This nearly 12-acre parcel on the clay and limestone plateau above Pavie Decesse has produced a killer succession of wines ever since the debut vintage of 1996. The 2000, tasted in preparation for a big article on that vintage, is just out of this world, as is the 1998, and remarkably, a very underrated wine, the 1997. The 2009 looks like another phenomenal effort. Is it better than 2005, 2000, or 1998? It’s too early to tell. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this wine tips the scales at an all-time high of 14.5% alcohol. Consultant Stephane Derenoncourt, who makes this wine for Stephan von Neipperg, said the crop yields were 18 hectoliters per hectare. The wine is painfully rich, but at the same time retains an extraordinary elegance and freshness. A full-bodied wine with plenty of raspberries, red and black currants, and a cool minerality, the wine is full-bodied, powerful, yet at the same time possesses sweet tannins, a very layered mouthfeel, and dazzling purity and length. It will need 5-7 years of cellaring and will drink well for three decades. (Tasted four times.) 95-98+ points Robert Parkers Wine Advocate # 188 (Apr 2010).
This is grace and power, delivering stunning Lapsang souchong tea and pain d’épices aromatics, followed by incredibly lush, yet refined blackberry, steeped black currant and dark plum sauce flavors. The long, velvety finish hangs perfectly, with buried minerality giving just the crease for definition. Best from 2015 through 2030.
96 Points, Wine Spectator (2012)
(80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc cropped at 17 hectoliters per hectare; 100% new oak) Glass-staining inky purple. Intense, heady aromas of dark plum, blackberry jam, candied violet and graphite are a bit too ripe for me. Big and creamy on entry, this boasts terrific palate presence to the luscious, very pure flavors of blackberry and plum complicated by subtler notes of cedar, graphite and ground coffee. The long finish features very good acidity, which nicely extends the ripe fruit and oak flavors. I love this wine's pristine flavors, but this year I noticed its 14.5% alcohol. Clearly, though, it will have many admirers: those who like outsized, superrich wine will no doubt score this version of La Mondotte even higher than I do. The merlot was harvested on October 6 and the cabernet on October 13.
91-94 Points, Ian D'Agata for Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (2010) | 
