La Mondotte, 2016 Update
The story of La Mondotte’s transformation is well-known, but worthy of briefly retelling. It was Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg who purchased the estate in 1971, at the same time he acquired Château Canon-la-Gaffelière. This latter estate was always his top priority, the fruit from the Mondotte vineyard brought down to the Canon-la-Gaffelière cellars on the road up to St Emilion and vinified there, almost as an afterthought. Upon inheriting this portfolio of properties from his father, Stephan von Neipperg sought to simplify things by amalgamating the two estates. The INAO refused, apparently on the basis that the two estates had completely different terroirs, thereby stymieing Stephan’s plans.
In response, Stephan turned full circle; if the estate could not be absorbed into Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, it would instead become the focus of his attention and elevated to unforeseen heights. He began by smartening up the facilities at La Mondotte, putting dedicated winemaking facilities in place, so that the estate could fly solo. The modern incarnation of La Mondotte was born. The wines were blessed with high scores, similarly high prices followed, and to cut a long story short it culminated recently with an impressive leap-frogging in the 2012 St Emilion classification, from unranked outsider to premier grand cru classé achieved in one giant bound. La Mondotte, once an afterthought but now a flagship domaine, had arrived.
Four Vintages, 2015 – 2012
In the 2015 vintage the Neipperg wines are all notable for combining the trademark plush texture seen in the portfolio year-in, year-out, with a very fresh and lively acidity, giving them an admirable sense of balance. This is certainly evident in the 2015 La Mondotte, which displays rich fruit-laden aromas and flavours reminiscent of black plum, black cherry and blackcurrant, but with a fresh acid lift. Stephan took the decision to pick a little earlier then some of his peers, and this may well be a contributory factor in this very admirable side of the wine’s profile.
