LA MONDOTTE
2022 Saint Emilion
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. 40% new oak 14% alc 45 hl/ha Harvested between 3 – 23 September Certified Organic. Has La Mondotte finally been tamed in 2022? Would you be disappointed if I said, ‘Yes’? The answer is that I hope that it will never be genuinely calm because I admire the restlessness of this expressive terroir, but I like the way in which it appears less hectic and far more controlled than usual in 2022. The result is a profound wine of incredible power and graceful refinement. The tannins are wonderfully controlled, prompting Stephan von Niepperg to jokingly say, ‘We forgot to extract in 2022”. This shows just how much natural power and intensity there was in the grapes in 2022. This is an incredible wine, and the calibre of elemental fruit makes it my highest-scoring wine at this estate to date. Rating: 19+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
This estate, which lies on the plateau region, is the most precocious of those belonging to the Von Niepperg family. It reflects its site with infinite power, seemingly impenetrable with very prominent tannins at this stage. It has depth without being over the top and one feels that time will attenuate its structure from muscular to something more tender. Rating: 95-96 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
This gave a yield of 45 hl/ha in this vintage, from 4.2 hectares of vines currently in production, high compared to the average over the last ten years. The blend is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, from mostly very old vines, many more than 70 years of age. The nose is dominated by perfumed red cherry, with scented layers of rose, sweetpea and lavender. The palate follows the lead of the nose, with a polished, lightly grained grip, a substantial structure beneath a rather open and relaxed upper layer of perfumed fruit. Charming, fresh, pointed and full of deeply buried grip which only becomes apparent in the very finish, this is an elegant interpretation of the terroir, but with a structure that will demand cellaring. The alcohol is 14%. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Certified organic. Cask sample. Dark and red fruit with a saline edge. Suave and round on the palate but firm as well, a chalky freshness adding another dimension. Plenty of restraint but the power is there. Perhaps a touch more finesse this year. (JL) 14% Drinking range: 2030 - 2042 Rating: 17 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)
Blackberries and blueberries with chalkboard and dark earth aromas. Flowers, too. Lead pencil. Full-bodied and very deep in the palate, which is reserved and texturally sophisticated. Chalky, too. Silky and very polished. 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc. From organically grown grapes. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
The 2022 La Mondotte is deep and concentrated, unwinding in the glass with brooding aromas of wild berries, licorice, violets and black truffle. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it's deep and youthfully introverted, its concentrated core of fruit girdled by lively acids and sweet, beautifully powdery tannins. Rating: 93-95 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
Fresh flowers of lilies, peonies and roses on the opening aromatics, heading towards cherry pit and raspberry puree fruits, this works within the vintage but gives quite a different expression of it, with nuance and charm. Ludovic de Niepperg winemaker, who previously worked at Harlan in Napa before returning to the family estates. 40% new oak, 45hl/h yield, harvest September 3 to 23. Certified organic since 2014, no till farming since 2022. An estate sat between Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf, on silt-sand and clay soils above limestone mother rock, with vines aged between 30 and 60 years old. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2023)
La Mondotte
La Mondotte has a less than remarkable history dating back at least to the 19th Century – things only get interesting after 1971, and even then it takes a while. In 1971 the von Neipperg family bought La Mondotte along with Clos de l’Oratoire and, surely the jewel in the crown, Château Canon la Gaffelière. Not much was expected of La Mondotte, it hadn’t made it into any St Emilion classifications, there wasn’t even a château or any wine making facilities there, the wine being made at Canon la Gaffelière and with little aplomb. Stephan von Neipperg took over the family’s St Emilion estates in 1983 and by the mid-90’s had taken the eminently sensible decision to absorb the vineyards of La Mondotte into the grander estate of Château Canon la Gaffelière, and the necessary application was made to the INAO. The INAO said no. In a fit of miraculous pique, Stephan, rather than doing away with La Mondotte, launched it at the world – in order to function as an estate in its own right a new winery and facilities were built at the vineyard, Stéphane Derenoncourt was brought in as winemaker and yields were slashed to some of the lowest in St Emilion. He might have built a château, but from the first vintage of the re-born Le Mondotte the “Château” prefix was gone. The first vintage was 1996 and it was an immediate hit. By the time the 2012 St Emilion classification was released, La Mondotte was a Premier Grand Cru Classé (B). La Mondotte is at the eastern end of the St Emilion plateau on very deep limestone soils. It sits next to Château Troplong Mondot. The vineyards are 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 50 years. Yields are typically as low as 20hl/ha, and occasionally lower. The wine is aged exclusively in new wood for 18 to 24 months. La Mondotte is an unashamedly rich and concentrated style of St Emilion and has garnered much praise from Robert Parker.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.