Mouton Rothschild 1990

Date: 3 November 2005
Venue: Orphee Restaurant

This was probably the 10th or 11th Mouton 90 I've tasted. Immediately evident was the powerful berry aroma. There was quite a bit of leather and herbaceous nose. Colour was dense purple to the rim. Cork was in perfect condition. The first mouthful was a little disappointing as the leatheriness was overpowering, the tobacco and cut grass aroma overwhelmed the palate and the fruit couldn't come through. I couldn't recall if previous bottles were similar. 20 minutes later, after the soup and the thinly sliced duck breast with zucchini and red wine vinegar, the Mouton 90 metamorphosized. The smokiness and leather has dissipated significantly for the tastebuds to sense the underlying grape. The palate became much smoother with a long tannic finish. This intense full bodied wine went perfectly with the medium cooked rib-eye, and continued to improve in aroma and palate over the evening until the very last drop. Service from the Latin looking (Filipino?) captain was excellent.

The Mouton 1990 should be aired for at least 2 hours prior to tasting.

Rating: Good