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La Mondotte 2019

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

This super-cuvée is made by the Canon La Gaffelière team from 4.5 hectares of 60 year old vines - 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc. The tiny vineyard is situated near to Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf. It burst onto the scene at the height of the garage wine boom with a monster 1996. Annual production is usually less than 1000 cases.

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Label

Tasting Notes

A gorgeous wine, yet one that's going to demand bottle age, the 2019 La Mondotte comes from a tiny vineyard located just beside Pavie Decesse and is always a blend of mostly Merlot with 15-30% new French oak. Mulled blackcurrants, darker cherries, tobacco leaf, chocolate, lead pencil, and burning ember-like nuances all emerge from this brilliant wine, and it's full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, with good acidity, building tannins, and a great, great finish. It holds onto the more classic, focused style of the vintage, yet it's a beast of a wine that brings the goods. Hide bottles for a solid 7-8 years or more, count yourself lucky, and it's going to have 30-40 years of longevity.

99
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, April 2022

Aromas of smoky blackberries, black truffles, pipe tobacco, loamy soil and rose petals introduce the 2019 La Mondotte, a medium to full-bodied, deep and velvety wine that's lively and gourmand, with a rich core of fruit that's framed by beautifully polished tannins. This Merlot-dominant cuvée derives from vineyards on the plateau neighboring Troplong-Mondot, but the soils are shallower here, without the same reserves of deep clay. Drink Date 2025 - 2050

95
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (April 2022), April 2022

This has a fragrant nose of blackberries, red tea, cloves, bark, orange zest and dark chocolate. Sandalwood and tile, too. Full-bodied with chewy yet supple tannins and fresh acidity. Seamless and rich. Long and muscular. Try from 2027.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2022

A blend of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 La Mondotte is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with notes of stewed plums, blueberry preserves, and Chinese five spice with hints of sandalwood and star anise. The full-bodied palate delivers mouth-filling, spicy black fruit preserves with a velvety texture and lifted finish.

95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2023

Saturated purple colour in the glass, with a nose of baked plums and damson jam. Heady, powerful and rich, with initially glossy fruit bolstered by very chewy, grippy tannins. Heady and powerful, this has impressive concentration and ripeness, but perhaps lacks the freshness and balance typical of the region. The finish is thick and bold, with a lightly raisined edge.

90/92
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, June 2020
Read more tasting notes...

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 La Mondotte needs a little coaxing before bursting onto the scene with flamboyant scents of plum pudding, blueberry compote, blackberry pie and red roses. Further swirling reveals provocative, emerging notes of sandalwood, cracked black pepper, baker's chocolate, unsmoked cigars and crushed rocks plus a waft of black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is an exercise in poise and sophistication, featuring the most exquisitely ripe, velvety tannins and amazing freshness, beautifully countering the intense blue and black fruit layers, finishing with epic length and loads of mineral sparks. Breathtaking!

97/99
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (June 2020 ), June 2020

Tight and linear red with blackberry, chocolate and fresh-mushroom character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins and an attractive, chocolate and bitter-citrus aftertaste. Love the lively acidity at the finish. Minerally.

97/98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2020

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 La Mondotte prances out of the glass with flamboyant notes of fruitcake, potpourri, mocha, and Chinese five spice scents with hints of licorice and scorched earth. The full-bodied palate has a solid structure of grippy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the fragrant black fruit preserves layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2022
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.