Château Mouton Rothschild 1989
Rouge, Pauillac, 1989
Commenté par Monsieur Jean-Guillaume Prats
Dîner donné en l’honneur des Amis du Vin de Bordeaux accueillis en Gironde à l’occasion de la présentation du millésime 2001 en primeur. Musée des Arts décoratifs, Bordeaux
In 1922, the Baron Philippe was moved during the first world war from Paris to Pauillac and in 1922, he took up Mouton and he is really the one who stood up behind this fantastic estate and made it what it is today.
Philippe de Rothschild is one of the key personages, human being behind this Academy, with my great grand-father, Fernand Ginestet. He really was one of the men who carried the flag of Bordeaux overseas and it is a great choice to have chosen Mouton tonight to welcome our foreign visitors, especially because Mouton is one estate in Bordeaux that goes abroad.
This 1989 is interesting because it goes against fashion. The fashion today is to go towards low yield, over-ripeness and maceration. This 1989 is totally the contrary. It is fairly good yield, it is a good ripeness, but not too much. You can still feel the acidity into the wine. It’s a very large proportion went into the « Grand Vin ». It is undoubtedly one of the greatest wines produced at Mouton. It has this ”finesse”, this harmony, this balance which makes Bordeaux famous, but more than that, Mouton is probably THE estate, and this 1989 in particular, that carries all the principles of this Academy and the fine wines of Bordeaux.
Mouton is long term thinking, Mouton is balance, Mouton is harmony and that’s what the Academy is all about. Trying to be above the sky, above the limit and committing yourself to quality every year. That’s what this 1989 is very much at. So, it is a great tribute to the Rothschild family.
Philippine de Rothschild has carried this flag today and made it a cult wine . That’s what it is. And I was reading the label. It showed that it was made as a memory to the fall of the Berlin wall but probably Philippe de Rothschild, he is the one who made the wall between California and Bordeaux to fall down as well. By drinking his wine, we have a tribute to you, gentlemen, coming from the United States and other parts of the world. It is undoubtedly a great vintage.
Let me just tell you a quick story about this 1989 dating from this morning just to tell you how Bordeaux is changing. There is a very strict rule in the Médoc where we all are extremely arrogant and convinced of ourselves that if we want to exchange a bottle between the second growth and the first growth, you have to do two to one. This morning, I telephoned Mouton to see if we could have a bottle of 1989 for my lunch so I could taste the wine and I was only requested to deliver one bottle of 1989 at Cos d’Estournel. So I thought, it is because of you coming tonight, they were so generous…
Permettez-moi de conclure en français et paraphraser la devise des Rohan-Chabot que Philippe de Rothschild a faite sienne. Il avait pour habitude de dire : « Premier ne puis, second ne daigne, MOUTON suis ». Je trouve que ce 1989, par son caractère tout à fait exceptionnel, m’amène à penser que l’on pourrait dire : « Premier des premiers ne puis, excessif ne daigne, intemporel suis ». Et je crois que ce 1989 est tout à fait dans cette lignée.
