This wine has finally begun to reveal some potential. It has been closed and frightfully tannic for the last decade. The wine exhibits a good dark ruby/garnet color, a sweet nose of cedar, chocolate, cassis, and spices, good ripe fruit and extraction, and a weighty, large-scaled, tannic finish. Although still unevolved, it is beginning to throw off its cloak of tannin and exhibit more complexity and balance. I remain concerned about how well the fruit will hold, but this wine will undoubtedly hit its plateau around the turn of the century. Putting it in the context of what is a largely disappointing range of Mouton-Rothchilds in the decade of the seventies, great bottles of the 1970 are superior to the 1975, but this is clearly the second-best Mouton of the decade. Last tasted 12/95

A garnet, brownish color and maturing aromas suggest this is ready for drinking, but it tastes closed in. Still, a very good wine, with tar, cedar, smoke and cassis flavors, finishing with an interesting meaty note. Drink now.--Mouton-Rothschild vertical. -PM