Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild 2015, Pauillac

Le Petit Mouton is the second wine of Château Mouton Rothschild, created in 1993, it is generally made from selected younger vines and receives the same care and attention as the First Growth. The label itself is also deliberate: it draws from a 1927 design connected to the house’s artistic heritage, signaling that this is part of Mouton’s identity, not a side project.

In 2015, a generous year in Pauillac, Le Petit Mouton is a textbook example of what great second labels can do. They offer the estate’s signature with earlier accessibility, without pretending to be the Grand Vin. Outstanding.