Bellevue Mondotte - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020

Jeb DUNNUCK

98 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/30/2023

The 2020 Bellevue Mondotte is another powerhouse from the team at Pavie. All Merlot from the upper plateau above Château Pavie (the soils here contain a touch more clay), this full-bodied, deep, concentrated 2020 has a tight, unevolved bouquet of darker raspberries, cassis, truffly earth, and chocolate. Balanced, structured, and incredibly pure, it's mostly potential at this point and needs to be forgotten for 5-6 years.

The Wine Cellar Insider

97 / 100

byJeff Levethe3/22/2023

Produced from 100% old vine Merlot, the black, and purple color alone tells you this is going to offer a deep, tasting experience. The wine is intense, full-bodied, deep, long, and opulent, providing seamless layers of chocolate-covered blackberries, black cherries, plums, and espresso. Yet, with all this depth of flavor, everything is balanced, harmonious, long, and hedonistic. The finish offers to lift, purity, and velvet-textured tannins that coat your palate stains your teeth, and doesn't relinquish their hold on you for more than 50 seconds, leaving you with waves of rich plums, and black cherries with tones of crushed rocks, and stones in the endnote. However, it is not easy to find as only 350 cases, give or take were produced. Drink from 2027-2055.

TASTED

96 / 100

byAndreas Larssonthe7/6/2021

Intense and floral aromas, very ripe and dark cherry fruit, crème de cassis, again a fine example of gorgeous ripe fruit with plenty of freshness giving a lift, structured and bold with grainy but present tannin, great length and vigour with balanced oak all along.

Vinous

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe6/25/2021

The 2020 Bellevue-Mondotte was a bit of a "bruiser" when I tasted the sample bottle sent to the UK, despite affording it as much aeration as I could allow. Re-examining the sample at Pavie, the wine demonstrates much more composure and refinement, therefore it deserves a higher score.

Le Figaro

93-95 / 100

the6/2/2021

Un nez très mûr de fruits rouges et de coulis de fraise, qui laisse néanmoins s'échapper quelques notes de griotte et de fleur de cassis, avec le charme d'un battement de cils d'Audrey Hepburn. Une bouche explosive, entre un fruité très présent et une acidité qui met l'eau à la bouche. On y retrouve cette minéralité typique, et des tannins qui lui donnent une certaine gravité. Un équilibre savamment dosé entre fraîcheur et fruits mûrs, avec une finale de café frais.

Vinous

95-97 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe6/1/2021

The 2020 Bellevue Mondotte is a dark, brooding Saint-Émilion, from just two hectares of vineyards. Graphite, gravel, scorched earth, inky dark fruit, chocolate and cloves stain the palate. Deep and explosive, with tremendous energy, the Bellevue Mondotte is magnificent and also one of the most distinctive wines in the appellation. In 2020, it’s 100% Merlot, as the small parcels of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that once were used here have been budded over to Merlot. What a wine!

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

Coming from a tiny site above Pavie and slightly deeper clay soils over limestone, the 100% Merlot 2020 Bellevue Mondotte is a medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated Saint-Emilion that shows the straight, focused style of the vintage yet brings beautiful mid-palate depth and richness. Cassis, blueberries, crushed rocks, violets, and classy oak all define the bouquet, and it packs loads of fruit, tannins, and apparent minerality on the palate. It’s another killer wine from the team at Pavie.

Vinous

90-92 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

The 2020 Bellevue-Mondotte was picked on September 23 at just 18hl/ha and matured in 90% new oak and 10% one-year-old barrels. It has a very intense nose of Dorset plum, black currant and quite potent marine, almost briny aromas; it kind of bludgeons your olfactory senses. The medium-bodied palate features sappy black fruit laced with crushed stone and cracked black pepper. Very dense and powerful, the finish just a little alcoholic (14.92° under analysis). There is something slightly static about this Saint-Émilion, built to impress rather than seduce. Just not my cup of tea (or wine).

Decanter.com

93 / 100

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

This is dominated by crème de cassis, giving a flash of heat, which threatens to overpower. The tannins build up fairly swiftly, but alongside is a full on cascade of dark berry fruits. This is intense and architectural - it closes down firmly on the finish, but will open back up over the next decade. 3.54pH. A yield of 18hl/ha. 2ha vineyard, right up on the clay-limestone plateau, malolactic fermentation in large vats, 90% new oak.

The Wine Cellar Insider

97-99 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Almost opaque in color, the wine is equally dark on the palate with its blackberry, black plum and chocolate profile. Full-bodied, rich, opulent and dense, the wine coats your palate, stains your teeth and doesn't relinquish its hold on you for at least 60 seconds, leaving you with waves of opulent, velvet-drenched plums and black cherries. Hedonistic and intense, with a salty, mineralistic, chocolate-tinged, plummy finish, this is a unique style of wine that needs to be tasted. And it needs to be aged for at least 12-15 years due to its intensity. However, it is not easy to find as only 350 cases, give or take were produced. This is the first vintage made from 100% old vine Merlot. 14.81% ABV. 97-99

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

The 2020 Bellevue Mondotte is made from 100% Merlot, with an alcohol of 14.92% and a pH of 3.54. It is aging in French oak barriques, 90% new. Displaying an opaque purple-black color, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant notes of plum preserves, blackberry compote and blueberry pie, plus hints of hoisin, Chinese five spice and camphor with a touch of dried rose petals. The concentrated, seductive, full-bodied palate delivers layer upon layer of black and blue fruit preserves, accented by exotic spices and supported with firm, ripe, rounded tannins plus fantastic freshness. The finish is epically long and achingly fragrant. Wow!

Jamessuckling.com

98-99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe5/11/2021

This is a terrific wine that has everything, from seamless texture to great depth of fruit. Full-bodied, yet agile and energetic. Pure merlot. One of the best I have had from here.

My Bettane + Desseauve

95-96 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Tastingbook.com

94 / 100

byMarkus Del Monegothe4/21/2021

Dark purple colour with violet hue and almost black core. Elegant nose with aroma reminiscent of blackberries, ripe plums and cherries, dark chocolate and hints of black truffles in the background. On the palate well structured and balanced with freshness, juicy fruit, ripe tannins and very convincing depth and length.