Although the La Mondotte wine estate dates back to the 19th century, it only awoke from its slumber in 1996 under Count von Neipperg.
Before this year, hardly anyone had taken any notice of the château. Although it had already come into the Count's possession before 1996, the wine La Mondotte was vinified in the Canon La Gaffelière wine cellar until that year and was not subject to any classification. in 1996, now equipped with its own wine cellar, the estate was - to the surprise of many - honoured with a Grand Cru Classé from Saint-Émilion and awarded 98 points by Parker. Since then, the wines have scored consistently and the estate has long since established itself among the top domains of the appellation.
Only once has there been a downward slip to 91 points, but there has also been an upward slip to 100. Otherwise, the wines' scores have remained extremely consistent between 93 and 98 Parker points. We mention this because this wine, which was upgraded to 1er Grand Cru Classé in 2012, can be bought blind. However, anyone who knows Count von Neipperg and his quality standards will not be surprised.
The winery was certified according to organic guidelines in 2014 and works biodynamically. The 4.5 hectares of vineyards are planted with vines that are on average 60 years old, 75% of which are Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. The vines are located in the south of the Saint-Émilion plateau directly below Troplong-Mondot. Compared to the related Canon La Gaffelière vineyard, the vineyard has more clay on the chalky-limestone base.
The wines have a lower pH and higher acidity and are somewhat fuller and more concentrated. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of Cabernet Franc in the finished wine is 15 to 30 %, although this could tend to increase due to climate change. The wine is fermented gently over 25 to 30 days without too much being extracted. The wine is matured for 18 months entirely in new barrels.
© Images: Château la Mondotte
