| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Bellevue Mondotte
The inky/blue/purple-colored 2009 Bellevue Mondotte offers aromas of creme de cassis, mulberries, licorice, white flowers, forest floor and candied cherries. Extremely thick, rich and full-bodied, it is nearly overwhelming in its textural richness, colossal concentration and mind-blowing finish that lasts nearly a minute. Undeniably massive and over-sized, but perfectly balanced, it is made for those looking for something to put away for 30-50+ years. One has to admire a proprietor who is making a wine for the history books, not for near-term gratification.
This is a tiny jewel in the empire of entrepreneur and quality conscious Bordeaux visionary, Gerard Perse. It is a 5-acre parcel of nearly 50-year old vines planted on pure limestone at an elevation above that of his neighboring property, Pavie-Decesse, not far from Pavie-Macquin. Bellevue Mondotte is generally a blend of approximately 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Since Perse got control of this estate and renovated the cellars, he has been draconian in reducing yields, which were a mere 22 hectoliters per hectare in 2009. The fruit was picked very ripe and the wine was fermented in oak tanks with malolactic in barrel, aged on its lees (a la Burgundy), and bottled unfined and unfiltered. At all the Perse properties the wine stays in oak about six months longer than at other Bordeaux estates.
Tasted at Chateau Pavie. Picked on the same day as Pavie-Decesse (12th October), cropped at 22hl/ha, a blend of 90% Merlot with 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, this has a rich, opulent bouquet: black toasty fruit cloaked in warm alcohol, with hints of fruitcake and fresh fig emerging with time. The palate is full-bodied with dense tannins, though I think there is more minerality and sense of terroir coming through (at least at the moment) than the Pavie-Decesse. There is just a touch of dryness on the finish with creme de menthe and cassis lingering. Again, an opened bottle is showing more freshness and vigour. Tasted March 2010.
Breathtaking aromas of crushed blackberries, dark chocolate and cassis. Full-bodied, with big and velvety tannins and intense fruit. Long finish. Massive. But polished and very balanced. Could prove to be the best of the Perse wines in 2009.
Very dark indeed. Real lift on the nose. A bit thick and syrupy. Black bilberry juice concentrated. Very dry on the end. Too drying and painful. Though well done for coaxing such concentration out of the berries. Very drying on the end. Date tasted 30th March 2010. Drink 2017-2030.
This tiny vineyard is owned by Gerard Perse of Chateau Pavie and is in effect a "vin de garage" type micro-cuvée that is often even more concentrated than Pavie itself. Not tasted by Farr Vintners.
There is virtually none of this wine to be found, as it is Gerard Perse's tiniest property, a five-acre parcel on a high limestone plateau at an elevation above that of Pavie Decesse and nearby Pavie Macquin. The vines average 47 years of age, and the blend here is 90% Merlot and the rest split between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields were a meager 22 hectoliters per hectare, and the alcohol is 14.5%. This wine is fermented in oak tanks, malolactic in barrel, aged on its lees, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. A brilliant wine, opaque blue/purple in color, with an extraordinary nose of the essence of wet rocks intermixed with a floral perfume aspect, it displays enormous creme de cassis, mulberry, and boysenberry fruit, full-bodied opulence, viscous texture, tremendous purity, yet a vibrancy and vivacity due to the unusual vintage conditions, which have provided both massive concentration and huge tannins, yet clarity, precision, and elegance. This is a monster wine that should drink well for 30 or more years. (Tasted two times.) Drink 2010-2040.
