Château Troplong Mondot 2018

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 15% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, with considerable coaxing and swirling it slowly emerges from the glass like a waking giant, building to a towering bouquet of preserved plums, blueberry pie and Morello cherries with gentler wafts of violets, star anise, fruitcake and cast-iron pan. The concentrated, full-bodied palate possesses impressive purity and brightness of fruit commingled with richer, riper elements and supported by firm, velvety tannins, finishing with lovely freshness and on a lingering ferrous note. It's a wine that's not just delicious, it's seriously interesting too.

This shows the profile of the vintage, with a touch of plum pit and savory austerity along the edges of a core of red and black currant and cherry paste flavors. Late tugs of warm earth and tobacco on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 8,333 cases made.

This is a dense and profound wine, but it’s a little shy aromatically at present. The palate is juicy and well-constituted with attractive volume, beautiful texture, silky tannins and an unreserved yet unaggressive power behind. The finish is firm and persistent. Despite the alcohol, everything is balanced and contained. Aged in 60% new oak barrels

This is a very linear red and layered at the same time, showing blackberry, blueberry, black truffle, bark and stone character. Chalk and minerality, too. It’s full-bodied and well framed with gorgeous intensity and freshness. Muscular with wonderful structure and brightness. Salty and savory notes on the finish. Try after 2024.

The 2018 Troplong Mondot takes its time to unfold; this particular sample was afforded 90 minutes to open. It then reveals its exquisitely defined bouquet of black cherries, shucked oyster shells and black currant leaf. It is transparent, almost Burgundian in style. The palate is beautifully defined with fine-boned tannins and wonderful tension and minerality. You can feel the limestone terroir percolating through this Saint-Émilion, and it retains captivating spiciness on the almost crystalline finish. This is one of the finest Troplongs in recent years, and it has a long and prosperous future ahead.

Concentrated, full-bodied, deep and opulently textured, there is a beautiful sense of elegance and balance here. There is richness and power, but also perfect symmetry. The purity of the fruit, along with its freshness, stands out as a hallmark of its character. This should age and evolve for 3 decades, and drink perfectly after a decade of aging. The wine was produced from a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.

The 2018 Château Troplong Mondot showed beautifully. Based on 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it reveals a dense purple color as well as ripe, beautiful aromatics of black cherries, red plums, graphite, espresso, Asian spices, and gravelly earth. Beautiful on the palate as well, it's medium to full-bodied and has a rounded, expansive texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, building tannins, and present yet integrated oak. This classic, impressive Troplong Mondot will need 5–7 years of bottle age but will evolve for 30 years or more.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 49 hl/ha, 14.5% alc. vol.) Elegant, dense, fresh, complex, mineral bouquet with raspberry, strawberry, praline, mint, slate, red currant. Elegant, fresh, multilayered, airy palate with a dense, silky structure, varied, fine aromatics, fine tannins, fresh fruit, and a very long, full, fresh finish with sweet lingering notes. Has room to improve further.

(85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 49 hl/ha, 14.5% vol. alcohol) Elegant, dense, fresh, complex, mineral bouquet: raspberry, strawberry, praline, mint, slate, red currant. Elegant, fresh, multi-layered, airy palate with a dense, silky structure, varied, fine aromatics, fine tannins, fresh fruit, a very long, full, fresh finish with sweet after-notes. Can still gain further. 18/20 2025 - 2055

A powerful vintage, making this a real test of the 'new regime' at Troplong. You can feel the power struggle between rich ripe fruit, liquorice and cocoa bean against fresher strands of eucalyptus, rosemary, turmeric and sage, and the push-and-pull of this combat makes for a fascinating wine. Delivers shape and momentum, and brings in a much-needed shot of fresh mint and aloe juice on the finish. A wine with power, impact and architecture, buoyed up rather than weighed down by tannic structure and ripe fruit. 60% new oak, Thomas Duclos consultant.

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-colored. It hops playfully from the glass with notes of juicy plums, fresh blueberries, and kirsch, leading to hints of cinnamon stick, allspice, and lilacs. Full-bodied, vivacious, and refreshing, the palate delivers plush tannins and bags of bright fruit, finishing with great length and a real skip in its step.

We were waiting to see what this very early-harvested vintage would yield… And now we know… Indeed, one cannot help but be charmed by the deep, mouthwatering nose. A cashmere-like mouthfeel precedes an ultra-fine chalky grain that perfectly elongates the tannin, carrying the wine into a fresh, floral lift. Unquestionably the greatest troplong of the 21st century.

The second vintage under the leadership of Aymeric de Gironde after the change of ownership, and the hinge between Troplong’s former opulent style and the new, fresher one—both gentle and vibrant. The nose shows notes of blackberries and wild berries, opening softly with a lovely tangy, herbal edge. On the palate, a beautiful, silky, enveloping texture, elegant tannins, and a subtle finish that is quite unique in its own way.

The 2018 vintage reveals freshness above all! It lays the groundwork, so to speak, and quickly seeks to break free from everything usually associated with 2018 (heat, downy mildew, etc.). It follows its own path, beginning with the freshness of red berries and even garrigue notes! On the palate, the wine is dense yet also sleek; it’s a true paradox, but the result convinces, as muscle and tension channel the concentration. In the end, the wine is harmonious and ready to take on the decades ahead. A great success.

Deep black colour. Intense, fresh, delicate, pure and subtle nose, almost unrecognisable given how much it has evolved. It needs swirling to rediscover some of the site’s aromatic signature. Broad on the attack, very aromatic mid-palate, melting and exquisitely precise in texture, the wine glides across the palate, suave and long, with plenty of flavour and fine tannins. It’s delicious. Blend: 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc – Alcohol: 14.5% (slightly below average) – pH: 3.56 (slightly above average). Since 2017, this cru has been harvested earlier, extracted less, and matured in oak differently. The wine has gained a new expression, closer to the aesthetic of the greatest grands crus from both banks. Naturally, one might ask why it wasn’t done earlier. The answer: it’s simply a matter of people. That too is terroir.

95–97. Barrel Sample. The tannins are beautifully integrated into this velvet-textured wine. It has density and richness allied to concentration. At the same time, it has kept wonderful freshness and acidity to give it fine lift. The aging potential is obvious.