Troplong Mondot

2012

WA 96: The 2012 is another truly great wine from Troplong Mondot. It’s always sentimental to taste this wine, realizing that proprietress Christine Valette (the larger-than-life heart and soul behind this estate) has passed away. She was one of the bright, shining stars of Bordeaux. Nevertheless, her legacy is certainly well-established, and the quality of this wine is beyond reproach. Inky bluish purple, its great notes of cassis, blackberry, licorice are followed by a full-bodied, opulently textured wine with stunning concentration, purity and overall balance. It should drink well for 20-25 years and turn out to be one of the great superstars of 2012. Their 63-acre vineyard was cropped at 31 hectoliters per hectare, producing a final blend of 90% Merlot and 10 Cabernet Sauvignon that achieved 14.2% alcohol.

JS 94: This is concentrated and impressive for the vintage with beautiful ripe fruit, minerals, chocolate and light-coffee character. Full body, polished tannins and a long finish. Better in 2018.

2011

WA 95: The brilliant 2011 Troplong Mondot is one of the superstars of the vintage. The final blend was 89% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, and the wine tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol. Its opaque blue/purple, nearly black color is followed by aromas of blueberry liqueur interwoven with black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, camphor and forest floor. Among the most complete wines of the vintage, with no hollowness, astringency or herbaceousness, this is a tour de force in a challenging vintage. Some tannins are noticeable, but this 2011 is already approachable and should provide delicious, complex drinking over the next two decades. Bravo!

JS 93: This is a muscular wine for the vintage with loads of fruit and tannins, not to mention the new wood. Full body, chewy and intense. Lots of minerals, sweet tobacco and berries. Needs a least three to four years to soften. A big, muscular 2011. 85% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc.

2007

WA 92: The 2007 Troplong-Mondot has long been a Saint Emilion that has surpassed the vintage. It has a sophisticated bouquet with crushed strawberry, fresh mint and subtle gamy aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin on the entry, the fruit a little darker and the personality a little broodier than the Canon-la-Gaffelière, gently fanning out on the almost Pomerol-like finish. Probably à point, but it will give another decade's worth of pleasure. Tasted February 2017.

1999

AG 89: The 1999 Troplong Mondot has a fresh bouquet of black currant, lavender, juniper berry and light floral scents. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin and good body but not much complexity. Moderate in terms of freshness, this feels as if it has reached full maturity. The rather rustic, “big-boned” finish delivers grip, if not quite enough flesh. Fine. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate.

WA 89: Elegant vanillin, black cherry, and smoky notes emerge from this textured, medium-bodied 1999. It has a dense ruby/purple color as well as an enormous, concentrated, finesse-styled personality. It is not a blockbuster, but it is a beautifully symmetrical, pure, ripe, well-balanced Troplong Mondot that will benefit from two years of cellaring and age gracefully for 14-15 years.