Château Troplong Mondot - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018

Yvesbeck.wine

98 / 100

par Yves Beck le 26/01/2021

Beaucoup de finesse, de précision et de fraîcheur dans ce bouquet. Il révèle des notes de framboises mais également des nuances de baies noires. En bouche les tannins sont serrés, précis, aux grains très fins. Ils se révèlent tardivement et assurent parfaitement les arrières, communément avec l'acidité qui confère de la fraîcheur. Belle tension crayeuse en finale. Il y a une notion de puissance contenue, d'ampleur tout en finesse dans ce vin. Une très grande réussite qui s'impose avec délicatesse mais conviction.

Vinous

94-96 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/11/2019

The 2018 Troplong Mondot was picked from 7 September until 10 October with 60% of the Merlot harvest completed in one week, then a long process to obtain full maturity. It has a gorgeous bouquet with black cherries, cassis, marmalade and orange pith. With time it reveals a strong shucked oyster shell tang. It is very different to the 2017 but shows much more fruit intensity and harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins. There is more body and mass compared to the 2017, fine grip with blackberry, black pepper, sea salt and a tang of Indian spice. It is an excellent Troplong Mondot that will give 20 to 30 years of drinking pleasure.

WeinWisser

19 / 20

le 07/05/2019

Vinous

94-97 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 03/05/2019

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is a remarkable wine. All the elements fall into place in a stunning, aromatically intense Troplong Mondot that is full of character. There is a level of precision and vibrancy in the 2018 that is simply breathtaking. Black cherry, raspberry, mocha, flowers, mint and spice all meld together in this captivating, arrestingly beautiful Saint-Émilion. New oak is 60%, with lower toast levels than what was common just a few years ago. The blend is 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Bettane & Desseauve

96-97 / 100

par Bettane & Desseauve le 03/05/2019

On attendait de voir ce que ce cru vendangé très tôt allait donner… Et l’on a vu… En effet, on ne peut qu’être séduit par le nez profond très salivant. Le toucher de bouche de cachemire précède un grain crayeux surfin qui étire parfaitement le tannin qui porte le vin jusqu’à une envolée florale et fraîche. Incontestablement le plus grand troplong de l’histoire du XXIe siècle.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 01/05/2019

Deeper colored, the 2018 Troplong Mondot is a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new French oak. Its vivid purple color is followed by a beautiful perfume of black raspberries, cassis, crushed flowers, and beautiful earthy minerality. Medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure, balanced on the palate, it has a beautiful chalky minerality on the finish. While the style has changed dramatically with the arrival of Aymeric de Gironde, the quality is nevertheless world-class.

Vinifera

92 /

par Jacques Perrin le 01/05/2019

Nez très élégant et singulier, rendu fruité important, bouche gourmande, fine, pleine et juteuse, sans trace d'élevage, veloutée. Mais le vin a-t-il tout le fond que l'on peut attendre de son terroir ?    

La Revue du Vin de France

16-17 / 20

le 24/04/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 23/04/2019

Full-bodied, lush, ripe and rich, the wine is concentrated as well as refined. The purity in the fruit stands out as one of the key points in its character. There is a richness and vivacity to the wine that works on the palate and in the luscious, silky finish. The wine was produced from a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.5% alcohol. The harvest took place September 7 to October 9. Yields were 49 hectoliters per hectare and the wine is aging in 60% new, French oak. Interestingly, Troplong Mondot now makes the final blend in January -- after the vintage.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 23/04/2019

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.56. Deep garnet-purple in color, it begins slowly with bold, bright black raspberries, ripe black plums, fresh blackberries and Morello cherries notes, giving way to underlying scents of tobacco, wild sage, Sichuan pepper, black olives, truffles and Marmite toast with hints of crushed stones and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers wonderfully fresh, energetic black fruit with a downright racy line of freshness (uncommon for this vintage) and firm, rounded tannins, finishing long with lots of mineral, earth and dried herbs layers giving beautiful electric sparks.

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

par Roger Voss le 17/04/2019

The tannins are beautifully integrated into this velvet-textured wine. It has density and richness allied to concentration. At the same time, it has kept wonderful freshness and acidity to give it fine lift. The aging potential is obvious.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

par James Suckling le 12/04/2019

The focus to this wine sets a new standard for Troplong Mondot with density and minerality that I have not encountered for decades. Lots of slate and white-pepper character. Tight and very dense. Full body. Balanced. Wild mineral character and freshness here. Precise.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

97 / 100

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 08/04/2019

Decanter.com

97 / 100

par Jane Anson le 04/04/2019

One of the stories of the 2018 vintage in Bordeaux was Troplong Mondot bringing in its first grapes on 7 September. Proof, many suggested, of director Aymeric de Gironde going too far in his quest to rewrite Troplong's powerful style. It certainly made me excited to try this wine, and I hope the sceptics were too, because this is a brilliant Troplong. Oh, and although around 80% of the grapes did come in during those first 10 days, the final harvest date was 10 October.
There's clear depth just in the colour alone, and impressive complexity on the nose. There's still a whole lot of Troplong strength and concentration here, you can't get away from that with these clay and flint over limestone soils, but now it is softer, with more minerality. The relatively high alcohols are apparent in the texture but not as heat. I love the persistency here, as it drags things out in the most delicious of ways, with a slate and white pepper finish. 
Of the new vineyards bought (4ha from Clos Labarde and 6ha from Bellisle Mondotte), everything is in the second wine this year. The château will probably ask for some sections to be included in the grand vin in the next classification in 2022. 3.56pH. Thomas Duclos consults.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2042

Wine Spectator

95-98 / 100

par James Molesworth le 03/04/2019

This offers a lovely display of boysenberry, cherry and plum fruit, yet stays refined and focused, relying on purity as this glides through. Has weight but feels silky, with a flinty mineral hint adding cut on the finish.