Château Troplong Mondot, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2018

Name: Château Troplong Mondot, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion
Brand: Château Troplong Mondot
Price: 395.92 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1995 2003 2004 2008 2009 2017 2018 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Aymeric de Gironde and his consultant oenologist, Thomas Duclos have ripped up the rulebook at Troplong Mondot. Gone are the late harvested, over-extracted monsters of the Valette era. Now it's all about early picking, freshness and poise. 2017 was definitely a step in the right direction. 2018 is a progression, but were not convinced it’s the finished article. Even with early harvesting and gentle vinifications, this weighs in at 14.5% vol. As Aymeric says, this Troplong terroir gives enormous power - the trick is to dial it down and make something with finesse and charm. Produced from 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with healthy yields of 49hl/ha, the 2018 offers notes of plums, red berries and flowers. This is fresher and more detailed with plenty of kirsch fruit, cherry stones and spice. The finish is harmonious with a nice mouth-watering salinity.

critic reviews

97/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-colored. It hops playfully from the glass with notes of juicy plums, fresh blueberries, and kirsch, leading to hints of cinnamon stick, allspice, and lilacs. Full-bodied, vivacious, and refreshing, the palate delivers plush tannins and bags of bright fruit, finishing with great length and a real skip in its step.

DRINKING WINDOW 2024 - 2050

date of review 02/2024

95/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

A powerful vintage, making this a real test of the 'new regime' at Troplong. You can feel the power struggle between rich ripe fruit, liqourice and cocoa bean against fresher strands of eucalyptus, rosemary, turmeric and sage, and the push-and-pull of this combat makes for a fascinating wine. Delivers shape and momentum, and brings in a much-needed shot of fresh mint and aloe juice on the finish. A wine with power, impact and architecture, buoyed up rather than weighed down by tannic structure and ripe fruit. 60% new oak, Thomas Duclos consultant.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2050

date of review 07/2022

96/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 15% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, with considerable coaxing and swirling it slowly emerges from the glass like a waking giant, building to a towering bouquet of preserved plums, blueberry pie and Morello cherries with gentler wafts of violets, star anise, fruitcake and cast-iron pan. The concentrated, full-bodied palate possesses impressive purity and brightness of fruit commingled with richer, riper elements and supported by firm, velvety tannins, finishing with lovely freshness and on a lingering ferrous note. It's a wine that's not just delicious, it's seriously interesting too.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2050

date of review 03/2021

95/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2018 Troplong Mondot takes its time to unfold; this particular sample was afforded 90 minutes to open. It then reveals its exquisitely defined bouquet of black cherries, shucked oyster shells and black currant leaf. It is transparent, almost Burgundian in style. The palate is beautifully defined with fine-boned tannins and wonderful tension and <em>mineralité</em>. You can feel the limestone terroir percolating through this Saint-Émilion, and it retains captivating spiciness on the almost crystalline finish. This is one of the finest Troplongs in recent years, and it has a long and prosperous future ahead.

DRINKING WINDOW 2023 - 2045

date of review 03/2021