Château Troplong Mondot 2023

Deep, pure, complex; blackberry, cherry, menthol, cool stone, violet. Straight on the palate, no hint of breadth, highly elegant, with great drive, freshness and verve, excellent tannins, a long, red-fruited, saline finish with notes of redcurrant and blood orange. The estate’s new style is appealing and perfectly expresses the outstanding terroir.

The aromatics are incredible – so pure, clean and precise – sweet, sour and fresh with clear blue fruits, wax, crayon and pencil lead 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, with gorgeous succulence and bright berries on the palate before some limestone wet-stone elements come in giving a graphite tang. It has that sense of whole-bunch fermentation, really racy and electric. It’s not a 2022; it doesn’t have that velveteen feel and soft, plush tannins that Troplong can do so 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 from 2021, it has ripeness, succulence and body. 6% press wine. Three tanks of whole-cluster fermentation. 70 IPT. Aged 14 months, 60% new oak. pH 3.45.

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. (JL)

Flowers coalesce with its blend of red and black fruits, Indian spices, tobacco leaf, and herbs. The palate shows vibrant red fruits, greenery, crushed stones, and spice, finishing with creamy tannins, vibrancy, and refinement. This is a slightly discreet vintage, which will benefit from a few additional years of bottle aging. The wine blends 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2029-2055.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Fresh nuances of currants, some herbal savouriness, black cherries, notes of liquorice, some nougat and candied orange zest, a floral touch. Deep and complex, juicy, red forest berries, good freshness, firm but silky tannins, mineral and salty on the finish, balanced, fine spice on the echo. Already accessible, good length, certain ageing potential, a food wine with finesse.

Inky plum, vibrant violet edges, showing the intensity that is signature to Troplong, combining a velvety texture with a lightness of touch, with 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 pressing). 22% aged in large foudres, and 18% in one-year-old barrels, the remaining 60% in new oak.

Score: 94–96. A dark, contemplative bouquet of black fruits, shifting on first sniff. On the palate, a core of ultra-juicy, sweet-bitter fruit gradually gains breadth, culminating in a controlled burst of deep red fruit and sappy flowers, with a hint of pepper and spice and a superb cashmere texture. A fresh, accomplished, self-assured wine.

95-97. Barrel Sample. The rich smoky aroma leads to a powerful wine that is dense with tannins and solid black fruits. It's an impressive wine from the highest point in Saint-Émilion. The wine is firm while also having acidity and a final crispness that brings freshness.

A fresh style, with damson plum and morello cherry coulis notes laced with subtle, chalky minerality, plus savory and cedar nuances. There are dried rose petal echoes on the finish. Shows lovely purity. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2037. 9,000 cases made, 950 cases imported.