2016 | La Mondotte | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

This shows a dark, toasty style at first, with notes of ganache and plum reduction, but it unwinds steadily and slowly, revealing pure cassis, cherry and raspberry fruit flavors gilded liberally with violet and anise accents. The long finish is laced with a superfine chalky minerality that imparts mouthwatering cut even as the fruit gains steam.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2016 La Mondotte is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc this year, picked between 29 September and 15 October and matured in 70% new oak. The alcohol level is around 14.5%. It has a lucid purple hue in the glass. The bouquet is very perfumed, very pure with luscious red cherries, blueberry and a hint of sloes, the new oak discrete and allowing the terroir to shine through perhaps more than the 2015 last year. The palate is silky smooth on the entry, but underneath the bonnet, there is considerable tannic backbone that certainly can be felt more towards the finish that exerts a light grip. In a strange way, it reminds me a little of Château Canon! Give this 4-5 years once in bottle.

• James Suckling: So much black truffle and blueberry on the nose. Decadent and aromatic. Wet soil. Indian ink. Full-bodied, polished and so velvety with fantastic depth of fruit and ripe tannins, yet powerful and fresh. Slightly minerally and salty underneath.

Producer Information

La Mondotte is a small Bordeaux producer in the famous appellation of Saint-Émilion. It makes a single red from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Limited production volumes and critical acclaim have propelled it to being one of the most popular and most expensive wines in the region. La Mondotte has a small 4.5-hectare (11-acre) vineyard, planted roughly 75 percent to Merlot and 25 percent to Cabernet Franc. The vines average over 50 years of age, with the oldest planted in 1939. Located a short distance to the east of the limestone plateau, the vineyard is on clay and silt with heavy deposits of limestone and rocky subsoil. This provides good drainage and encourages deep-rooted vines. The deep limestone here (as demonstrated by underground caves) is said to influence the mineral style of the wine. Planted on a slope, its exposure to the sun promotes early ripening even by Merlot standards in the region. Yields are among the lowest in the region, and in the winery, fruit is carefully sorted before and after de-stemming. Whole berry fermentation is carried out in temperature-controlled open French oak vats for around 29 days. Extraction is managed by punching down the cap of grape skins. Malolactic fermentation and ageing takes place in 100-percent new French oak barrels on lees. Total barrel aging ranges from 18-24 months depending on the vintage. There is no fining or filtration. In the best vintages, the wine is likely to benefit from 10 to 15 years of cellaring, and may age gracefully up to 40 years. Fewer than 1000 cases are produced annually.

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