critic reviews
The 2023 La Mondotte predictably has a little more ripeness and vigor on the nose compared to the Canon-la-Gaffelière. Lifted raspberry and blackcurrant scents, violet and incense emerging with time. The oak is neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, quite linear in style though, a bit like Canon-la-Gaffelière, it seems to just cut away without so much as a bye-your-leave toward the finish vis-à-vis previous vintages.
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.
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.