Bellevue Mondotte - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2012

Vinous

95

byAntonio Gallonithe12/31/2015

The Bellevue-Mondotte is arguably the most intriguing of Gérard Perse's 2012s. It is also the least accessible of the wines today. A firm spine of tannin gives the Bellevue-Mondotte much of its personality. Black cherry, smoke, licorice, tar and graphite all take on shades of virility in a wine endowed with vertical structure and pure power. Gérard Perse made just 4,000 bottles from Bellevue-Mondotte, a tiny two-hectare vineyard on Saint-Emilion's clay/limestone plateau. The 2012 is a magical wine, but it will require considerable patience. The blend is 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a stunning wine from Gérard and Chantal Perse and their long-time winemaker Michel Rolland. (95+ points)

Wine Advocate

96

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2015

The smallest of the Perse estates, this tiny property situated on pure limestone produces a wine made from a blend of 90% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the superstars of this vintage, the 2012 is opaque purple and exhibits tremendous concentration and richness, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a layered texture that builds incrementally without any heaviness or cloying characteristics. This is stunning, great, old-style, yet progressively made Bordeaux to drink over the next 25-30 years. The alcohol level is 14.3%.

Jamessuckling.com

95

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2015

A young red with coffee, chocolate, red chili and berry character. Chalk and salt flakes. Full body, velvety tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Super focused for the vintage. The 90% merlot shows itself. But truly a top wine for the vintage. Try in 2017.

Wine Spectator

90

byJames Molesworththe2/10/2015

Dark, with fig, boysenberry and raspberry fruit melded together, while smoldering charcoal and warm ganache accents fill in the background. A roasted apple wood note gives the finish spine. Very solid. Best from 2016 through 2022. 275 cases made. –JM

Le Figaro

4

byBernard Burtschythe7/11/2013

Un beau vin dense et souple, beaucoup de charme, très joli fruit, toute petite raideur tannique qui disparaîtra à l'élevage.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89-92

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2013

Saturated ruby.  At once bright and ripe on the nose, showing oak-driven aromas of blackberry, bitter chocolate and licorice, all lifted by a perfumed violet note.  Then bright and creamy on the palate, with plush flavors of sweet dark fruits and spices.  Finishes with harmonious building tannins and lingering notes of violet and cocoa.  This struck me as one of the least over-extracted Bellevue-Mondotte wines in memory, and it has gained in accessibility and balance as a result.

Wine Advocate

87-89

byNeal Martinthe5/6/2013

The Bellevue Mondotte, which should be a blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, had not quite finished its malolactic fermentation when I tasted it in early April. Cropped at 22hl/ha and raised entirely in new oak, it has a hedonistic, very generous, ostentatious bouquet that you might think was born three years earlier. The palate is very ripe and decadent with soft tannins. There is a lot of wood to be subsumed and there is a distinct lactic/chocolate note towards the finish that cuts away a little abruptly. Tasted April 2013.

matthewjukes.com

17

byMatthew Jukesthe4/30/2013

Jancis Robinson

16,5

byJulia Harding MWthe4/26/2013

Drink 2020-203590% Merlot, 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. 100% new French oak. Colour of elderberry juice. Smells rather like it too. Very ripe, very intense but not porty! Highly extracted, deep in char but the fruit is compact. Tannins also compact and firm but not hard or bitter. Extreme but balanced. Just not my style. (JH) (16,5+ points)

Wine Advocate

94-97

byRobert Parkerthe4/26/2013

The 2012 Bellevue Mondotte may turn out to be just as powerful and exquisite as the 2010, perhaps even superior to that beauty. This full-bodied super-star of the vintage boasts deep notes of graphite, creme de cassis and blackberries as well as a full-bodied, viscous texture, a huge mid-palate (atypical for a 2012), and a whopping amount of fruit, glycerin and tannin in the finish. However, the tannins are ripe and remarkably well-integrated. Sadly, this amazing effort is extremely limited in production. It should drink well for 20-25 years. A small, 5-acre jewel of an estate planted with 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this property, which sits next to La Mondotte, hit 14% natural alcohol (just below the 14.3% achieved by their 2010).Drink: 2013 - 2038

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95

byJeff Levethe4/26/2013

With a deep shade of ruby, the wine is packed with fennel, crushed stone, flowers, espresso and ripe dark and red berries. Concentrated, rich and supple, the wine ends with ripe, juicy, sweet and polished plums and oak. 93-95 Pts

Jamessuckling.com

91-92

byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2013

Smell of chalk and minerals with dark fruits follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and structure and a long finish. Bitter chocolate and dark fruits. 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.