Château Troplong Mondot 2015

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Mondot has a nose of blackberry pie, blueberry tart and raisin cake with touches of fertile loam, black pepper, tar and truffles plus a waft of chargrill. Very full-bodied, big and rich, this is a bit of a bruiser with firm, chewy tannins and a very long, spicy finish.

The 2015 Troplong Mondot has a delightful, well-defined and focused bouquet. The new oak is seamlessly integrated, with blackcurrant, raspberry coulis, light cedar and orange blossom aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, gentle grip and just a touch of wild mint with a dash of white pepper. This has very fine persistence, freshness and tension. The 2015 is a superb Saint-Émilion. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting.

Extremely concentrated and fiery, yet also fresh, with an oily finish of ripe grape juice—extravagant, yet internally consistent.

Offers a gorgeous, caressing, velvety feel, with waves of warmed plum, fig compote and blackberry reduction gliding through, inlaid with notes of graphite, sweet tobacco and black licorice. A light loamy echo adds a pleasant tug of earth at the very end. Best from 2022 through 2040. 10,000 cases made.

Mellow aromas of cassis and blackberries infused with vanilla and coconut oak; generous and mouthfilling with a silky viscosity.

Expressive, ripe dark plums swathed in aromas of mocha, toasted baking spices, graphite, blackberries and mulberries. The flavor-soaked palate arrives on suave, velvety tannins, delivering flavors of vibrant, concentrated dark plums, mulberries, dark chocolate and cocoa in a youthful, fresh style. Terrific wine with ultra-long finish. An essay in power and elegance. Essence-like. Best from 2020.

If sexy, sensuous textures, a wall of ripe and very ripe fruit, truffle, licorice, black and blue fruits with chocolate delivered with palate-staining intensity are your thing, you need this wine!

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim, fine dried fruit tones, a hint of figs, ripe plums, a touch of chocolate, candied orange zest. Powerful, ripe black-berry fruit, vivid, slightly angular tannins, mineral; the somewhat austere body does not quite match the opulent bouquet, still needs some time.

Intense dark inky almost opaque colour. Intense nose blending wet earth, chalky notes, black truffle with kirsch, cassis, tobacco, new oak and liquorice. Very dense and weighty palate, ripe and bold with layers of grainy tannin, high extract and lingering flavours of black cherry, cassis and truffle with some roasted coffee notes, and a very long, dense and powerful finish. Still needing time but certainly impressive weight and purity for long ageing.

A wine I was able to taste on multiple occasions, the 2015 Troplong Mondot is a tour de force that readers need to snatch up. This cuvée comes from the cool, clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau (it’s the highest point in the appellation) and is a blend of 92% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, harvested between September 30th and October 21st, and aged in 85% new French oak. Sporting a deep, inky color as well as a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, blackberry, toasted spice, licorice, and spring flowers, it’s another huge wine from this estate that has perfect balance between its fruit, oak, and tannin, a stacked mid-palate, and an incredible finish. I wrote “crazy good” more than once in my notes. It has enough fruit and texture to drink nicely even today, yet needs 4–5 years of cellaring and will keep for two to three decades. It’s one of the great wines of the vintage.

Deep purple with lilac and violet highlights. Very intense bouquet, both sweet and slightly dry at the same time, candied cake fruits and herbal notes, coconut nuances and Amarena cherries. Somehow, on the nose, it has something reminiscent of Masseto. On the palate, full-bodied, somewhat extracted, but with intriguing potential. The massive tannins fit the vintage. I have not infrequently viewed Troplong-Mondot critically. Let’s see how it develops.

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Intense bouquet, both sweet and somewhat dry at the same time, candied cake fruits and herbal notes, coconut nuances and Amarena cherries. There’s something Masseto-like on the nose. On the palate, full-bodied, seems a bit extracted, but shows exciting potential. The massive tannins suit the vintage. I have often been critical of Troplong-Mondot. This year, it works. Let’s see how it develops…

Opulent, sweet, broad bouquet of plums, dried fruits, chocolate, caramel, vanilla. A velvety, concentrated, heavily extracted palate with powerful sweet aromatics, creamy structure, plenty of fine-grained tannins, and a plush finish. 18/20 2023 - 2036

This captures the exuberance of Troplong in the Xavier Pariente years. Visually it captures the natural power of these soils, with vivid violet-plum colour, and beautiful liquorice root and cocoa bean, but it opens to show fig and prune fruits, given balance by bitter fennel and aniseed on the finish. The alcohol is evident, and it overpowers the clearly concentrated body of the wine. Still young – if you can bear to wait, check in after another half decade. 85% new oak. Michel Rolland consultant.

The 2015 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-colored. It sashays out with provocative notes of redcurrant jelly, kirsch, and blackberry preserves, followed by hints of star anise, dried roses, and Ceylon tea. The full-bodied palate is decadently velvety, with a lively line lifting the wonderfully perfumed red and black fruits to a very long finish.

Voluptuous, harmonious, rich and flavorful, with chocolaty notes. However, this cru lacks the elegance expected of a top-of-the-class wine.

Impeccable in its monumentality yet, for now, intimidating, the 2015 is a compact mass, high in alcohol, evoking blackberry cream and toasted bread. It’s a style—perhaps more to sip (or simply to admire) than to drink? In any case, it raises questions about the balance and evolution of certain blockbuster wines from the most favored vintages of the 1990s and 2000s.

The color is black with powerful aromas of wild blackberry and leather. The wine is dense, oaky, tannic, smoky, with a slight dip in the mid-palate and medium length; the tannins are rustic. The grapes were harvested very late, roughly fifteen days after the others. 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc.

Garnet red with ruby highlights. The bouquet is marked by generous, candied notes. A touch of cinnamon and, with aeration, hints of graphite. The attack is succulent yet generous, echoing the nose. I find the candied notes again, along with a surprising freshness that counterbalances the whole. A well-balanced wine, with fine-grained tannins that appear on the finish, adding a bit of grip and persistence. Finally, the freshness noticed on the attack reappears on the finish, confirming the surprising ability of certain St-Emilion to showcase their pedigree, even in 2015.

In keeping with the new style from this estate, this is a powerful, opulent wine. Its density, concentration and layers of dark fruits are all of a piece, held together by powerful tannins. Touches of black coffee and spice emphasize the richness of the fruit and the opulent aftertaste. Drink from 2025.