Château Troplong Mondot 1998

Beautiful bright blackberry and blueberry character on the nose. Very pure. Full-bodied, with a dense mouthfeel. Long and chewy. Very tight. Give it time still. -- '88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2012. 6,665 cases made.

Quite light colour. Very warm nose – hint of tar. Still aware of the oak on this wine – a bit jagged and unintegrated. Not especially noble or complete. Too much oak! (JR)

The 1998 Troplong Mondot has an opulent, fairly lactic bouquet with dark chocolate and mocha-tinged aromas, lacking the definition of the 1988 by comparison. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannins, fully mature, showing tobacco-tinged dark berry fruit. As with the 1988, there is a Left Bank element to this wine, but it’s just missing some definition and precision toward the finish. Not bad, but I think it reflects more the winemaking style in vogue at the time than the terroir. Tasted at the château.

Fully mature, the wine lacks the depth and richness found in the best years. Instead, you find a licorice, earth and smoke filled wine with dark plums, round textures and black, cocoa-dusted cherries on the finish.

Impenetrable color, violet-black. An intoxicating bouquet marked by amarena cherry and wild berries, with underlying vanilla pods, coffee, and jammy fruit sweetness that lends fullness and richness to the nose. On the palate, full-bodied with loads of fruit—fruit and more fruit—supported underneath by finely sandy tannic structure that props up the body and adds muscle. Slightly behind the 1990, yet still one of the greatest Troplongs ever produced.

99: Barrel sample (19/20): impenetrable color; violet-black. Headily aromatic bouquet marked by amarena cherry and wild berries, with vanilla pods, coffee, and a jammy fruit sweetness that lends richness and fat on the nose. On the palate, an abundance of body with lots of interwoven fruit—fruit and more fruit—underpinned by fine, sandy textures that support the body and give it muscle. Slightly behind its own ’90, yet still one of the greatest Troplongs ever produced. 03: Tastes like a great Merlot from Tuscany, but it’s sandy and rough, making it seem over-extracted. Can it refine again, or will it remain this arrogant? (18/20). 08: Extremely dark garnet, no signs of maturity. Intense bouquet with plenty of roasted notes, mocha, black olives, ripe plums. On the palate, firm, substantial, showing a fine chocolate bitterness within a fairly spicy, concentrated extract; not yet at full maturity, but in about four years great pleasure will begin here; very long and rather noble. (18/20). 12: Deep dark with dense purple at the core: sweet, compact bouquet, lots of plums, some dark chocolate, a hint of coconut combined with roasted notes; at the core a subtly jammy sweetness with a nuance of rosehip, then on the second pass lovely black-tea notes. On the palate, with good reserves, the remaining tannins confer a subtly bourgeois, characterful contour; keeps building and ends with a catapult-like finish. It’s not finesse but power that delivers here. (18/20). 20: The overly brash vinification is now exacting its toll. A wine already oxidative on the nose. On the palate, stubborn and austere. (16/20)

Velvety, opulent bouquet, plum, dried fruits, blackberry jelly. Dense palate with a slight grip, good aromatics, muscular structure, good aromatics, austere finish. 18/20 drink – 2026

Still muscular but beginning to soften - suggest a good three hour carafe to let those olive tapenade and black truffle aromatics uncurl. Colour now softening to a tawny red, with forest floor, campfire, smoked earth all beginning to show. Excellent stuff. This was the Valette era at Troplong, with Claude Valette owner, with his daughter Christine manager and Jean-Pierre Taleyson cellar master. A wonderful Right Bank vintage and this is thoroughly enjoyable. Michel Rolland consultant. This was also the year that a sorting table was installed in the cellar for the first time during harvest, with 50% new oak used for ageing.

The 1998 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-brick in color. It bursts with bold notions of stewed black plums, fruitcake, and dried cherries, opening out to reveal underlying notes of licorice, menthol, mocha, and unsmoked cigars. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and decadently spicy, delivering opulent exotic spice and black fruit preserve layers, with a velvety texture and bright acidity, finishing with epic length.

Logo on the cork: problem. Dark colour, moderately intense and showing some maturity. A slightly discreet nose with ripe fruit and oak. Caressing on the attack, juicy mid-palate, the wine develops into a smooth, melting texture, with a slightly astringent note on the finish, though not bitter like the day before. Average length.

A fabulous effort, this sleeper of the vintage may turn out to be the finest Troplong-Mondot since the 1990. The black/purple-colored 1998 exhibits floral, blueberry, blackberry, licorice, vanillin, and truffle-like aromas (or is it charcoal/graphite?). Dense, full-bodied, and pure, yet extremely fresh and elegant, this beautifully focused wine needs 3-5 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.