| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Expressive, ripe dark plums swathed in aromas of mocha, toasted baking spices, graphite, blackberries and mulberries. The flavor-soaked palate arrives on suave, velvety tannins, delivering flavors of vibrant, concentrated dark plums, mulberries, dark chocolate and cocoa in a youthful, fresh style. Terrific wine with ultra-long finish. An essay in power and elegance. Essence-like. Best from 2020.
A wine I was able to taste on multiple occasions, the 2015 Troplong Mondot is a tour de force that readers need to snatch up. This cuvee comes from the cool, clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau (it’s the highest point in the appellation) and is a blend of 92% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, harvest between September 30th and October 21st, that was brought up in 85% new French oak. Sporting a deep, inky color as well as a sensational bouquet of creme de cassis, blackberry, toasted spice, licorice and spring flowers, it’s another huge wine from this estate that has perfect balance between its fruit, oak and tannin, a stacked mid-palate, and an incredible finish. I wrote "crazy good" more than once in my notes. It has enough fruit and texture to drink nicely even today, yet needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for two to three decades. It's one of the great wines of the vintage. 2022 - 2052
The 2015 Troplong-Mondot has a backward nose, reticent and clearly not coming out to play for a few years. The palate is well balanced with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, fresh and very elegant with a touch of spice and white pepper toward the persistent finish. Is there just a smudge of warm alcohol here? Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
The 2015 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-colored and gallops out with powerful scents of black cherry compote, fruitcake, Chinese five spice, and menthol, plus hints of licorice and chocolate box. Full-bodied, rich and voluptuous, the palate has firm, velvety tannins and just enough freshness to lift the layers of concentrated black fruit preserves, finishing long and spicy, with a lingering mineral kick that is absolutely thrilling.
Tasted blind. Blackish crimson. Meaty and with lots of energy though a bit charred and drying on the end. Just slightly overdone.
Drink 2025-2040
The very well situated Troplong Mondot vineyard produces concentrated St Emilions under the control of consultant wine-maker Michel Rolland. The black coloured wines made here are not for those who prefer the more traditional, subtle style of St Emilion. Inky blueish-purple in the glass, with black fruits and notes of wood smoke, tar and licquorice. The palate is dense with thick layers of slightly raisined black fruit and damson. Despite all the concentration there is freshness of acidity which lightens the weight on the palate and leaves an intense, impressive and balanced finish.
If you’re a fan of big wines in the Pavie mould, this is a much better balanced example of the
style. It’s ripe, oaky and a little pruney, with plush tannins, sweet figgy fruit and considerable
concentration. Drink: 2022-30
A stunning wine with serious bass notes and even some black olive and spice appearing on the palate, this is an exotic
Troplong with heroic weight and length. The oak is perfectly well-judged and the fruit is admittedly very rich but not
over the top. The finish here is one of the longest and most intensely fruity of all. Sublime.
Blended of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc aged in French oak, 85% new, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Troplong Mondot is redolent of warm plums, blackberry tart and blueberry pie with suggestions of underbrush, bay leaves, cedar chest and lavender plus a waft of baking spices. Full-bodied and full-throttle in the mouth, the palate is decadently packed with a solid core of black and blue fruit layers, supported with firm, grainy tannins and finishing with loads of spicy layers. This pedal-to-the-metal beauty is the ultimate indulgence for the hedonists! 2021 - 2038
The 2015 Troplong Mondot has a powerful, quite lush bouquet with black cherries, raspberry and hints of kirsch developing, just a slight smudge of alcohol but I feel that it will calm down with time. The palate is medium-bodied with cassis, strawberry pastilles and a touch of spice. There is moderate depth here and it shows commendable refinement on the finish when it could have spun out of control. If you want a more hedonistic yet still well-crafted Saint-Émilion, come here. Anticipated maturity: 2021 - 2045.
The 2015 Troplong Mondot is inky black in color. The nose was initially arresting with a carapace of toasty new oak, but it only takes several swirls of the glass for that to dissipate and leave scents of intense black fruit, crème de cassis, spice box and violets. It is verging on "heady" in style, powered along by that Merlot. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin, layers of ripe, sensual, lavish black fruit interlaced with black pepper and clove. The acidity binds everything together, maintains control through to the finish that fans out nicely. It leans towards the hedonistic style of Saint Emilion, but it is not pushed over the edge as I have found in previous recent vintages. What it needs to develop is just the charm and personality of the finest Saint Emilion wines this vintage. Drink 2022-2045
A luscious and rich red with blackberry, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Full body, very harmonious and super bright. All about clarity. A majority of merlot with some cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
