critic reviews
The 2023 La Mondotte is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a little swirling to bring out evocative scents of stewed plums, black cherry compote, and cedar chest plus hints of sassafras and dark chocolate. The medium-bodied palate delivers energetic, tight-knit black fruit layers with minerally accents and great tension, framed by firm grainy tannins, finishing long and lifted. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
The 2023 La Mondotte was picked from September 19 to 30 at 37hL/ha with a 35-day cuvaison, aged in 40% new oak. Cut from a similar cloth to its stablemate, Canon-la-Gaffelière, this is mineral-driven and strict, much stonier than previous vintages, a touch of blood orange emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. It’s a little juicier than the Canon-la-Gaffelière, with moderate and a slightly citrusy finish. This is a classy and perhaps uncharacteristically understated La Mondotte.
I typically have a weakness for Canon-la-Gaffeliere in the von Niepperg portfolio, but this year it's the 2023 La Mondotte, a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, that stands out as the highlight of the range. Revealing aromas of dark berries, licorice and petals, framed by creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and harmonious, with good depth at the core, supple tannin and a penetrating finish.