Chateau La Mondotte
Saint Emilion - Chateau La Mondotte
History
La Mondotte dates back to the early 19th century. Cocks & Féret ("Bordeaux and its Wines"), mention it in their second edition in 1868. It is thus entirely untrue that La Mondotte was "created" in 1996, as one sometimes hears. During the 1996 revision of the Saint-Emilion Classification, the commission ruled that La Mondotte needed to have its own separate winemaking facility. Up until then, the wine was made at Château Canon La Gaffelière, albeit in a separate location. Major investments were made to satisfy the commission's requirement... for a 4.5 hectares vineyard!
Vineyards
La Mondotte is located on the eastern part of the Saint-Emilion plateau next to Troplong-Mondot. This 4.5 hectare vineyard is an absolute gem. Its outstanding terroir (clay limestone soil with very silty clay and a rocky subsoil) has all the natural qualities to produce very great wine. The vines are an average of 50 years old and the vineyard contains only premium grape varieties (75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc).
Wines
La Mondotte was launched with the 1996 vintage. With its extreme characteristics, it is alternately referred to as a "super-cuvée" or a "garage wine", and has become one of the most expensive wines of Bordeaux.
Wine Cellar Insider suggests to avoid the years from 1995 to 1964, as those vintages are not worth the money being asked today. 2009, 2015 and 2016 are the best vintages La Mondotte has produced yet.