2016 La Mondotte (St-Emilion)

The 2016 La Mondotte is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc this year, picked between 29 September and 15 October and matured in 70% new oak. The alcohol level is around 14.5%. It has a lucid purple hue in the glass. The bouquet is very perfumed, very pure with luscious red cherries, blueberry and a hint of sloes, the new oak discrete and allowing the terroir to shine through perhaps more than the 2015 last year. The palate is silky smooth on the entry, but underneath the bonnet, there is considerable tannic backbone that certainly can be felt more towards the finish that exerts a light grip. In a strange way, it reminds me a little of Château Canon! Give this 4-5 years once in bottle. 93-95 points

Some of the Merlot vines used to make this famous organic red are more than 100 years’old and it shows in the density and concentration of the wine. Very hard to taste young, it’s a monumental, powerful, richly upholstered blend with layers of firm tannin, stylish coffee oak and balancing acidity. Drink 2026-38. 93 points

The 2016 La Mondotte is exceptionally beautiful today. Chalk, limestone and a host of soil-driven notes make La Mondotte one of the most distinctive wines of the vintage. The 2016 is remarkably translucent for such a big wine. It offers plenty of the signature darkness, but it is also brisk and full of energy. 94-97 points