Tasted these last week at our Pig+Fig tasting:
1.. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse MtVeeder/NapaVlly (14.4%) 2021: Very dark/near black color; very strong Mondeuse/peppery/bit herbal/licorice light toasty/oak very spicy bit rustic some complex nose; rather tart/tangy rather intense/Mondeuse/peppery/licorice lightly herbal bit DrPepper/RCCola light toasty/oak rather structured some complex flavor w/ ample chewey tannins; very long/lingering peppery/Mondeuse finish w/ ample tannins; a bit of a brute of a wine that that needs more age; a classic L-M Mondeuse.
$45.00/$38.25
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2. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse Mt.Veeder/NapaVlly (14.5%) 2018: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; much the same Mondeuse nose but a bit softer/lusher/more fruit light cedary/oak slight alpine/floral lovely nose; lightly tart more rich/lush some herbal/Mondeuse/licorice/bit peppery light pencilly/oaki more complex flavor w/ softer bit bitey tannins; very long/lingering some peppery/Mondeuse more complex finish that mimics flavor; starting to show some signs of maturity but still has a ways to go. $45.00
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3. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse Mt.Veeder/NapaVlly (14.3% ) 2017: Very dark/near black color w/ very slight bricking; more classic MtVeeder/spicy fairly peppery/Mondeuse/bit herbal some pencilly/oak bit more lush fruit almost Cab-like fairly complex nose; bit softer more lush/Mondeuse/peppery/licorice some pencilly/lighter/oak some complex fairly smooth/lush flavor w/ light smooth/gentle tannins; very long/lingering finish that follows flavor; moving right along on its maturity & probably nearing its peak but not terrible complex; shows more of that MtVeeder spiciness than the others; quite a lovely Mondeuse.
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4. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse Mt.Veeder/NapaVlly (14.5%) 2015: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; strong Mondeuse/peppery/licorice/bit herbal more pencilly/oak some lush Mondeuse fruit some complex nose; lightly tart slight bitey/astringent more pencilly/oak some lush/Mondeuse/peppery fruit some complex/mature flavor w/ some modest bitey tannins; very long/lingering some mature finish follows flavor; losing a bit of that peppery/Mondeuse fruit & showing more maturity but still in very good shape.
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5. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse Mt.Veeder/NapaVlly (14.3%) 2014: Dark color w/ slight bricking; slight earthy/rustic some herbal/Mondeuse/spicy/peppery light cedary/pencilly light cedary/pencilly rather complex/mature lovely nose; lightly tart strong Mondeuse/peppery/licorice bit herbal some rugged/rustic/earthy fairly complex flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long/lingering some mature/cedary/pencilly finish that follows flavor; shows good complexity and probably just about prime time; still plenty of Mondeuse fruit & no signs of oxidation or drying out on the palate; a really lovely fully mature Mondeuse.
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6. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse Mt.Veeder/NapaVlly (14.4% ) 2012: Very dark color w/ some bricking; bit more mature/cedary/pencilly some dusty/OV some Mondeuse/peppery/spicy/bit herbal rather complex nose showing a bit more maturity; lightly tart fairly spicy/Mondeuse/licorice/peppery some cedary/pencilly/oak fairly complex flavor w/ light slightly drying tannins; very long some complex finish that follows flavor; shows a bit drying out on the palate but still plenty of spicy Mondeuse fruit & no signs of going over the hill; probably at full maturity & slightly beyond; still offers loads of pleasure.
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More mondergizzle from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Mondeuse (Noir) is a classic grape grown mostly in the French Savoie. It was once thought to be a color mutation of Mondeuse Blanche. They are related but it is not clear which one is the parent & which one the sibling.
Mondeuse was planted in the experimental UC vnyd in Jackson in the late 1800's. In the 60's or so, a map of the old/abandoned Jackson vnyd was discovered in the UC Library in Berkeley and FPS/UC made a big effort to rescue those old varieties for propagation at FPS, which they did. For many yrs, FPS was selling a variety under the name of Refosco & it was propagated some in Calif. In the '00's, they did the DNA on their "Refosco" and found that it was actually Mondeuse. Apparently the map was misread when they took their cuttings.
Although there are a few others who produce Mondeuse in Calif, the L-M is easily the best and a world-class expression of Mondeuse. I also love most of the Mondeuse from the Savoie. They tend to be a bit softer than the L-M and show a more Alpine perfume in the nose. But it's a grape they should be plating all up&down the Coast in Calif.
All of these L-M Mondeuses were in great shape. I liked the '14 slightly better than the rest but none of them would I throw out of bed. None of them were showing any signs of going to crash. They will probably just slowely fade gently away into the sunset. But, all in all, Mondeuse is one of my most favorite L-M reds, slightly behind their Syrah.
Tom