Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1er Cru 2002 in 12er Holzkiste

James Suckling: 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. 93/100 (2016)

Jeff Leve: 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. 93/100 (2013)

Robert Parker: 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. 91/100 (2017)

Lobenberg: Extrem dunkles Rubinrot. Deutliche Dominanz der Cabernet. Auch im Mund rote Früchte, sehr würzig, sehr gradlinig. In diesem Jahr durchaus Ähnlichkeit mit Lafite. Ein großer Klassiker für ein langes Leben. Ein Wein mit wenig Sexappeal, viel Kraft und ohne Schnörkel.