La Mondotte

The estate

Mondotte is an old name at Saint-Laurent-des-Combes. Charles Cocks and Édouard Féret, whose Bordeaux et ses vins was the reference book of the Bordeaux trade, ranked the wines of that commune generally with the second growths in 1886, while noting that some sold at nearly the price of the first growths of Saint-Émilion, several of which held vines there. Their guides from 1868 to 1908 show Mondotte split among small owners, Métayer and Mme Verneuil at first, then the Loiseau family at 10 to 15 tonneaux (the old Bordeaux measure of a crop, 900 liters, or 4 barrels), with a Belle-Isle-Mondotte and a Bellevue-Mondotte alongside.

Count Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg bought the plot in 1971, in the same purchase as Château Canon La Gaffelière. His son Stephan von Neipperg made it a wine of its own with the 1996 vintage and left the word château off the label to mark the new start; the house on the property was hardly a château anyway. The classification of 2012 raised La Mondotte to Premier Grand Cru Classé B, alongside Canon La Gaffelière, and the list approved in September 2022 confirms it among the 14 Premiers Grands Crus Classés. Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg also holds Clos de l’Oratoire, Château Peyreau, Château d’Aiguilhe and Clos Marsalette.

The 4.5 hectares sit on the clay and limestone plateau east of Saint-Émilion, very silty clay over a rocky subsoil: thin, poor ground that drains freely and sends the roots deep. The vines average 60 years and are planted 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, and the blend moves with the vintage. The vineyard was certified organic in 2014, the same year as Canon La Gaffelière, and both hold ISO 14001; the green cover, compost and planted hedges go back to 1988. The grapes are picked by hand and sorted 2 times, ferment for 28 to 35 days in wooden vats, and the wine spends 16 to 18 months in new oak.

At a glance

Appellation

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Commune

Saint-Laurent-des-Combes, on the plateau east of Saint-Émilion

Classification

Premier Grand Cru Classé B, 2012 and 2022; MICHELIN Guide, 1 grape (2026)

Owner

Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg, since 1971

Direction

Stephan von Neipperg

Vineyard

4.5 hectares; vines 60 years old on average

Ground

Very silty clay over a rocky subsoil

Grapes

Merlot 75%, Cabernet Franc 25%

Farming

Organic, certified in 2014; ISO 14001; green cover, compost and hedges since 1988

Cellar

Picked by hand; 28 to 35 days in wooden vats; 16 to 18 months in new oak

Wines

La Mondotte, without the word château since the 1996 vintage

Sources: Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg, La Mondotte · Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg, La Mondotte, premier grand cru classé · Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg, respect for the vines · Conseil des Vins de Saint-Émilion, the 2022 classification · INAO, Saint-Émilion grand cru: the classification for the next decade