2023 La Mondotte, St Emilion, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
The 2023 La Mondotte was picked from September 19 to 30 at 37hL/ha with a 35-day cuvaison, aged in 40% new oak.
Cut from a similar cloth to its stablemate, Canon-la-Gaffelière, this is mineral-driven and strict, much stonier than previous vintages, a touch of blood orange emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It’s a little juicier than the Canon-la-Gaffelière, with a moderate and slightly citrusy finish. This is a classy and perhaps uncharacteristically understated La Mondotte.
Drink 2028 - 2050
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2024)
The 2023 La Mondotte is fabulous. In fact, the 2023 is one of the best Mondottes I can remember tasting. A wine of vertical, explosive energy, La Mondotte dazzles from the very first taste. Inky dark fruit, mocha, lavender, new leather, spice and dried herbs build as this dynamic, complex Saint-Émilion shows off its compelling personality. Superb.
Drink 2030 - 2048
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (April 2024)
I typically have a weakness for Canon-la-Gaffelière in the von Niepperg portfolio, but this year, it’s the 2023 La Mondotte, a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, that stands out as the highlight of the range. Revealing dark berries, liquorice and petals aromas framed by creamy new oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, layered and harmonious, with good depth at the core, supple tannin and a penetrating finish.
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (April 2024)
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 35 hl/ha. Certified organic. Cask sample.
Crimson hue. Red- and dark-fruit notes. Supple fruit with a fine tannic frame. Freshness enhanced by the chalky terroir. Saline edge to the finish.
Drink 2030 - 2045
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (May 2024)
80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
A dense yet agile wine with blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and citrus aromas and flavours. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that spread across the palate, running the wine's length and helping it last for minutes on the finish.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (May 2024)
Smells amazing - cool blueberries and cherries, milk chocolate. Smooth and round, tart and bright, almost searing, with lots of acidity, then powdery tannins make their way in with a chalky minerality. But this has some softness and charm; it’s juicy and clean. It softens slightly towards the finish, just tapering, missing a touch more persistence, but it’s nicely pristine with lots of layers and depth in terms of texture. Just a bit coiled right now. It should be great in time.
Drink 2030 - 2046
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (April 2024)
A more Merlot-dominated blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 La Mondotte has a semi-opaque hue to go with beautiful aromatics of black raspberry and bright cherry-like fruit, as well as some classic graphite, chalky minerality, and floral notes. It's another medium to full-bodied, seamless, beautifully balanced red from this team with fine tannins and an overriding sense of freshness and elegance.
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (May 2024)
About this WINE
La Mondotte
La Mondotte is a tiny 4.5 hectare vineyard located just east of the St-Emilion limestone plateau between Troplong-Mondot and Tertre-Rôteboeuf. It is owned by Count Stefan von Neipperg who also owns Canon-La-Gaffelière.
In the early 1990s he tried to officially merge the vineyards of Mondotte and Canon-La-Gaffelière but was thwarted in his efforts by the governing authorities on the grounds that Canon-La-Gaffelière was a St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé and Château La Mondotte was not. Incensed, he set out to prove the authorities wrong by installing a fermentation facility at La Mondotte and showing what its terroir was capable of producing.
La Mondotte's clay-rich soils and the almost perfect aspect of the steep vineyards produce super-ripe Merlot grapes and a smaller proportion of Cabernet Franc grapes. These are fermented and then matured in 100% new oak barrels for 12-18 months.
La Mondotte produces extraordinarily rich, opulent and intense and are now increasingly difficult to find.
St Émilion
St Émilion is one of Bordeaux's largest producing appellations, producing more wine than Listrac, Moulis, St Estèphe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux put together. St Emilion has been producing wine for longer than the Médoc but its lack of accessibility to Bordeaux's port and market-restricted exports to mainland Europe meant the region initially did not enjoy the commercial success that funded the great châteaux of the Left Bank.
St Émilion itself is the prettiest of Bordeaux's wine towns, perched on top of the steep limestone slopes upon which many of the region's finest vineyards are situated. However, more than half of the appellation's vineyards lie on the plain between the town and the Dordogne River on sandy, alluvial soils with a sprinkling of gravel.
Further diversity is added by a small, complex gravel bed to the north-east of the region on the border with Pomerol. Atypically for St Émilion, this allows Cabernet Franc and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon to prosper and defines the personality of the great wines such as Ch. Cheval Blanc.
In the early 1990s there was an explosion of experimentation and evolution, leading to the rise of the garagistes, producers of deeply-concentrated wines made in very small quantities and offered at high prices. The appellation is also surrounded by four satellite appellations, Montagne, Lussac, Puisseguin and St. Georges, which enjoy a family similarity but not the complexity of the best wines.
St Émilion was first officially classified in 1954, and is the most meritocratic classification system in Bordeaux, as it is regularly amended. The most recent revision of the classification was in 2012
Merlot/Cabernet Franc
Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grape varieties commonly used in Bordeaux-style blends, particularly in the Bordeaux region of France. When these two grapes are blended, they can create a wine that combines the best characteristics of each variety.
Merlot is known for its smoothness, soft tannins, and ripe fruit flavours. It often contributes black cherry, plum, and chocolate flavours to the blend. The grapes are relatively easy to grow and ripen earlier than other Bordeaux varieties, making them versatile for blending.
Cabernet Franc, on the other hand, adds structure, depth, and complexity to the blend. It typically brings aromas of red fruits such as raspberry and strawberry, along with herbal notes like bell pepper and tobacco. These grapes have thinner skins and can be more challenging to cultivate, requiring specific growing conditions to reach their full potential.
When Merlot and Cabernet Franc are combined, the result is a well-balanced wine with various flavours and aromas. The blend often exhibits a Bordeaux wine's medium to full body, along with a smooth texture and moderate tannins. The specific flavour profile can vary depending on the proportions of each grape in the blend and the terroir and winemaking techniques employed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The 2023 La Mondotte was picked from September 19 to 30 at 37hL/ha with a 35-day cuvaison, aged in 40% new oak.
Cut from a similar cloth to its stablemate, Canon-la-Gaffelière, this is mineral-driven and strict, much stonier than previous vintages, a touch of blood orange emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It’s a little juicier than the Canon-la-Gaffelière, with a moderate and slightly citrusy finish. This is a classy and perhaps uncharacteristically understated La Mondotte.
Drink 2028 - 2050
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2024)
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