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Per Se Magic
I have to say that I love the private room at Per Se. Not the small one, the big one. If you want to do a great dinner for 20-50 people, there probably is none better. Not to detract from the 18 course extravaganzas, but there is something about 5-7 normal courses there that hits my sweet spot.
Wait a second, I’m not a food critic, and this weekend was about Mouton, and we picked up right where we left off the night before, except we were rocking to the Eighties. The 1984 Mouton Rothschild might not seem like an ‘I’m about to rock’ wine, but it was still soft, round and pleasant. It was a touch wheaty and weedy, showing pleasant purple and rock aromas. Its palate was smooth and easy, ‘not bad’ although there was a bit of cardboard flavors without being corked. Peter found it ‘sweet,’ and someone called it ‘a wet vintage’ (88).
Is it the Forest or the Trees
The 1983 Mouton Rothschild has always been a pet Mouton of mine, drinking wonderfully every time I have ever had it. This was no exception. The ’83 had a great nose with deep purple cassis and spice. Its palate was pleasing and long with nice nuts to its core of fruit. There was a good edge to its dry finish, and minerals, earth and tobacco were all invited to this relatively full-bodied wine. Dave admired its ‘more fruit.’ More is never enough J (93).
Bob and Tom were in the 1981 Mouton Rothschild camp. It had a nice nose with some water and chlorine to go with its chocolate, along with a nice kiss of mint. Its palate had an alcoholic kick to its finish but was leaner on its cherry fruit. Pleasant, balanced and high-toned, the 1981 still delivered pleasure (90).
1980 is another unheralded and forgotten year in Bordeaux, but the 1980 Mouton Rothschild was a pleasant surprise. There were lots of cedar, spice, mineral and coffee aromas in the nose, with a touch of dry grass and nice fruit. Its palate was round with nice green hues and decent depth. This wine was still solid, although probably not a vintage to drink by yourself over the course of an evening (90).
All About the Centerfold
The 1979 Mouton Rothschild had a rich and buttery nose with coffee aromas. Its palate showed the darker side of Mouton, with nice chocolate flavors. There was presence to its palate without weight, like a good ballerina. It had a full body and the longest finish of the flight, evoking ‘warmth’ from the crowd (92).
The 1978 Mouton Rothschild was another pleasant Mouton with a nice nose and more fruit than I expected. A hint of wood accompanied great charcoal and spice in this kicker of a nose. It seemed almost more Margaux than Mouton, and someone observed, ‘light body but full flavor concentration’ (90).
Technicolor Times
The 1975 Mouton Rothschild had a wafery nose that was gravelly with some carob qualities. There was nice balance yet loads of tannins to this back-sided baby. It got more chocolaty in the glass, complementing its smooth, dusty flavors (92).
I have always found 1971 to be a good, under the radar vintage in Bordeaux, and the 1971 Mouton Rothschild fit into that theory. It had a very minty nose with the first sign of that old, signatutre eucalyptus. There were cigar and ash qualities as well. Its palate was more plummy with nice body and a pleasant, round finish (90).
Keep On Keeping On
For some reason, I never finished my note for the 1970 Mouton Rothschild. I started with ‘deep, blacker fruit, long…’ but the note just stopped, as if it disappeared. Perhaps it was the corked 1966 Mouton Rothschild that followed (DQ),or perhaps the anticipation of the 1945 that was coming.
The third flight began with the legendary 1945 Mouton Rothschild. This particular bottle was reconditioned at the Chateau in 1977. There was a lot of instant cooing and purring, and someone quickly hailed it as both ‘the most beautiful woman in the world and a weightlifter on steroids.’ I found aromas of coffee, red spice, tea, mint, red cherry and honey in its complex nose. Its palate was round and tender, yet full-bodied. It continued to put on weight in the glass as it aired. Ed found ‘cola and five spice,’ while Bob noted its ‘Asian spices.’ Cedar came out more and more, and ‘Grandma’s old parlor rug’ came from Ed again, I believe. Peter noted, ‘dry flowers.’ Ed gave it 99 points, but I settled on (97).The wine was spectacular, but I have had other bottles of this wine hit higher notes. Just the facts, ma’am.
Monumental Indeed
Consecutive vintages of Mouton were unfortunately both (DQ)’d, both 1946 and 1947.
The 1948 Mouton Rothschild had that woody and weedy 1948 style, Left Bank that is. ‘Roasted with pure juniper’ came from the crowd along with ‘forest.’ Ice cream flavors went with its cedar box ones, and its elegant style made its earth and green qualities coalesce. ‘Concentrated celery’ and ‘celery root’ were also noted in this good Mouton (91).
The 1949 Mouton Rothcschild was again stunning, matching the bottle I had nearly three months prior. It was quite fresh, full of red fruits. This was a now, not an hour from now wine. It was really elegant, tender and feminine, quite pretty with its red fruits. Delicate and special, the ’49 had a touch of animal in a young herd kind of way (95).
Before There Was Color
I can’t remember the last time I had a Bordeaux, or a wine, from 1951, and the 1951 Mouton Rothschild didn’t give me much reason to investigate the vintage further. It was soft and simple, otherwise known as water city lol. If Jesus turned wine into water, it would probably taste like this (83).
The 1953 Mouton Rothschild had a gorgeous nose with beautiful fruit and nice tea and aromas. It was tender, smooth and satiny, a true mature lover’s wine. Ed found ‘roses’ and Alex ‘iron.’ While it didn’t have the weight of some of the others, it was lovely and oh so beautiful (95).
The next vintage has long been a personal favorite, that being the 1955 Mouton Rothschild. This bottle was a bit mature with a touch of oxidation to its tobacco road nose. It was soft and shut down on the palate with nice carob and caramel flavors, and it should have been better (94A).
The 1959 Mouton Rothschild hit the highest note of the weekend so far, ‘awesome’ as it was put. It had a great nose that was so deep and black with its young fruit. There were so many layers and complexity, garden and coffee being two examples. This was the fullest, biggest and blackest of them all, still delicate but all about the boom. This was the clock striking midnight and Cinderella coming home all in one (98).
The shadow of the ’59 ran deep; otherwise, the 1961 Mouton Rothschild would have stood out even more like the champ that it was. It was also black in its fruit, possessing cedar and cobwebs. It was the best balanced of its flight, full-bodied and beautiful. One had to work at it more, but the ’61 revealed classic cedar, cassis and tobacco in subtle yet extraordinary ways (96).
Birds of a Feather
The 1962 Mouton Rothschild was simple and didn’t belong in this flight, although I swear I had an impressive bottle of this in the past year. Perhaps, that is the company you keep theory (88).
We descended from the peak of that last flight to one of the peaks of the weekend, the 1982 Mouton Rothschild. Tom hailed it as ‘one of my favorite wines ever,’ and I saw the 1959 resurrected here. Balanced aromas of chocolate folded into intense depth in the mouth, with a chocolaty and creamy intensity to match. Its full finish came across youthfully, with lots of length and spice along with a touch of peanut. This was an all-star amongst all the major leaguers (98).
The 1985 Mouton Rothschild had green bean and honeyed fruit but was a bit weedy overall. Tom noted, ‘sweet pea’ and Ed ‘cucumber. It was solid and got better, with its green becoming more than tolerable (93).
The 1986 Mouton Rothschild has long been considered one of the all-time great Moutons, and while I have had a couple that have been worthy of that reputation, the majority show more like the one we had at this lunch. It was shy and tight with black fruit and even tighter leather aromas. Its palate was the same, bordering on square with a mineral highway of a finish. Diamonds galore sparkled, but ‘where is it going to go?’ asked one guest. Bryan found it ‘lacking the succulence of Mouton’ (95+).
Rockin to the 80’s
The 1989 Mouton Rothschild was a bit of a sleeper, showing lots of coffee aromas and flavors before its big finish. Its hard tannins gave a rustic and briary impression (93).
Green has always been the first word to come to mind when it comes to the 1990 Mouton Rothschild, and this was no exception. It wasn’t a bad wine, and it was more balanced than the 1989, as well as fleshier. Bryan found it ‘fresh and succulent but less complex’ than the ’89. Many preferred the open nature of the 1990 (90).
The last flight was more curiosity than kitty, starting with the 1987 Mouton Rothschild. This was a hay is for horses wine, with some weeds. It was a bit funky like a good chicken with flesh and good yeast flavors (89).
The 1988 Mouton Rothschild had nice t ‘n a and felt tight. It was white smoky with a dry, wheaty finish (89).
The last four wines only got a couple of comments out of me each at this point, so I will put them all in this last paragraph. The 1991 Mouton Rothschild was yeasty and unpleasant, a bit tutti frutti at this point (82).The 1992 Mouton Rothschild got no comment (83).The 1993 Mouton Rothschild was solid, a very good wine and clearly a head above the rest of these shoulders (92).Lastly, the 1994 Mouton Rothschild was tannic and dry (90).
Looks are Sometimes Better
It was a spectacular retrospective of one of the great properties in the wine world. Who’s next?
The Happy Recap
In Vino Veritas,
JK
