2023 Château Troplong Mondot, St Emilion, Bordeaux

The 2023 Troplong Mondot was harvested from September 5 to October 9, with 60-70% picked within nine or ten days; other parcels were "stragglers" that required more time. There is actually 4-5% whole clusters in the blend, and according to Aymeric de Gironde, it works like the vin de presse, glueing components of the wine together. Sulfur is only added when the wine is put into barrel.

The 2023 has a very well-defined and focused bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry, ground chalk and light sea cave scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a very crisp and mineral-driven entry. It's chalky in texture and quite tensile in the mouth, with a dash of black pepper on the finish. This is an individualistic Saint-Émilion that will fill out during its élevage. Very long.

Drink 2028 - 2050

A blend of 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Troplong Mondot unwinds in the glass with aroma of black raspberries, mulberries and cherries mingled with notions of iris, licorice, black tea and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's textural and mouthfilling, with the mid-palate density so typical of this terroir, its concentrated core of fruit framed by beautifully polished tannins and succulent acids.

Ageing is in 60% new oak, 22% 20hL foudre and 18% once-used oak. Tasted two times.

The 2023 Troplong Mondot is simply stunning. It's one of the best wines yet made under the direction of Aymeric de Gironde. Towering and statuesque, the 2023 explodes out of the glass with tons of vertical energy. Dark red-toned fruit, licorice, spice, lavender, mocha and pencil shavings are some of the many notes that infuse the 2023 with character. The combination of soaring aromatics, chiseled fruit and a limestone-infused finish is nothing less than captivating. What a wine.

Drink 2033 - 2063

A blend of 84% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Troplong Mondot has a pH of 3.45.

Aymeric de Gironde commented, ‘Our crop of Cabernet Franc was our biggest ever.’ It has a deep garnet-purple color and needs a little swirling and coaxing before gorgeous notes of mulberries, wild blueberries, and redcurrant jelly slowly begin to emerge, followed by hints of sassafras, mossy tree bark, and graphite, plus wafts of rose oil and cumin seed. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit layers, with floral and chalky sparks and velvety tannins, finishing long and beguiling. This is breathtaking!

Drink 2029 - 2050

A tight and very focused young Troplong with freshness and finesse that adds plenty. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and a vivid finish. Lots of blackberry and blueberry character. It really opens and envelops your palate, caressing every square inch. Cashmere-like texture. The limestone comes through beautifully.

6% press. Three tanks of whole cluster fermentation. 70 IPT. Ageing 14 months, 60% new oak. 3.45pH.

The aromatics are incredible - so pure, clean and precise - sweet, sour and fresh with clear blue fruits, wax, crayon and pencil led on the nose alongside vanilla, blackcurrant and plum with blueberry too. Supple and agile, a lovely bounce and energy straight away, this has movement and direction. The fruit is pristine, gorgeous succulence and bright berries on the palate before some limestone wet stone elements come in giving a graphite tang. Has that sense of whole bunch fermentation, really racy and so electric.

It’s not a 2022, it doesn’t have that velvetines and soft plush tannins that Troplong can do well, but this is extremely good. Straight, juicy, clean, poised, elegant and refined. Not shouting, it’s reserved and calm, but confident. You can taste the chalk on the finish alongside liquorice and graphite. I love the finesse and the terroir markers and in a change to 2021 it has ripeness, succulence and body.

Drink 2033 - 2049

22% aged in large scale foudres, and 18% in one year old barrels, rest 60% in new oak.

Inky plum, vibrant violet edges, shows the intensity that is signature to Troplong, combining velvety texture with a lightness of touch, tomato leaf and peony aromatics. Fresh blueberry and blackberry fruits with plenty of grilled spices and sandalwood oak effortlessly integrated even at this early stage. High Cabernet Franc in the blend, and three tanks fermented with stems which they consider as an alternative to press).

Drink 2032 - 2050

84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc. 53 hl/ha. Cask sample.

Complex nose with a stony-mineral edge. Smooth and supple on attack, the tannins silky and plentiful. Fruit fairly dense. Refreshing saline finish.

Drink 2030 - 2045

The Grand Vin 2023 Château Troplong Mondot checks in as 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, from healthy yields of 53 hectoliter per hectare, raised in 60% new wood, hitting 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.48. It brings another level of density and depth, with gorgeous notes of black cherries, hints of mulberries, graphite, and crushed stone. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shines for its beautiful purity of fruit and has plenty of background oak, a creamy, rounder mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish.