1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bottle (750ml) [Slightly Corroded Capsule]

RP100 "The 1986 Mouton-Rothschild has a powerful and intense bouquet as always: exemplary graphite and cedar scents, a touch of black pepper and incense. It seems to unfurl in the glass, like a motor revving its engine. The palate is beautifully balanced with its trademark firm tannic structure, a Mouton-Rothschild with backbone and masculinity. Layers of black fruit intermingling with mint and graphite, a hint of licorice emanating from the Merlot, gently fanning out and my God, it is incredibly long. It is not like the 1985 Mouton-Rothschild that is so fleshy and generous. This is serious, aristocratic Mouton, a true vin de garde and yes, I do think drinkers will have to wait until it reaches its true peak. Sometimes that's just the way it is." NM for TWA Dec 2016

JD100 "A wine that's been closed every time I've been lucky enough to taste it previously, the 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild appears to have finally come around, and it’s pure Bordeaux gold today. Still deeply hued and vibrant, with no bricking, it has a powerful, full-bodied style carrying lots of pure black currants, scorched earth, graphite, tobacco leaf, and roasted coffee-like aromatics. Full-bodied and still incredibly concentrated on the palate, it has a massive mid-palate, polished yet still present tannins, and an incredible finish. A legendary bottle of wine, it lived up to every expectation on this occasion. It probably has another 50 years of life, but it's in a great spot today. (Drink between 2023-2073)" JD May 2023

JS100 "This was the greatest bottle of the 1986 Mouton I have ever drunk. I have been lucky enough to drink it many times, but on occasions it has come across as very tight and reserved, even hard. Yet on this special night last Friday in Bangkok it was perfect – the perfect wine that it was purported to be for a very long time. How strange that the owner of Mouton, Philippine de Rothschild, died the same day. Please read my tribute to here. The bottle we drank showed amazing aromas of mushrooms, mint, minerals and dark berries. It boasted a fully body of ultra richness and extraordinary length and beauty. It had an almost chiseled precision to the quality with fabulous length. It lasts for minutes on the palate. My Thai friend decanted it four hours before serving." JS Junn 2016

LP100 "Deep garnet-black colour. An incredible array of aromas on the nose: blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, espresso, leather, black olive and loam. The palate is absolutely seamless from first impression to finish, effortlessly building layers of complexity in the mouth and leading to a very long, earth and spice finish. I can’t see how this could possibly be improvement so have no alternative but concede perfection. Drink now to 2045+. Tasted March 2009." LPB for TWJ May 2009

JA100 "Wonderful, concentrated and still astonishingly young, this has brushes of violet aromatics rising above the tight cassis fruits and rich black truffle, and the classic menthol edging of a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Pauillac. We drank this over lunch and it was breathtaking, but were told that 24 hours later it had blossomed even further, so make sure you give this a serious amount of time in carafe to open up - something that gives you just a small clue as to how structured, layered and complex the wine we are dealing with here is. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot." JA for DR Jul 2020

Robert Parker writes, "In 1986, Mouton-Rothschild produced the most profound wine of a great northern Medoc vintage. The sensational opaque black/ruby color may be even denser than that of the 1982. It requires coaxing and extended airing to bring forth the subdued bouquet of minerals, celestial blackcurrants, smoky new oak, and spices. The wine possesses incredible concentration, full body, fabulous length, and is - well - perfect. At present, this exemplary effort is a huge, monolithic, totally unevolved wine. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2050." 100 Points Published: Oct 30, 1994

Bernard Séjourné (1947-1994) was born in Haiti where his family were planters. He studied painting and the history of art first in Jamaica and later in the United States, still preserving close ties with his island home.
Mysterious, sophisticated and very different from the naive style favoured by other Haitian painters, Séjourné's work holds echoes of some ancient culture: women with long graceful necks and half-closed eyes; seashells and tropical flowers; the subtle charm of pastel colours and smooth, wave-like shapes.
His trio of masks rising from the dark in their “white negritude” for the label of Mouton Rothschild 1986 is one of the finest examples of his work.