2012 Vintage theme
Online-Only Auction, 7 - 14 March 2022
2012 Vintage theme
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
Château Mouton Rothschild is not only one of the finest Bordeaux wines, but it is also one of the world’s greatest. The First Growth from Pauillac holds an incredible track record for the most consistent and long-lived wines in all of Bordeaux. It can be argued that the modern age of Chateau Mouton Rothschild arose along with the modernization of the entire Bordeaux wine region.
Each year since 1945, the Château Mouton Rothschild label has been illustrated with an artwork by a leading painter, specially created for the vintage. Thus, the most famous names in contemporary painting have been brought together in a collection to which a new work is added each year. From one label to another, Mouton Rothschild has thus brought together some of the most celebrated artists of their day, including Miró, Chagall, Braque, Picasso, Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Dali, Balthus, Jeff Koons and even Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. The artists have complete freedom of creation, though certain themes, such as the vine, the pleasure of drinking and the ram, the Mouton Rothschild emblem, have proved a particularly rich source of inspiration.
The illustration of the 2012 vintage was chosen personally by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, who died on 22 August 2014. The commission was given to the Catalan painter and sculptor Miquel Barceló. Born in 1957, he is the creator of a universe that is both realistic and dreamlike, a realm of intense colour in which combinations of techniques and different materials give striking relief to the subject matter. His fresco for Mouton 2012 revisits the Château’s historical emblem. Its two rams, symmetrical and face-to-face, are a reminder that the balance and harmony of a great wine, already present in nature, still set a challenge to be met by the work of human hands.
Provenance
Restaurant Mosaic
Critics Ratings
‘It has an open, intense bouquet with pencil lead and cedar infusing the black fruit, tertiary in style at first but then transforming with aeration to a more marine-influenced bouquet—seaweed and iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The tannins are ripe and fine, the acidity very well judged with a velvety, detailed finish that lingers long in the mouth. Density and harmony combine to make a stunning Mouton-Rothschild that should be afforded 15 years in bottle. It might be destined to be one of those wines forever eclipsed by recent outstanding vintages.’ - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 96/100 (Jan 2016)
‘This is a beautifully opulent wine, great Mouton in its richness and succulent fruits. It combines structure and obvious new-wood aging with hugely ripe black plum and currant flavors. While it is a pleasure to taste now, there is a great tannic structure in the background to give the sense of power and aging potential. Drink from 2024.’ - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 97/100 (Jan 2015)
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