Château Troplong Mondot 2001

This is a dark and rich red with lovely spice, berry and dark chocolate character. Slightly overextracted, but there is a good core of fruit and silky tannins. Give it time in the bottle. I like it as much as the 2000, though it's slightly sleeker in style. Best after 2007. 5,415 cases made.

A late harvest year, at a château that was already renowned at the time for harvests that invariably began in October. This has softened considerably over the past 19 years, showing truffle and black pepper notes, traces of graphite and crème de cassis. The vintage itself held them back from the excesses of later years such as 2005, and later 2009 and 2010, where alcohol levels reached 15.5%, even 16%, but you can feel the push of extraction. 100% new oak. Owned by Christine Valette and Thierry Pariente at the time, at the height of their pursuit of a big, rich style that still offers pleasure today and has another decade of good drinking ahead, but is not likely to develop further in complexity from here.

Mid crimson and still youthful-looking at the rim. Very ripe nose, even slightly porty, but on the palate there is enough freshness to keep the wine from being unpleasantly over the top. Some real elegance and lift. Great polish. Not as forced as some later vintages. There’s still lots of punch in this wine. (JR)

The 2001 Troplong Mondot, which is almost entirely Merlot, has a little more amplitude and personality on the nose than the previous vintage, offering a mélange of red and black fruit, blood orange and a sprinkling of white pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and crisp acidity. It tightens up in the glass, turning slightly powdery in texture, and delivers dark cherries, sloe and fig with good persistence. Like the 2000, this is quite precocious and forward, but it shows more tension and complexity toward the finish. Still solid after two decades, this should be decanted or left for another 5–7 years in bottle.

The blend is 85% Merlot, 7.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. The wine reached 13.5% ABV and was aged in 100% new oak. Smoke, earth, stone, black cherry and truffle. With air, the medium to full-bodied, sensual wine filled out in the glass, becoming softer and richer. Ready to drink and close to maturity, it finishes with fresh blackberry and spicy plum sensations.

Dense violet-purple. Inky nose with rose petal notes, plantain scent, and coffee. On the palate, it shows intense concentration, with tannins coming quite prominently to the fore; coffee again, now also displaying Troplong’s typical Amarena tones. A rather great wine in itself, though it’s questionable whether it will one day lose its inherent firmness.

Dense violet-purple. Inky bouquet, rose-petal note, plantain aroma, coffee. On the palate it shows intense concentration, which brings relatively massive tannins to the fore; coffee again and now also the Troplong-typical Amarena sweetness. A fairly great wine in itself, yet the question is whether it will ever lose its customary hardness.

A vintage where the best wines are all about nuance and understated charm, here you get plenty of grilled sandalwood, charcoal, campfire smoke. Well built if a little constricted in its tannic hold, and the oak dominance becomes clear as you head through the palate, with things closing down on the finish. Give it time to open, and allow the cassis, tar and black truffle to arrive, clearly settling in for the long haul. No question that Troplong in those days turned Merlot into a Cabernet-style powerhouse, and this character is still clear two decades after bottling. Has impact, with estate but not vintage signature, I would wait a little longer before drinking, or give it a long time in a carafe. 100% new oak, Michel Rolland consultant.

The 2001 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-brick in color. It springs from the glass with scents of Morello cherries, dried mulberries, and fragrant soil, followed by suggestions of rose oil, spearmint, and tobacco leaf, plus a waft of cinnamon toast. The medium-bodied palate is very perfumed, with fine-grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing long and minerally.

Young, very deep colour. Beautiful nose of black fruits, complete and deep; still very young—worth waiting.

The whole is beautifully integrated while retaining the power and richness that characterise the Troplong Mondot style. This is a wine produced from low yields and highly mature grapes. As a result, it displays superior richness compared to other first growths with the charm of a great Saint-Émilion.

This 2001 reveals nuances of graphite, black berries, and licorice, along with a touch of oak. The wine is rich, with muscular, dominant tannins that tend to tighten on the finish. The concentration and power are still very much present, and I don’t think that will change in the long term. So it’s best to enjoy it now. It will pair perfectly with a meal and serves as a reminder that 2001 still has its say!

Dark, intense, beautiful color with slight development. An intense, refined nose with fruit, subtle chalky notes, truffle and meaty nuances, touched with hazelnut and coffee. Silky on the attack, melting as it unfolds, with an elongated yet dense body, the wine develops with savory, supple depth, leading to a long, deep, noble finish, packed with flavor and a delicately sappy texture. It’s delicious.

This estate continues to merit substantial praise. Let’s hope that in the upcoming revised Classification of the Wines of St.-Emilion, Troplong Mondot is elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classe, which it has deserved for some time. Not far off the pace of the spectacular 2000, the 2001 is performing even better from bottle than it was from cask. A gorgeous perfume of plum jam, creme de cassis, flowers, licorice, black fruits, a hint of graphite, and well-integrated wood notes is followed by a medium- to full-bodied St.-Emilion with superb texture, great flavor purity, and tremendous harmony as well as elegance. Remarkably approachable despite its impressive concentration and well-concealed tannin, this is a beauty. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2017.