Wine Advocate 95 points

Backward, powerful, and extremely tannic, the dense purple-colored 2003 Mouton-Rothschild, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, fashioned from yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare, with a finished al-cohol of 12.9%, improves dramatically with aeration. With full-bodied, meaty, power-ful, dry flavors as well as a huge finish, this high class wine should be at its finest be-tween 2012-2040+. During its sojourn in barrel, it reminded me of a hypothetical blend of the 1982 and 1986 Moutons, but since bottling, it appears different, and even more tannic than those two vintages. I still believe the finest recent Mouton-Rothschild is the 2000. RP

Vinous (Stephen Tanzer) 93 points

A heady, exotic wine, the 23 Mouton Rothschild takes hold of all the senses. The ripeness and exuberance of the year comes through in spades as this dramatic, opu-lent wine shows off its radiant personality. The 23 can be enjoyed now, but it could also use another few years for the tannins to soften. Still, the 23 is pretty hard to re-sist today. This is an exceptional, deeply satisfying Mouton endowed with notable richness but also exceptional balance. Hints of toffee, torrefaction and dark spices are laced into the finish. In 23 the blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, all brought in between a fairly narrow window of ten days between September 15 and 25.- Antonio Galloni (5/216)