Château La Mondotte 2020

Shows the warmth of the vintage with a dark plum, boysenberry and black currant core but manages it well, with sleek, well-embedded chalky minerality providing a serious spine, while sweet tobacco, alder and loam accents peek in on the fruit throughout. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030 through 2040. 1,500 cases made, 140 cases imported.

Ruby colour laced with violet, glass-staining berry fruit, clear limestone influence, sappy and a little austere, slate and juice. Muscular in its colour and aromatics on the attack, then it contracts halfway through the palate and the grippy tannins come into play. A yield of 36 hl/ha. Good stuff.

Blackberries, blueberries and flowers such as lavender and dark roses on the nose. Dried flowers as well. Feels medium-bodied with seamless tannins that spread across the palate. Savory and agile with a weightless feel. Hints of white pepper and salt. Makes you want to taste it. Better after 2026.

The 2020 La Mondotte is fabulous. Rich, heady and exotic, the 2020 offers up copious blackberry, blueberry, mocha, licorice, lavender and spice, with more savory and mineral notes that appear over time. Like all of Stephan von Neipperg's 2020s, La Mondotte marries fruit intensity and structure in brilliant style. As always, La Mondotte is a pretty full-throttle Saint-Émilion, but the excesses of the past have been tamed.

Concentrated, graceful, full-bodied, rich and intense, the array of black, red and blue fruits, all touched by accents of crushed rocks and stones, hits all the right notes on the nose and palate. The mid-palate and finish, with their layers of salt-tinged, perfectly ripe fruits, licorice, mocha, and spice, go on and on, leaving streams of bitter chocolate, plum liqueur, and sea salt that linger for more than 50 seconds! Not much wine is made here. In fact, production was about 1,200 cases. Drink from 2026–2055.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate narrow rim. Black wild berry aromas underlaid with very fine new oak spices, blackberries, ripe cherries with a fragrant floral note and candied orange zest. Intense, juicy red fruit along with cassis and black cherry fruit, fresh, very well-structured, fine tannins, mineral-salty finish, seems amazingly light-footed, ripe cherry fruit on the aftertaste. Rich, opulent, impressive but needs time.

Just about pure perfection, the 2020 La Mondotte comes from a tiny parcel of limestone soils on the upper plateau, not far from Troplong Mondot. Mostly Merlot with a small amount of Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by a brilliant bouquet of crème de cassis, crushed stone, graphite, mulled black cherries, and hints of truffle. Full-bodied, incredibly elegant yet also concentrated and flawlessly balanced, it's as good as anything in the vintage. Give bottles 4-6 years in the cellar, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 36 hl/ha, 14% alc. vol.) Mineral, concentrated, complex, deep bouquet: flint, blue and black berries, currants, slate, truffle, fine woods. Concentrated, multi-layered palate with concentrated, diverse, superb aromatics, a finely creamy, dense structure, lots of fine tannin, dense dark fruit, very long, powerful, fresh finish. Can still improve. (19/20) 21: The barrel sample was brought to Switzerland from Bordeaux by Stephan Neipperg. Purple-violet, black at the core. Elderberry bouquet, blueberries and blackcurrant. You can sense tender vanilla from the oak; the bouquet feels classic and multi-layered and reaches a remarkable, appealing depth. On the palate, with generous extract, there is tremendous fruit sweetness, moving almost into a compote-like second phase. The rich tannins feel full and very ripe, showing surprisingly soft contours; persistent finish. A fruit drug – akin to nectar. Somehow it seems this may become fairly approachable early. Or not!

(90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 36 hl/ha, 14% abv) Mineral, concentrated, complex, and profound bouquet: flint, blue and black berries, currants, slate, truffle, fine woods. Concentrated, multi-layered palate with intense, diverse, superb aromatics, a finely creamy, dense structure, lots of fine tannin, dense dark fruit, and a very long, powerful, fresh finish. Still has room to improve. 19/20 2028 - 2050

While Canon-La-Gaffelière and L’Oratoire surprise with their freshness, Mondotte is more in line with the vintage, namely its warmer side. At least at first, because it certainly sets things straight (even if the church is farther away), yet the water tower remains the benchmark! Paradoxically, the wine shows surprising tension and a refreshing salinity on the palate. Mondotte is capable of bridging charm, acidity, and breadth. A high-performing wine—surprising, fresh, silky, and long.

La Mondotte shows its usual array of intensely ripe, vibrant black fruit, inky and supported by notes of violet, iris and eucalyptus. The palate is marked by a powerful tannic framework, pinpoint sweetness, and a limestone-driven acidity that tightens the wine and brings great juiciness. Quiet strength, perfectly balanced.

95–97. Barrel Sample. This Premier Grand Cru Classé single vineyard wine is packed with solid tannins and impressively rich fruits. The wine's structured and densely dry core offers a panoply of flavors and richness all coming together to age well.