Ch.Mouton Rothschild 1975 750ml

Wine Advocate #103 Feb 1996
In the blind tasting in December, this wine finally began to reveal some potential. It has been closed and frightfully tannic for the last decade. The wine exhibits a good dark ruby/garnet color, a sweet nose of cedar, chocolate, cassis, and spices, good ripe fruit and extraction, and a weighty, large-scaled, tannic finish. Although still unevolved, it is beginning to throw off its cloak of tannin and exhibit more complexity and balance. I remain concerned about how well the fruit will hold, but this wine will undoubtedly hit its plateau around the turn of the century. Putting it in the context of what is a largely disappointing range of Mouton-Rothchilds in the decade of the seventies, great bottles of the 1970 are superior to the 1975, but this is clearly the second-best Mouton of the decade.

The name Rothschild has been associated with fine wines for almost a century and a half when vines first appeared on what is now known as the Mouton-Rothschild estate in the early 18th century. The Rothschild family had bought the property in 1853, and its reputation was rapidly restored. In due course the driving force was Baron Philippe de Rothschild who assumed control in 1922.
He was a dynamic figure who revolutionised much of the running of the estate. He was the first to introduce château-bottling, as early as 1924, and instigated the practice, after the Second World War, of employing a different artist each year to design the label. Miró, Chagall, Braque, Picasso, Warhol, Bacon, Balthus, Tàpies and a myriad of famous artists have contributed to this tradition.
His greatest achievement was to have Mouton upgraded to 1st Growth Status in 1973, the only change ever to be made to the 1855 Classification. For decades the price of Mouton had matched, and frequently surpassed, that of the other First Growths, so the logic for the promotion was undeniable. Picasso was engaged to design that vintage’s label. Philippe died in 1988 and the estate passed into the hands of his daughter, Philippine.

Meats, Beef and Venison