WE
100pts
Wine Enthusiast
#13 TOP 100 CELLAR SELECTIONS 2022. The magnificent Merlot in the blend has pushed up the alcohol, while also giving a velvet touch and power to the wine. This estate is now on top form, producing this generously ripe, black plum flavored wine. It is lifted by acidity while powering the wine's intensity. Drink from 2026. (Cellar Selection)
Has any Bordeaux château realized a more wholesale stylistic revolution in so short a time than Troplong Mondot? Since Aymeric de Gironde arrived at the estate in late 2017, the ultra powerful "shock and awe" style of the 2000s is out, and a new refinement is in. Of course, the deep clays that define the core vineyards around the château itself are never likely to produce light or ephemeral wines, but de Gironde has astutely understood that (to develop an analogy), when driving down hill, one can ease off on the accelerator. The 2019 Troplong Mondot is a ringing endorsement of the new direction, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, violets, coniferous forest floor, licorice, raw cocoa and subtle spices, followed by a full-bodied, velvety and layered palate that's seamless and perfumed, its enveloping core of succulent fruit framed by rich, powdery tannins and lively acids. Harmonious and penetrating, I never thought I'd taste a wine like this from Troplong Mondot.
#20 TOP 100 WINES OF FRANCE 2022. The purity of fruit is pretty phenomenal here with blackcurrants, cherries and crushed-stone undertones. Floral notes of roses and violets, too. Full-bodied, yet this is a linear style with super fine tannins and great length and beauty. You really want to drink it. It grows on the palate and shows real power, with breadth and depth. Remains fresh throughout. Really something. Try after 2026.
The first vintage produced without malolactic fermentation in barrel, it’s all elegant, cool fruit in a linear, super-fine tannin style, with a supple, seductive texture.
TWI
98pts
The Wine Independent
The 2019 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-colored. It opens with violets, dark chocolate, and black cherries on the nose, giving way to notes of licorice, cardamom, and wet slate. The palate is full, taut, and muscular, with amazing tension and fine-grained tannins, finishing long and minerally. In 10-12 years, expect this quaking bomb to explode, producing a stunning mushroom cloud of perfume and flavor.
The 2019 Troplong Mondot is composed and beautifully-focused on the nose, well-defined with vivacious brambly red fruit suffused with minerals and black truffle shavings. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, finely proportioned, fresh yet without huge weight at the back end. This gives it a degree of elegance that is admirable. Charming and with long-term prospects. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
A flicker of savory leads off, before being quickly absorbed into the core of juicy plum, blackberry and fig compote flavors. Long laces of alder, black tea and espresso crema wrap around the finish, where a hint of smoldering flint checks in before the fruit shows a final finishing kick. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038. 8,333 cases made.
The Grand Vin 2019 Château Troplong Mondot checks in as 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by a pretty perfume of redcurrants, black cherries, spring flowers, damp earth, and candied violets. While harvested incredibly early, it pulls it off and is ripe, textured, and balanced, although it doesn't have the density or mid-palate of the top wines in the vintage. This elegant, complex, medium to full-bodied Saint-Emilion is going to hit maturity in 7-8 years and have 20+ years of prime drinking.