Chateau La Mondotte 2020

Produced from old-vine Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown on clay-limestone soils in Saint-Emilion, this Premier Grand Cru Classe wine is hand harvested, fermented in wooden vats and matured in new French oak. It delivers remarkable concentration, minerality and exceptional aging potential.

Food Pairing: Pairs best with beef tenderloin, roast lamb, venison, duck breast and aged hard cheeses.

99 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

Just about pure perfection, the 2020 La Mondotte comes from a tiny parcel of limestone soils on the upper plateau, not far from Troplong Mondot. Mostly Merlot with a small amount of Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by a brilliant bouquet of creme de cassis, crushed stone, graphite, mulled black cherries, and hints of truffle. Full-bodied, incredibly elegant yet also concentrated and flawlessly balanced, it's as good as anything in the vintage. Give bottles 4-6 years in the cellar, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.

99 Points - James Suckling

Blackberries, blueberries and flowers such as lavender and dark roses on the nose. Dried flowers as well. Feels medium-bodied with seamless tannins that spread across the palate. Savory and agile with a weightless feel. Hints of white pepper and salt. Makes you want to taste it. Better after 2026.

97 Points - Vinous

The 2020 La Mondotte is fabulous. Rich, heady and exotic, the 2020 offers up copious blackberry, blueberry, mocha, licorice, lavender and spice, with more savory and mineral notes that appear over time. Like all of Stephan von Neipperg's 2020s, La Mondotte marries fruit intensity and structure in brilliant style. As always, La Mondotte is a pretty full throttle Saint-Emilion, but the excesses of the past have been tamed. - Antonio Galloni

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast

This Premier Grand Cru Classe single vineyard wine is packed with solid tannins and impressively rich fruits. The wine's structured and densely dry core offers a panoply of flavors and richness all coming together to age well.

96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

I typically have a weakness for Canon-la-Gaffeliere, with its high percentage of Cabernet Franc, in the Von Neipperg portfolio. But this year, it's the 2020 La Mondotte that takes center stage, offering up aromas of dark berries, plums, licorice, incense and vine smoke, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and vibrant palate of striking harmony and concentration. It's the most seamless, complete wine I've ever tasted from this brilliant clay-limestone terroir. Best after 2025.

95 Points - Wine Spectator

Shows the warmth of the vintage with a dark plum, boysenberry and black currant core but manages it well, with sleek, well-embedded chalky minerality providing a serious spine, while sweet tobacco, alder and loam accents peek in on the fruit throughout. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030 through 2040.

94 Points - Decanter

Ruby and violet-laced colour, glass-staining berry fruit, clear limestone influence, sappy and a little austere, slate and juice. Muscular in its colour and aromatics on the attack, then it contracts halfway through the palate and the grippy tannins come into play.

93 Points - Vinous

The 2020 La Mondotte has another concentrated, ripe and opulent bouquet with lavish kirsch and blueberry scents. It's a bit ferrous in style but gains coherence and complexity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a pliant entry, fine acidity and a savory finish. It's not amazingly complex, and it needs a bit more length. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.