Opulent yet restrained aromas which give the impression of ripeness. A sense of hedonism pervades here – and it’s very welcome too. Long and elegant with good depth of fruit, well woven tannins and a long, sensuous finish. Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-mouton-rothschild-bordeaux-france-1004#FZWWgBOLibKZcGhP.99

I tasted this a few days after Bordeaux en primeur 2014. I was at my house in Italy and I forgot I had the bottle in my cellar. I really liked it. It was ready to drink, though some of my guests were less enthusiastic. My wife even thought it was tired already, yet the bottle was finished in 10 minutes! The wine showed fresh herb and berry character with tobacco undertones, a medium body and fine tannins. Just opening now. Fine and sillky textured.

This was a treat as First Growths are not popped that much these day. This is coming along nicely, with tobacco, cedar wood, cassis and earthy, forest floor notes continue developing. It's not the most concentrated vintage of Mouton, but it's starting to soften and fill out, while adding complexity and charm. Produced from a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, I'd give it another 5 - 8 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 2 decades. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2002&wine=Chateau%20Mouton%20Rothschild

Tasted blind at Farr’s 2002 Bordeaux tasting. The nose on this wine is tightly-coiled, holding something back for later, but you can coax out some attractive aromas of blackberry, tobacco, saddle-leather and pine cones. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, not quite as refined as Latour, but certainly coalescing in the glass beautifully with a wonderfully poised, almost feminine finish that caresses the palate. Lovely.

The 2002 from Mouton-Rothschild - with a mesmerising label by Ukrainian artist Ilya Kabakov - is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It presents a rather loose rim which perhaps betrays the nature of the vintage, which was one of the last to be vinified by the late Patrick Léon before he retired from working at Mouton. Like many 2002s, though, this impresses with the lift of its aromatics, with classical veins of tobacco, juniper berry, mint and rosemary. The palate is surprisingly textural for the vintage, and it has plenty of energy too. There is a fluid structure too it, appearing to be mature and fairly resolved, with softly interwoven blackcurrant and leather, the style supple and yet bright. Long and driven in the finish, this is a fine result for a 2002. Poured from standard bottle. - Chris Kissack

The 2002 Mouton-Rothschild, which was made by the late Patrick Leon, has a well-defined bouquet with pretty blackberry and graphite scents, quite precise and focused. This has matured well in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with a cohesive entry, youthful, not amazingly complex and perhaps towards the end the limitations of the growing season impinge upon complexity. A touch of dark chocolate on the aftertaste. I would drink this over the next 10 to 15 years. Very fine. Tasted at the château. -- Neal Martin

Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2002 Mouton-Rothschild is a wine that burned brightly in its youth, though recent encounters suggest that maybe it is beginning to flag as it enters what you might call middle age. Here, it has a conservative bouquet with blackberry, cedar, warm bricks and melted tar aromas - an unfussy, uncomplicated, quite serious Pauillac bouquet. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity. It feels lively on the entry with fine tannin, a Mouton that is nimble on its feet with a gentle grip towards the finish, which offers a satisfying aftertaste of spice and clove. It does not mirror some of the outstanding bottles I consumed within the first decade of its life, and peering into this First Growth, it is difficult to see whether it will repay those who cellar it longer. Tasted December 2016. - Neal Martin