(90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot and 3% cabernet franc): Deep ruby-red. Spicy red cherry, fresh blackcurrant, bay leaf, and cedar on the nose. Enters the mouth fresh and juicy, with bright acidity lifting the creamy red and black fruit flavors. Finishes clean and long, with mouthwatering acidity and supple charm. A knockout Mouton and one of the stars of the vintage. Director Philippe Dhalluin told me this wine reminded him of the '95 in some respects even though that wine has more flesh. This vintage marks the return of cabernet franc in Mouton's blend: it was last used in 2005, but then only 1%. Dhalluin told me he thought long and hard about this issue, worrying that adding cabernet franc might make the wine softer. "But in 2011, I realized that may not be such a bad thing after all," he explained. "Plus I really liked our cabernet franc this year, and so I thought, let's give it a shot."

The dense ruby/purple-colored 2011 Mouton Rothschild (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc) displays tell-tale notes of creme de cassis, vanillin and spicy oak, more tannin than many of the Pauillacs, and a solid, medium-bodied, concentrated, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon personality. Still tightly-knit and closed, but with lots of potential, it is a big, firmly structured Mouton that may turn out to be slightly austere. However, there are many reasons for optimism as well, so forget it for 7-8 years. It has 2-3 decades of aging potential. Only 54% of the production made the grade for Mouton Rothschild.

This is delicious with a gorgeous ripe fruit with hints of chocolate, lightly toasted oak and blueberries. Salty and savory. Long and very caressing. But then it goes on for a long, long time with firm tannins. Is it a baby 1986, one of the greats of Mouton? 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc

Delivers a pure beam of cassis, raspberry and cherry, with lightly toasted spice notes and a firm plum skin edge holding sway on the finish. Stretched out somewhat already, this seems nicely tuned and has good buried minerality. Tasted non-blind. Score range: 93-96 -JM