Wine Advisor
Le Petit Mouton 2008
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. A shockingly good score for a Second Wine but hey, this is blind tasting. The Le Petit Mouton 2008 has superb fruit intensity on the nose with blackberry, briary and a touch of cold tea. Well integrated oak, a little plusher than its peers, fresh with some expressive Merlot developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent fresh black fruit, crisp acidity and a nice crescendo of blackberry and cassis towards the structured finish. Great persistency and exuberance. Will it age as gracefully as the Grand Vin? Who knows, but it certainly proved its mettle blind. Tasted January 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Produced from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, this sexy, seductive Le Petit Mouton is round, generous, elegant and pure with lots of blue and black fruits and no hard edges. Drink this seamless, impressive 2008 second wine over the next 10-15 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The second wine, Le Petit Mouton, continues to go from strength to strength. The 2008, a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot, represents 24% of the production. Notes of incense, graphite, and black currants are followed by a wine with sweet tannin and a fruit-forward, friendly style, much like its bigger and more dramatic sibling. It should be drinkable in its first 10-15 years of life. For California enthusiasts, while visiting Mouton Rothschild, I had the opportunity to taste several vintages of Opus One, which has taken on new, dramatically high quality now that the Rothschilds are sole owners. I’ll just say that the 2007 Opus One promises to be the greatest example of that wine ever produced. More details will be published in the December issue on California wines.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has a lovely fresh, briary, wild hedgerow, cedar-tinged nose with bright black fruits: dark cherry and boysenberry: lively and playful. The palate is medium-bodied with sturdy, grainy tannins and good acidity. This Le Petit Mouton is fresh and vibrant with a delectable crisp, slightly leafy finish. Very fresh and harmonious, certainly a lovely Deuxieme Vin. Drink 2013-2024. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
En primeur barrel sample. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot, this, again, is more introverted on the nose, or ‘tightly coiled’ being a more apt description. Blackberry, woodland, damp moss and a touch of burning embers. The palate is medium-bodied, very fine tannins, real weight coming through in the mouth. Blackberry, cedar, a slight coca-element from the new oak. Very harmonious with greater persistency than the ’07. Lovely. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Good deep ruby-red. Exotic aromas of roasted plum, currant and graphite suggest real depth. Fat and soft on the palate but with lovely freshness and good precision to its flavors of black cherry, cassis, and milk chocolate. This smooth wine really dusts the entire palate with flavor, finishing with big but smooth tannins and notes of coffee and licorice.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2008 Le Petit Mouton has a simple but effective bouquet with pure redcurrant and cranberry fruit laced with dried rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannin, crisp and taut with well judged acidity and real precision towards the finish. It is not long in the mouth, but a finely crafted Deuxieme Vin all the same. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits annual 10-Year On tasting.)
About the Producer
The history of Château Mouton Rothschild dates back to the mid-19th century when Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild purchased the estate in Pauillac, a commune in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France. The estate's vineyards were already well-established at the time, but Rothschild invested heavily in modernizing and expanding the winery, including building new cellars and importing new grape varieties. Le Petit Mouton, which translates to "The Little Sheep" in English, is a second wine produced by Château Mouton Rothschild. Second wines are made from grapes that come from younger vines or from less prestigious vineyard parcels than the grand vin, the top wine produced by the winery. Le Petit Mouton was first introduced in 1993 as a way to showcase the quality of the estate's younger vines and to create a more accessible wine that could be enjoyed earlier than the grand vin, which typically requires several years of aging. Since its introduction, Le Petit Mouton has become a highly regarded wine in its own right, known for its rich flavors, elegant structure, and approachability. The wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot grapes, and is aged in French oak barrels for around 16 months before bottling. The label features a whimsical illustration of a little sheep, a nod to the wine's name and to the estate's long history of using animal motifs on its labels.
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