Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, 2025
Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild, 2025
- 75cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Please note, en primeur wines are not available for delivery until they arrive in the UK
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Optimal drinking window: 2030 - 2050
Est. delivery in 2028
Le Petit Mouton is Château Mouton Rothschild's second wine, crafted from younger vines and parcels that don't quite make the grand vin cut. Don't let the 'petit' fool you - this is still Pauillac aristocracy, just with more approachable manners.
The Mouton vineyards sit on the famous Pauillac gravel croupes, with deep beds of Günzian gravel over clay and limestone subsoil. This well-draining terroir forces the vines to dig deep, concentrating flavours while the gravel stores heat during the day and releases it at night, ensuring optimal ripening. The proximity to the Gironde estuary moderates temperatures and extends the growing season, allowing for the slow, steady maturation that gives Mouton wines their legendary longevity and complexity.
Pauillac AOC is the most prestigious commune in the Médoc, home to three of Bordeaux's five first growths. The appellation's regulations mandate Cabernet Sauvignon as the dominant grape, with strict yield limits and quality controls that reflect its elite status. Pauillac wines are known for their power, structure, and exceptional aging potential, distinguished from neighbouring Saint-Estèphe by their opulence and from Saint-Julien by their muscular intensity. The commune's gravel-rich soils and maritime climate create ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon to reach full physiological ripeness.
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage emerged from one of the most demanding growing seasons in recent memory — the earliest budbreak since 1989, June temperatures second only to 2003 since records began, and an unusually early harvest beginning in August for the whites. Conditions that should have produced heavy, overripe wines. They didn't. Decanter's Georgie Hindle, who tasted close to 200 wines ahead of the formal campaign, describes "exceptional concentration, aromatic purity and a freshness that contradicts the record-breaking heat.
The early critical consensus places 2025 stylistically between the precision of 2020 and the structure of 2016, with the brightness of 2023 — a combination that suggests a very serious vintage indeed. Yields are dramatically low, the smallest crop since 1991, with production across the Gironde running around 15% below the five-year average. The quality is here. There simply isn't very much of it.
What the critics say:
"Open and juicy with a plush nature as well as a noticeable ripeness, yet it's only 13% alcohol. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, velvety tannins and a savory, flavorful finish. Juicy and layered. Structured. Plenty of blackberry and blueberry character. A blend of 58% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot."
"Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate rim brightening. Inviting nuances of licorice, blueberries, dark cherries, some precious wood and nougat, attractive bouquet. Juicy, ripe cherry fruit, finesse-rich structure, ripe, integrated tannins, delicate, red berry fruit on the finish, very good length, versatile. The best Petit ever."
"Ripe cassis, black raspberries, chocolate, spicy and smoky graphite nuances all define the 2025 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton, the second wine of Mouton Rothschild and in the running for the top second wine in the vintage. Based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot that's resting in 50% new oak, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, ripe, pure, precise tannins, and a great finish. It's one hell of a second wine."
"The aromatics are very signature Petit Mouton - gentle toasted sandalwood and cedar, mint leaf, incense, but the impression on the palate is of fresher fruit, blueberry pie, crayon and slate. Will deepen further over ageing, but full of promise already, juicy with salted cracker and oyster shell, a little less exuberant perhaps than usual at this early stage, and I am reminded of the 2023, the 3.72ph making its presence felt. Harvest September 5 to 20.50% new oak."
OUR GROWERS
Château Mouton Rothschild
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