Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac Le Petit Mouton 2009

I’m not sure that there is a more festive wine in Bordeaux than le Petit Mouton, with its beautifully cheerful label, and its consistently seductive character. You can expect layers of damson, black cherry, grilled vanilla bean, sandalwood, incense and liquorice root, lusciously velvety tannins, balanced with fresh acidities, slate and crushed rock minerality. At this point, in 2009, Philippe Dhalluin had been technical director since 2004, and was producing exceptional wines. Harvest September 23 to October 13. 60% new oak.