Tight, focused and very well-built, this shows the quality of this sleeper vintage. Built on tannins that have a twinge of austerity, this offers ample flesh to the dark currant, fig and blackberry fruit. Bramble, tobacco and loam accents fill in through the finish, which has a lingering tug of dark earth at the very end. This one may never be a charmer but it has aging potential for sure. -- Non-blind Mouton-Rothschild vertical (March 2017). Best from 2021 through 2045.

The dense ruby/purple-colored 2011 Mouton Rothschild (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc) displays tell-tale notes of creme de cassis, vanillin and spicy oak, more tannin than many of the Pauillacs, and a solid, medium-bodied, concentrated, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon personality. Still tightly-knit and closed, but with lots of potential, it is a big, firmly structured Mouton that may turn out to be slightly austere. However, there are many reasons for optimism as well, so forget it for 7-8 years. It has 2-3 decades of aging potential. Only 54% of the production made the grade for Mouton Rothschild.