Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
?The 2021 Bellevue Mondotte offers an almost Pomerol-like nose of damp earth and chocolate as well as beautiful notes of tobacco, chalky mineral, graphite, and assorted red and blue fruits. It's another medium to full-bodied, balanced wine from this team that has a great mid-palate as well as ripe tannins. Barrel Sample : 94-96+
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James Suckling
This is the last year of this pure merlot because it is now part of Chateau Pavie. Lovely aromas of currants, black olives and chocolate follow through to a medium body with beautiful texture and flavors. Juicy finish. Delicious now, but drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2021 Bellevue Mondotte, 100% Merlot, is fleshy, succulent and quite inviting. Plush contours and gorgeous, forward fruit give the 2021 tons of immediacy and appeal. Touches of rose petal, mint, mocha and a kiss of sweet French oak build nicely with time in the glass. The refined finish is a thing of beauty. This is the last vintage of Bellevue Mondotte, as the property was incorporated into Château Pavie with the 2022 vintage. –Antonio Galloni
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Wine Spectator
This red's flavors of steeped plum and boysenberry preserves carry an exotic edge, while the relatively lush feel (particularly in this generally lean vintage) gives graphite, anise and warm earth details space. Shows a nice flash of violet at the end. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037.
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Decanter
Fragrant blackcurrants and black cherries on the nose, smells vivid and vibrant. Plump and sweet with a real ease of drinking. Quite straight but finessed, nothing sticking out harshly, tannins have a slight mineral grip with underlying tones of tobacco, cedar and clove but still with lots of fruit too. Easy to enjoy - clean and clear, a stony element on the finish still with lots of flavour and juiciness throughout. Very nice.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.