Troplong Mondot - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018

Vinous

97

par Antonio Galloni le 31/03/2021

The 2018 Troplong Mondot will take readers who haven't tasted these wines in a few years aback. Stunning in its aromatic presence, the 2018 is silky, medium-in body and super-refined. Once again, I am blown away by the wine's total sense of precision. The Cabernets are only 15% of the blend, and yet the 2018 is so strongly marked by floral and savory accents. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, rose petal and lavender all build in the glass. The 2018 is regal, refined and absolutely exquisite.

Wine Advocate

96

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 31/03/2021

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.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96

par Jeb Dunnuck le 16/03/2021

The 2018 Château Troplong Mondot showed beautifully. Based on 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it reveals a dense purple color as well as ripe beautiful aromatics of black cherries, red plums, graphite, espresso, Asian spices, and gravelly earth. Beautiful on the palate as well, it's medium to full-bodied and has a rounded, expansive texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, building tannins, and present yet integrated oak. This classic, impressive Troplong Mondot will need 5-7 years of bottle age but will evolve for 30 years or more.

The Wine Cellar Insider

97

par Jeff Leve le 16/03/2021

Concentrated, full-bodied, deep and opulently textured, there is a beautiful sense of elegance and balance here. There is richness, power but also symmetry. The purity in the fruit, along with its freshness stand out as one of the keynotes of its character. This should age and evolve for 3 decades, and be drinking perfectly after a decade of aging. The wine was produced from a blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.

Vinous

95

par Neal Martin le 12/03/2021

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 mineralité. 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.

Jamessuckling.com

98

par James Suckling le 04/02/2021

This is a very linear red and layered at the same time, showing blackberry, blueberry, black-truffle, bark and stone character. Chalk and minerality, too. It’s full-bodied and well framed with gorgeous intensity and freshness. Muscular with wonderful structure and brightness. Salty and savory notes on the finish. Try after 2024.

Wine Spectator

94

par James Molesworth le 01/02/2021

This shows the profile of the vintage, with a touch of plum pit and savory austerity along the edges of a core of red and black currant and cherry paste flavors. Late tugs of warm earth and tobacco on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 8,333 cases made. –JM

Yvesbeck.wine

98

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

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

par Tjark Witzgall le 07/05/2019

Bettane & Desseauve

96-97

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.

Vinous

94-97

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.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96

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 ?    

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

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

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

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

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

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 08/04/2019

Decanter.com

97

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

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.