonithe4/30/2024

The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton is fabulous. It could easy be a Grand Vin at another address. Rich, ample and beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2023 impresses with its notable palate presence. Dark red cherry, pomegranate, cinnamon, rose petal and new leather are some of the many notes that build. The 2023 is seriously impressive. Wow!

Vinous

91-93

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2024

The 2023 Le Petit-Mouton is aged in 50% new oak. It has an intense nose, mainly black fruit commingling with briar and light estuarine scents. Perhaps the aromatics feel a bit "secretive" at present. The palate is medium-bodied with a concentrated entry. This is a voluminous and powerful Pauillac for the vintage, driven by that 79% Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s a fine bitter edge on the finish; give this Le Petit Mouton three to five years in bottle.

Falstaff

93

byPeter Moserthe4/29/2024

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate nuances of oak, blackberry, savoury, a hint of blackberry and nougat. Medium body, fresh red cherry, ripe tannins, appears light-footed, mineral, salty touch on the fin- ish, a balanced food companion.

The Wine Independent

91-93

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/28/2024

The 2023 Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly emerges from the glass with powerful scents of cassis, plum preserves, and tar plus underlying nuances of menthol and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate is soft and refreshing, with just enough mid-palate fruit and a mineral-laced finish. The blend is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.74. The alcohol is 13.3%

Wine Advocate

91-93

byWilliam Kelleythe4/26/2024

Aromas of dark berries, cassis and cigar wrapper introduce the 2023 Le Petit Mouton, a medium-bodied, fleshy wine with good depth and density, its lively core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a penetrating finish. It's a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Jamessuckling.com

95-96

byJames Sucklingthe4/25/2024

This is a tighter and more compact Petit Mouton with a full-bodied, compact palate that is framed nicely by the tannins. Savory and juicy. Structured. Contained. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Better than 2022?

Vertdevin

96

byJonathan Chicheportichethe4/24/2024