| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The very well situated Troplong Mondot vineyard of 33 hectares contains 85% Merlot with 2% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon (high for St Emilion). This château used to produce concentrated St Emilions under the control of consultant wine-maker Michel Rolland and his team. The black coloured wines made here were not for those who prefer the more classic, subtle style of St Emilion but were popular with certain American critics. However, the property was sold in the summer of 2017 and Aymeric de Gironde (formerly of Pichon Baron and Cos d'Estournel) was brought in by the new owners to take charge. The new wine-making consultant is Thomas Duclos who also advises Canon. There have been massive and revolutionary changes here, as we expected, with picking at a much earlier date and all the manipulative extraction techniques abandoned in favour of more traditional wine-making. Aymeric is to be applauded for his radical re-styling of Troplong Mondot into a classic and pure St Emilion. The 2019, 2020 and 2022 produced here are undoubted stars of the vintage that have rightly been highly praised and scored by the leading critics.
The 2024 vintage is being matured in 55% new oak, 26% Foudre and 19% second year oak. The yield was 35 hl/ha but would have been 50 hl/ha if they hadn't discarded so many grapes during sorting. 13.5% ABV. Two tanks whole-bunch this year, a small percentage of the total volume.
The 2024 Troplong Mondot is a beauty, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries and licorice mingled with hints of violet and lavender. Medium to full-bodied, dense and deep, it's one of the more layered and muscular wines of the vintage, a quality this terroir seems to invariably deliver, with sweet tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish.
The 2024 Troplong Mondot was matured in 55% new oak, 26% in 20-hectolitre foudres and 19% in used barrels. It offers minerally, tightly wound black fruit, blueberry and light chalky scents. Very fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant yet tensile tannins. Like the Mondot, it is peppery in style, pretty and sapid towards the finish. Not a huge amount of persistence, yet this is still a serious Saint-Émilion that could well end up at the top of my banded score. 2032 - 2068
Bright purple colour. The nose has an effortless ripeness for the vintage, exuding layers of dark cherry, plum, a touch of soy and carefully judged, lightly sweet spice. The wine has intensity, but you can feel how it is folded upon itself, unfurling with time in the glass. Ripe, juicy fruit lines the palate. This wine defies the vintage, layering sweet plum and cherry fruit with seductive, subtle wood spice. The mid palate has depth and intensity, propped up by powdery, ripe tannins. This has a different balance thanks to the pliancy and ripeness of its fruit, but the acid line of the vintage remains, giving a wonderful, fresh, saline and moreish finish. Excellent.
A crunchy and vivid red with blackberry, black olive and walnut character. It’s medium- to full-bodied with medium-round tannins and a creamy, textured finish. I like the citrus and chalk undertones. 85% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon and 2% cabernet franc.
Deep garnet-purple colored. Needs a lot of shaking to wake up wonderfully pure notes of red currant jelly, fresh blackberries, and licorice, plus hints of cardamom, mint tea, and lilacs. The light to medium-bodied palate shimmers with vibrant red and black berry flavors, supported by fine-grained tannins and fantastic tension, finishing long and minerally. Seriously good!
85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc.
This has the Troplong terroir and intensity visually, immediately clear, with violets, squid ink, slate, roses, liquorice root. Love the chalky oyster shell salinity on the finish, delivers exceptional balance and lift, with interesting texture that is grippy with pumice stone tannins. No chaptilisation, because this is a location with natural density and you really see it here. Brilliantly silky, this has depth and yet is savoury, touch of whole cluster winemaking. 55% new oak, with 19% oak casks and the rest one year old.
The 2024 Troplong Mondot is a total stunner. As has been the case for some years now, the Grand Vin is blended before being barreled down, which means at the time of tasting en primeur, the wine has seen less wood than the vast majority of its peers. That lends this wine a certain raw energy that is impossible to miss. The purity and intensity of the flavors are simply remarkable. Troplong Mondot is one of the standouts of 2024. Even in this vintage, Troplong Mondot possesses remarkable textural presence, but that richness is matched by notable freshness and linear drive. It was deeply impressive on the two occasions I tasted it. Élevage is planned to be 55% in new oak, 26% in 20HL barrels and 19% in once-used barrels. 2026 - 2030
