An amazing tour de force in winemaking, this massive, opaque black/purple-colored offering boasts an extraordinarily pure nose of black fruits intermixed with cedar, vanillin, fudge, and espresso. It is unctuously-textured, with exhilarating levels of blackberry/cassis fruit and extract, as well as multiple dimensions that unfold on the palate. The 50-second finish reveals moderately high tannin. Despite its similarity to dry vintage port, it is not a wine to drink early. It is a colossal wine! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. The ultimate garage wine, La Mondotte is ultra-concentrated, frightfully expensive, yet worth every cent. Drink: 2008 - 2035
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 134 Apr 2001

(96-98 Pts)
Off-the-chart concentration results in a character more similar to dry vintage port than Bordeaux. This opaque black/purple-colored 1998 exhibits massive, highly-extracted flavors of blackberry and cherry liqueur, smoked bacon, coffee, and new oak. Thick, with gorgeously integrated sweet tannin, alcohol, and glycerin, this is a profoundly promising, complex wine that takes concentration and complexity to the limit. Give it 5-7 years of bottle age, and enjoy it between 2006-2025. Wow! Drink: 2006 - 2025
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 128 Apr 2000

(94-98 Pts)
Okay, let's deal with the criticisms of La Mondotte first. There is too little of it produced (under 1,000 cases), it is too rich, too concentrated, too extracted, too massive and, sadly, too damn flavorful. That being said, La Mondotte continues to be one of the most profound wines made anywhere in the world. Proprietor Count de Neippberg should be encouraged for pushing quality this high. In essence, La Mondotte sends the following message to every under-achiever in Bordeaux - "make profound wine, and the world will support it." It comes across as dry vintage port. It is a staggering wine with great complexity, which will be proven time and time again as this vintage evolves in the bottle. It is massive, highly-extracted, with knock-out aromatics of roasted coffee, smoke, blackberries, and cherry liqueur. It is huge, as well as unbelievably harmonious, with the tannin, alcohol, and glycerin in balance. Stunning, profound, and provocative, this is about as impressive a young wine as money can buy. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025.
-Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 122 Apr 1999

An amazing tour de force in winemaking, this massive, opaque black/purple-colored offering boasts an extraordinarily pure nose of black fruits intermixed with cedar, vanillin, fudge, and espresso. It is unctuously-textured, with exhilarating levels of blackberry/cassis fruit and extract, as well as multiple dimensions that unfold on the palate. The 50-second finish reveals moderately high tannin. Despite its similarity to dry vintage port, it is not a wine to drink early. It is a colossal wine! Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. The ultimate garage wine, La Mondotte is ultra-concentrated, frightfully expensive, yet worth every cent.

Black ruby to the rim. Sauvage, almost confectionery aromas of superconcentrated black raspberries, bitter chocolate, toffee and lead pencil. Hugely sweet in the mouth; has the texture of a solid and extraordinary gras, but sound framing acids give the flavors excellent definition. Tannins are huge but ripe and even. This may not be bottled for almost another two years, yet one can see the shape of this massive wine already.

The deepest, darkest crimson right out to the rim. Very rich and exotic and modern on the nose. Lots of sweet black fruits. Dark cocoa aromas. The acidity is a bit harsh – indeed the whole wine is a bit of an assault on the palate – like orange pith. Smooth texture but the acidity dominates the fruit and there’s a powderiness on the finish. Not beautiful. (JR)