| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Stephan von Neipperg-s tiny jewel of a vineyard 12 acres produces the ultimate garage wine from 50-year old vines. A candidate for the wine of the vintage, this blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc is a big, concentrated effort of extraordinary intensity and richness. A sensational bouquet of sweet blueberry, black raspberry, and black currant fruit interwoven with scents of charcoal, incense, graphite, and pain grille is followed by an extraordinarily intense, full-bodied, amazingly concentrated wine displaying elevated tannins in the finish. It is another uncompromising effort meant for long-term cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030.
Tasted blind at Farr Vintners' 2006 tasting, the 2006 La Mondotte offers a pleasant bouquet with red cherries, iodine and blueberry fruit, quite warm and generous, a nose that comes out and hugs you. The palate is mature with a slightly smudged entry: dusky black fruit, earthy and with moderate depth. It does not really fan out towards the finish as I was expecting, though there is a pleasant saline edge that beckons you back for the next sip. This is well crafted and elegant, packed full of flavor with good prospects to age over the next decade.
Mineral, floral and violet aromas follow through to a full body, with firm yet polished tannins and a cedar, vanilla bean and berry after taste. Solid and beautiful. Best from 2013 through 2018.
Dark purple (20% Cabernet Franc, 80% Merlot). Pretty ripe to overripe nose - distinctly purple! Then a bit dry on the finish. A sort of baby Pavie. Not comfortable to taste. Extraordinarily green and chewy. I see strong similarities with Pavie down to the charcoal flavours - too dried on the palate. Lack of freshness and succulence.
Deep, bright ruby. Blackberry and blueberry liqueur, licorice, spices, graphite and toffee on the nose, with a pungent mineral lift. Dense, sappy and superconcentrated, with a silky, voluptuous texture to its flavors of dark berries and graphite. The combination of smooth, plush texture and penetrating minerality is truly exhilarating. There's a coolness here and a deep vinosity, not to mention substantial building but noble tannins, that suggest this wine is going to go on for decades. Hands off for at least a few years.
The jewel of Stephan von Neipperg’s empire, this 12-acre vineyard had a very late harvest in 2006, with the Merlot being picked between October 2-4 and the Cabernet Franc not finished until October 11. The final blend is usually 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. The 2006 was extremely backward when I tasted it (it was probably just coming out of malo), so this rating may be conservative. The wine displays a deep saturated purple color along with a big, sweet nose of graphite, blueberries, blackberries, espresso roast, and flowers. There is excellent fruit on the attack, but the wine needs time to calm down. It should put on weight and reveal more seamlessness after aging in barrel. The raw potential for something even more exquisite than my initial rating suggests is obvious. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.
A rich wine, with plenty of blackberry and plum character. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. Needs a little bit more on the midpalate. Could move up to 92-94.
Bright red-ruby. Fresh aromas of blackberry and spice. Powerful and sharply focused wine with strong acidity giving it a vertical shape in the mouth. The blackberry flavor is framed and carried by a penetrating mineral character. This has a pH of 3.55, vs. 3.8 for Von Neipperg's Canon La Gaffeliere.
