| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The very well situated Troplong Mondot vineyard of 33 hectares contains 85% Merlot with 2% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon (high for St Emilion). This château used to produce concentrated St Emilions under the control of consultant wine-maker Michel Rolland and his team. The black coloured wines made here were not for those who prefer the more classic, subtle style of St Emilion but were popular with certain American critics. However, the property was sold in the summer of 2017 and Aymeric de Gironde (formerly of Pichon Baron and Cos d'Estournel) was brought in by the new owners to take charge. The new wine-making consultant is Thomas Duclos who also advises Canon. There have been massive and revolutionary changes here, as we expected, with picking at a much earlier date and all the manipulative extraction techniques abandoned in favour of more traditional wine-making. Aymeric is to applauded for his radical re-styling of Troplong Mondot and the return to a classic and pure St Emilion style.
A sensational Troplong. Vibrant and vivid, this makes you smile from the first smell: milk chocolate, floral notes of roses and lavender, wet stones, liquorice, cinnamon and ripe bramble fruits. Round and thrilling on the palate, tannins are abundant with a chalky blueberry coolness while a salty tang settles around the mouth. Lovely precision and purity of fruit; you feel the sharp definition - still linear which makes it less immediately charming than the 2019 but giving undeniable complexity. Deep but not heady, this remains pure and detailed, with a leanness from the terroir really setting this apart. After a few minutes, the glamour starts to appear giving a salivating, succulent and moreish aspect to the finish. An absolute beauty.
The 2020 Troplong Mondot may prove to be even better than the brilliant 2019, and it is one of the Right Bank's finest wines in this vintage. Unwinding in the glass with deep aromas of mulberries, blackberries and red cherries mingled with hints of rose petal, licorice and exotic spices, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a satiny attack that segues into a vibrant, polished mid-palate, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Having seen only 65% new oak and with malolactic fermentation completed in tank rather than in barrel, it's remarkably pure and seamless. With the 2020 vintage, this estate's stylistic redemption appears to be complete. Drink 2027-2060.
A blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a swirl or two to release a profound nose of plum preserves, juicy blueberries, and chocolate-covered cherries, giving way to hints of violets, black truffles, fertile loam, and tar, with a waft of licorice. The full-bodied palate shimmers with energy, delivering tightly wound layers of black fruits, floral notes and mineral layers, framed by very fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and minerally. So very fresh and bright - it needs time, but is already a temptress.
The 2020 Troplong Mondot has a limpid dark hue. The bouquet is intense with black cherries, red plum, Earl Grey and very subtle floral scents, a mixture of peony and violet. The palate is medium-bodied with very pliant tannins, fine acidity, taut and fresh. With moderate depth, this Troplong possesses impressive salinity, a little powdery texture towards the finish, with a gentle but insistent grip. Black fruit dominates here, chalky and terroir-driven, so you can feel the terroir tingling on the aftertaste. Quite a "serious" Saint-Émilion, it will require half a dozen or so years to show what it is capable of. NB A decanted bottle had more "pixelation" on the finish. Drink 2027-2050.
Bright ruby purple in the glass, the nose here is intoxicating, ripe but highly fragrant, with succulent red cherries, plums, soy and exotic spices. The palate is so impressive, almost delicate with its high toned fruit but glossy and supple, expanding with darker fruit, griottes cherries and spices in the glass. Notes of iron match the floral tones, creating a complex, moreish and saline character. Another brilliant effort for the new Troplong Mondot.
A soft and round red with plum and milk chocolate. Hazelnuts. Full-bodied and layered. Juicy. Hints of sea salt. Power is there. Turns firm and vivid. So attractive now. Savory. Needs three to four years to open. Drink after 2027.
Inky in colour, this is utterly gorgeous, so much purity and definition on the nose. Things start out intense, with crushing tannins, then it steps up and back, with a delicate but juicy slate and crushed rock minerality flooding in. Great physicality, with a push and pull that goes from power to lightness of touch. I assume it will gain a little more weight over ageing, but this is exceptionally well controlled. Crushed blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, with chalky tannins and savoury Cabernet florals. 60% new oak. 3.53pH. The new cellar will be used for vinification from the 2021 vintage, with this vintage aged in the new barrel cellars. No malolactic fermentation in barrel since the 2019 vintage. Just 2mm of rain in July and 30mm in August but the deep clay-limestones at Troplong kept their freshness, and there were no blockages in ripening. Thomas Duclos consultant. 2028 - 2044
85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Aromatically a little awkward at present (oak and a bit of oxidation?) but palate clearly defined with crunchy fruit, suave texture and chalky freshness. Impressive structure of finely crafted tannins and a real sense of terroir displayed. Definite potential. (JL) Drink 2028 – 2040
The 2020 Troplong Mondot was tasted from two samples, both directly from the estate, but with two prelèvements because Aymeric de Gironde was not content with the showing of the first. Indeed, the second, which was tasted the following day (yes, bottles arrived quickly) did show slightly better, even if there was not an enormous difference. It has a deep garnet hue, yet the nose is initially backward and demands about an hour to really open and say what it wants to say. The nuanced bouquet features a mixture of red and black fruit, touches of iris flower, sea spray and a touch of Earl Grey. This is typical of the more elegant, terroir-driven style introduced under Aymeric de Gironde. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit, cranberry and raspberry mixed with truffle and a pinch of sea salt. The acidity is well judged and it conveys palpable energy on the finish. This is a delicious and characterful Saint-Émilion, fresh and vibrant, that will fill out and gain depth during its barrel maturation. Excellent. 2027 - 2050
Tasted blind at the Southwold Group 2020 tasting. Bright purple with a red hue in the glass. The nose is already complex and alluring, with jewel-like blue and red fruit offset by notes of iron filings, rosemary and wood smoke. The palate has the same blend, together with hints of cured meat and more graphite-edged Cabernet Franc tones. Tightly wound, this needs time in bottle and will only hit its stride at a decade old. Pithy, fine tannins are persistent but carefully judged, this is not a wine led by extraction. Almost airy in its fruit quality on the finish, the notes are of redolent red flowers and a lick of kirsch, tempered by that lingering note of iron and rosemary. Full of potential.
This has superb depth and intensity with very fine tannins that draw you down. So much black fruit, together with black pepper and salt. Extremely well crafted. Vertical and deep. Chalky and salty with black chocolate.
The 2020 Troplong Mondot is composed of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 4th September and lasting for about three weeks. The pH is 3.53, the IPT (tannin index) is 75 and the alcohol is 14.5%. Opaque purple-black colored, it opens with a vivacious burst of black fruits—stewed plums, baked blackberries and boysenberries—giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of licorice, ground cloves, cinnamon stick and lilacs, with a touch of bouquet garni. The full-bodied palate is chock-full of plump, juicy black fruits and savory sparks, framed by fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and opulent. 2026 - 2052
