2014 Bellevue Mondotte

The 2014 Bellevue Mondotte was quite a difficult wine to pin down out of barrel (as is often the case, truth be told). Now in bottle, it displays a very voluminous and generous bouquet with ample black cherries, crème de cassis and vanilla pod aromas, the new oak still very much evident. The palate is full-bodied with thick chewy tannin that exert a vice-like grip in the mouth. This must be the most powerful and intense Saint Emilion of the vintage: heady, hedonistic, opulent and perhaps a bit garish. Yet there is purity here and the oak is in sync with the fruit. You can feel some warmth on the finish, but it conveys a sense of focus. It is dwarfed by the 2014 Pavie, but those that like "a lot of wine in their wine" will prefer the Bellevue Mondotte.

20 hl/ha. 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. A singed quality to the nose and then much lighter and more transparent on the palate. Chewy and vivacious – although very drying indeed on the end. Really green and tough on the end. Sorry – this is just not my style. And because it has not the sweet portiness up front, I’m not quite sure who it will appeal to. Maybe it just needs (a lot of) time? (JR)

Ripe and showy, featuring exuberant raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit, carried by well-integrated grip. This has spine, but remains lush and velvety through the finish, with the fruit echoing.—J.M. Wine Spectator, April 2015.