Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2000

Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 is a 750ml, 12.5% ABV Pauillac First Growth Bordeaux blending 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. Awarded 97 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, this millennial vintage marked a watershed moment for the estate—the first time in Mouton's history that the traditional artist-commissioned label was replaced, with a gold enamel relief of the sixteenth-century Augsburg Ram applied directly onto each bottle using a groundbreaking enamelling technique.

Quick Facts: ABV: 12.5%  |  Origin: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France  |  Vintage: 2000  |  Château: Mouton Rothschild (Premier Grand Cru Classé)

Production & Heritage

Château Mouton Rothschild remains the only estate ever elevated to First Growth status after the original 1855 Classification, having been promoted from Second Growth to Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1973. The 2000 vintage was harvested between September 22 and October 6, yielding an 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot blend that was matured in new French oak barrels. To commemorate the millennium, glassmaker B.S.N. spent four months developing a new technique for enamelling in relief, reproducing the Augsburg Ram—a chased silver-gilt drinking vessel created around 1590 by German master goldsmith Jakob Schenauer—directly onto each bottle in gold enamel, producing one of the most visually distinctive releases in Bordeaux history.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Deep garnet with a brick-edged rim, the nose opens with concentrated dark fruit—dried mulberries, blackcurrant pastilles, and prune. Complex secondary layers of cedar, incense, potpourri, cigar box, and cinnamon stick emerge with time in the glass.

Taste: Full and opulent on entry, the palate delivers intense blackcurrant and jammy fruit carried by close-knit, caressing tannins. Mid-palate, roast coffee and leather develop alongside earthy humus and fern undertones. The wine builds toward a peak of concentrated cedary fruit interwoven with tobacco and dark spice.

Finish: Long and deeply structured, with lingering roast coffee, cedar, and dark spice. The tannins remain polished and integrated, pointing to further evolution with continued cellaring.

How to Drink Mouton Rothschild 2000

Decant for at least two hours before serving at 16–18°C (61–64°F) in large-bowled Bordeaux glasses to allow the layered aromatics to fully express themselves. This vintage drinks beautifully now but retains the tannic architecture for continued aging. Roasted rack of lamb with herbes de Provence complements the cedar and dark fruit core. Truffle-studded beef tenderloin mirrors the wine's earthy complexity. Aged Comté or Parmigiano-Reggiano stands up to the polished tannic structure without overwhelming the fruit.

Best For

• Celebrating a milestone anniversary or birth-year vintage from 2000
• Gifting a serious Bordeaux collector a museum-piece bottle
• Anchoring a First Growth vertical or Pauillac comparative tasting
• Serving as the centerpiece of a once-in-a-lifetime dinner

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mouton Rothschild 2000 taste like? Mouton Rothschild 2000 is full-bodied and opulent, with concentrated blackcurrant, dried mulberry, cedar, roast coffee, and cigar box flavors supported by fine-grained, caressing tannins. Secondary notes of leather, incense, and dark spice add significant complexity.

How does Mouton Rothschild 2000 compare to Château Lafite-Rothschild 2000? Both are Pauillac First Growths from the celebrated 2000 vintage, with each earning 97+ points from leading critics. Lafite-Rothschild 2000 tends toward a more restrained, mineral-driven profile, while Mouton Rothschild 2000 is generally considered the richer, more opulent and fruit-forward of the two.

Is Mouton Rothschild 2000 good for cellaring? Yes—the wine's tannic structure and concentrated fruit suggest a drinking window extending well past 2040, though it is already showing beautifully after more than two decades of bottle age.

Where is Mouton Rothschild 2000 made? Mouton Rothschild 2000 is produced at Château Mouton Rothschild in the Pauillac appellation of the Haut-Médoc, on Bordeaux's Left Bank in southwestern France. The estate's vineyards occupy prime gravelly soils on the Pauillac plateau.

What foods pair well with Mouton Rothschild 2000? Roasted rack of lamb with herbs complements the cedar and dark fruit. Beef tenderloin with truffle jus mirrors the earthy complexity. Aged Comté stands up to the tannic structure. Duck confit with berry reduction echoes the concentrated fruit. Dark chocolate desserts align with the roast coffee finish.

What sizes does Mouton Rothschild 2000 come in? Mouton Rothschild 2000 was produced in standard 750ml bottles as well as larger formats including magnums (1.5L), double magnums (3L), jeroboams (5L), and imperials (6L).

Is Mouton Rothschild 2000 worth the price? Mouton Rothschild 2000 occupies the ultra-premium tier of collectible Bordeaux, and its combination of a celebrated millennial vintage, 97-point critical acclaim, and the unique gold-enamelled Augsburg Ram bottle design makes it one of the most sought-after releases in the estate's history. For collectors and serious Bordeaux enthusiasts, it represents a benchmark expression of Pauillac.

Why Mouton Rothschild 2000?

The 2000 vintage stands apart in Mouton Rothschild's storied history for both what is inside and outside the bottle. With 97 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and matching scores from Wine Enthusiast and Jeff Leve's The Wine Cellar Insider, it ranks among the most critically acclaimed releases from the estate. The unprecedented gold enamel Augsburg Ram relief—replacing the traditional commissioned artist label for the only time—makes each bottle a collector's artifact beyond the wine itself. More than two decades on, Mouton Rothschild 2000 continues to deliver extraordinary depth and complexity while retaining the structural integrity for further aging, cementing its place as one of the defining Pauillac First Growths of the modern era.