Certainly, One of the finest releases from La Mondotte. This dense, opaque wine is well-endowed, opening with an array of plump blue and black fruits. The mid-palate has an array of brown spices intermixed with pencil shavings, licorice, and dark cocoa. It seems very flamboyant, yet muscular at the same time. There is plenty of texture in this chart-topping wine, but give it time to evolve. Stephan von Neippberg describes the 2020 vintage as the best year for Merlot from the trilogy of 2018, 2019 and 2020.

By W. Peter Hoyne