La Mondotte 2021

The story of La Mondotte is a Cinderella story if ever there was one.  Who would have thought this tiny, unclassified property in Saint-Émilion would eventually join the ranks of illustrious, star producers like Château Figeac and Château Canon La Gaffelière as a Premiere Grand Cru Classes estate? La Mondotte’s extraordinary turnaround is largely due to the hard work the von Neipperg family put into the property.  For oenophiles who love concentrated, intense, and mineral driven wines, look no further than this gem of a property in the Right Bank. 

The history of La Mondotte begins in the modern era when it was purchased by the von Neipperg family in 1971.  The von Neippergs are no stranger to the winemaking scene, having produced wine in portions of Germany for 800 years.  The von Neipperg family seems to have the Midas touch, having turned properties like Château Canon La Gaffelière into true standouts and exemplary expressions of Saint-Émilion terroir.  With all that in mind, La Mondotte was a bit of a late bloomer.  Though it was acquired the same time as some other von Neipperg estates, like Canon La Gaffelière and Clos de l'Oratoire, La Mondotte remained relatively obscure.  By 1989, the other estates mentioned were already producing knockout vintages simply because the von Neippergs had not directed their attention toward La Mondotte.  It wasn’t until 1995 when Stephan von Neipperg shifted his focus to the vineyards at La Mondotte that things started to turn around for the estate. 

Stephan von Neipperg prioritized cleaning the soils and moving to self-sustaining farming first because he believed the estate had the same potential as other Premiere Grand Cru Classés properties in Saint-Émilion.  They switched the practices over at the estate to biodynamic practices and implemented organic viticultural techniques.  As of 2014 La Mondotte was 100% Certified Organic.  With all that in mind, the most exciting part of this property’s journey was in 2012, when it was classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classe wine.  This is extremely rare for unclassified vineyards in the Right Bank region of Saint-Émilion.  In the entire history of the Saint-Émilion Classification, only one other wine made such a turnaround that it was granted this incredibly high honor. 

La Mondotte is a small, 4.5-hectare property that is planted with 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc.  La Mondotte has some famous neighbors, including Château Troplong Mondot and Château Larcis Ducasse.  The estate is located a stone’s throw east of the famous Saint-Émilion limestone plateau.  The terroir is mostly clay and silt with heavy limestone deposits in the soil.  Like its sibling, Château Canon La Gaffelière, La Mondotte has its share of old vines – some date as far back to 1939.  The wine is produced with whole berry fermentation in a gravity flow operation, and the wine is diligently crafted at very low yields.  This results in a stunning, mineral-driven wine that has enormous aging potential and can lay down for 12-15 years or more prior to reaching its fullest potential.  

"The 2021 La Mondotte is a dense, potent beauty, with depths of black cherry, plum, gravel, scorched earth, leather, lavender and incense. In 2021, Mondotte is quite savory and brooding, a style with freshness and less opulence than most years. It's also a wine that needs time. I imagine the 2021 will always be a pretty dark Saint-Émilion." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (02/28/2024), Ratings: 95

"A brilliant wine in the making, I'd put the 2021 La Mondotte up with the crème de la crème from the Right Bank. Offering up terrific cassis, blueberry, and darker cherry fruits, it's medium to full-bodied, has ripe, polished tannins, terrific balance, and subtle floral and chalky mineral-like nuances. It brings way more density, depth, and texture than just about every other wine out there. Bravo." - Jeb Dunnuck, (06/02/2022), Ratings: 94-97 

"Lovely ripe raspberry and strawberry flavours with pink floral scents, really appealing aromatics jumping out the glass. Smooth and so vibrant, such vivacity, the brightness coming through strongly with such a brilliantly textured mid palate - it's silky but with concentration and intensity yet also an aerial feel to this. You got the depth and density without the weight. Crunchy, crisp, totally joyous. No hiding here, a pure expression. Not heavily structured but I love the energy, so fruity but also with a salinity on the finish that peaks the interest. One I definitely wanted another glass of. Gorgeous presentation of the terroir and the overall purity on show is commendable. No mildew or frost in 2021. A yield of 45hl/ha. Certified organic." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter, (04/01/2022), Ratings: 94

"Fresh flowers of lilies, peonies and roses on the opening aromatics, heading towards cherry pit and rapberry puree fruits, this works within the vintage but gives quite a different expression of it, with nuance and charm. Ludovic de Niepperg winemaker, who previously worked at Harlan in Napa before returning to the family estates. 40% new oak, 45hl/h yield, harvest Septmber 3 to 23. Certified organic since 2014, no till farming since 2022. An estate sat between Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf, on silt-sand and clay soils above limestone mother rock, with vines aged between 30 and 60 years old." - Jane Anson, (04/27/2023), Ratings: 93, Drink: 2027-2042