What grape varieties does Château Mouton Rothschild primarily cultivate and use for its Grand Vin?

Hey, when we talk about Château Mouton Rothschild's grand vin, it's a top-tier masterpiece from Bordeaux's Left Bank. Its winemaking recipe isn't just about using one type of grape; it's like a master chef preparing a dish, requiring several "ingredients" to be combined to create the most delicious meal.

Simply put, Mouton's grand vin is primarily a "blend" of the following grape varieties:

The Absolute Protagonist: Cabernet Sauvignon

You can imagine Cabernet Sauvignon as the lead singer and guitarist of a band; it determines the style and power of the entire wine.

Highest Proportion: Typically accounts for 80% - 90% or even more.
Role: It provides the wine with a robust "backbone" (i.e., tannins, that slightly astringent sensation when you drink it), deep color, and very classic complex aromas like blackcurrant, cedar, and graphite. It's precisely because of Cabernet Sauvignon that Mouton can age for decades or even centuries, becoming more fragrant with time.

The Best Supporting Actor: Merlot

If Cabernet Sauvignon is the aloof artist, then Merlot is the warm and smooth bass player, responsible for making the melody more fluid and pleasant to the ear.

Second Highest Proportion: Usually around 10%, adjusted according to the vintage.
Role: Merlot's fruit flavors are sweeter, and its texture is more round and soft. It adds a fleshy fullness to the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated body, bringing red fruit flavors like plum and cherry, making the wine more approachable even when young.

Flavor Accents: Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot

These two are like the keyboardist and drummer in a band; though used in small quantities, they greatly enrich the layers of the music.

Very Small Proportion: Together, they usually account for less than 10%.
Cabernet Franc: Brings unique spicy notes, such as the fragrance of violet and mint, adding a touch of freshness.
Petit Verdot: Acts like a "seasoning agent," used in very small amounts. Its role is to deepen the color, provide powerful tannins and spicy notes (like pepper), making the wine's structure more complete.

To summarize:

Therefore, the core recipe for Mouton's grand vin is a "classic Bordeaux blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon."

The weather conditions vary each vintage, and the ripeness of the grapes differs. Thus, the winery's winemaker adjusts the blending proportions of these varieties each year, like a chef, based on the actual performance of the grapes that year, to achieve the most perfect balance and flavor for that particular vintage. This is also why tasting different vintages of Mouton is so enjoyable!