Run by the dynamic Jean-Philippe Janoueix (de Chambrun, La Confession, and La Croix St.-Georges are his other garagiste estates), this is a 50-acre vineyard planted with 80% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Yields in 2003 were 20 hectoliters per hectare. An excellent effort, it offers up scents of spicy oak, black currants, licorice, and smoke. Round and rich, with a broad, expansive entry on the palate, a layered impression, and a supple finish, this is a delicious claret to enjoy over the next 5-7 years.
Chateau Mouton comes from a vineyard located in the village of Lugon, right near the Dordogne River, west of St Emilion, and on the Right Bank in Bordeaux. This is a Bordeaux Superieur wine which is an official designation in France designed to recognize the superior wine growing terrain. The cepage is 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc with a small amount of Petit Verdot thrown in for elegance. There are only about 2000 cases of this wine made.