2019 Château Mouton Rothschild 1. Cru Pauillac

This shows purity of fruit with blackcurrants and cassis and hints of blueberries and fresh flowers. Toasted and roasted. The 90% of cabernet sauvignon really makes this special. Lead-pencil, tar and licorice notes. Powerful with finesse. Extremely persistent.

The 2019 Château Mouton Rothschild offers the same crème de cassis, graphite, toasted spice, and gravelly minerality, yet turns up the dial and is full-bodied, concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and has the purity and elegance of the vintage, yet brings plenty of power. The tannins are incredibly polished, which will give this plenty of early appeal, yet it's still going to evolve for 40- 50 years or more. A more elegant version of the 2009? A blend 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it's quintessential Pauillac as well as a textbook 2019.

The 2019 Mouton Rothschild comes off the back of a succession of superlative wines that you would have to go back to the late Forties to see again. Deep in colour, it has a very composed and refined bouquet: very pure blackberry intermingling with bilberry and graphite, touches of Earl Grey and crushed stone emerging after several minutes in the glass. The palate is beautifully balanced with finely-chiseled tannins, a little spicier than the previous vintage from barrel last year, gently building and fanning out towards the poised finish. This is a sophisticated, classic Mouton-Rothschild that will require a little more cellaring than some recent vintages, but will surely be worth the wait.

This is a sumptuous and powerful wine that is built by considerable tannins and immensely rich fruit. At the same time, there is a perfumed charm that balances all that power. The wine's structure and richness are harbingers of enormous aging potential.