Tasting Notes
Vinous 96+
The 2014 La Mondotte is fabulous. Ripe, powerful and structured, with notable vertical intensity, it is wonderfully complete, not to mention hugely expressive. Inky blue and purplish-hued stone fruits, crème de cassis, licorice, lavender and violet build effortlessly as the wine shows off its beguiling personality. Even with all of its intensity, it finishes with notable precision and driven by distinctive chalk-inflected notes. A few years in bottle should help the new oak integrate. Today, the 2014 Mondotte is a real stunner. The blend is 80 % Merlot and 20 % Cabernet Franc.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2034
Robert Parker 93+
The 2014 La Mondotte has a lucid, purple color with fat tears on the glass. It feels rich, opulent and rather ostentatious on the nose, although you cannot deny the purity of fruit: cassis and blueberry at first, then a touch of cherry liqueur. The palate is full-bodied with an almost viscous opening. This is a dense and powerful La Mondotte, almost muscular, perhaps not quite as velvety smooth as other vintages, but very spicy and peppery towards the persistent finish. It does not quite convey the complexity that I have found on other vintages, although several years in bottle should see this develop into something less oppressive and more interesting.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2040
