A little gem of an estate owned by the Perse family, the 2011 Bellevue Mondotte is composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. This super, highly concentrated wine (please don’t make the mistake of saying “over-extracted” as there is not a bit of bitterness to be found) is the product of tiny yields and a late harvest. A thick, port-like, black/ruby/purple color is followed by a powerful, rich, exceptionally pure wine with stunning balance. From a vintage where most wines will need to be consumed within their first 15-20 years of life, this cuvee will undoubtedly last 30 or more.

This is not shy, with clearly extracted fig, boysenberry and plum fruit flavors that are liberally laced with blueberry pâte de fruit, cassis and ganache. The long finish lets the toast and spice pyrotechnics play out, with a saturated yet driven feel.¯J.M.

This backward, primary wine may have just finished malolactic fermentation. From a tiny vineyard owned by Chantal and Gerard Perse, the fruit was harvested on September 17 at a microscopic 22 hectoliters per hectare. Composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2011 Bellevue Mondotte is the most powerful wine in the Perse portfolio, coming in at 14.5% natural alcohol (more similar to 2009 and 2010 than most 2011s). From a great terroir (just across the street from Stephan von Neipperg’s La Mondotte), the wine exhibits massive, full-bodied power, extraordinary depth and richness as well as a boatload of tannins that have yet to soften and mellow. This appears to be a long-term proposition for most readers. I suspect it will soften considerably during its upbringing in oak barrels, and will undoubtedly require 5-6 years of cellaring after its release in 2014. If you are young, wealthy and have a lot of patience, purchasing this wine should be a serious consideration as it should turn out to be one of the great 2011s.

Picked on 27th September, the Bellevue Mondotte has a sensual bouquet with ripe saturated black cherries, crème de cassis and blueberry that is unashamedly opulent, especially for the vintage. The palate is full-bodied with firm grip, great depth, quite tensile tannins and great precision on the finish. Modern in style (of course) but I like the focus here and the minerality on the finish. Very fine. Tasted April 2012.

This is concentrated and very tannic. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins. Seems slightly hollow in the mid-palate. But should be outstanding.

Opaque purple-ruby. Perfumed nose offers blackberry, woodsmoke, truffle and violet scents, along with a whiff of cocoa. Less sweet and deep than it was at the Primeurs but still a bit youthfully ungiving, offering savory blackberry and licorice flavors supported by an extremely firm, drying tannic spine. Almost painful today. This seems overextracted to me, but perhaps all it needs is time.

Drink 2019-2028 Still on calcaire plateau. Two hectares of old vines. Dark and rich and pure. Lots of oak but texture more silky than the Pavie Decesse. Needs a lot of time but it isn't bitter or hard. Just very dense and dark and not ready. (JH)