Chateau Troplong Mondot 2023

JAMES SUCKLING: "A tight and very focused young Troplong with freshness and finesse that adds plenty. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and a vivid finish. Lots of blackberry and blueberry character. It really opens and envelops your palate, caressing every square inch. Cashmere-like texture. The limestone comes through beautifully."

WEINWISSER: "84 % Merlot, 13 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 14.1 Vol.-%, pH 3.45, 53 hl/ha. Lese 5.09. – 9.10.; Bezauberndes blaubeeriges Bouquet, verführerisches Iris-Parfüm und Grether Pastillen, dahinter Nougatpralinen, roter Johannisbeernektar und getrocknete Rosenblätter. Am energiegeladenen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, vibrierender Rasse, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und trainiertem Körper. Im ungeheuer präzisen, sehr aromatischen Finale eine Explosion von blauen Beeren, Graphit und feinkörnige Adstringenz. Gehört in seiner Klasse zu den Besten."

VINUM: "Tiefgründig, rein, komplex, Brombeere, Kirsche, Menthol, kühler Stein, Veilchen; gradlinig im Gaumen, keine Spur von Breite, hochelegant, mit viel Dynamik, Frische, Rasse, ausgezeichnete Tannine, rotfruchtiges, langanhaltendes, salines Finale mit Noten von Johannisbeeren und Blutorangen. Der neue Stil des Hauses gefällt, bringt das hervorragende Terroir perfekt zum Ausdruck."

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

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "end of 84% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Troplong Mondot has a pH of 3.45. Aymeric de Gironde commented, ‘Our crop of Cabernet Franc was our biggest ever.’ It has a deep garnet-purple color and needs a little swirling and coaxing before gorgeous notes of mulberries, wild blueberries, and redcurrant jelly slowly begin to emerge, followed by hints of sassafras, mossy tree bark, and graphite, plus wafts of rose oil and cumin seed. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit layers, with floral and chalky sparks and velvety tannins, finishing long and beguiling. This is breathtaking!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deeply colored, the wine is rich, deep, full-bodied, concentrated and intense. The wine is silky, lush, with its creamy textures which come across as gentle, vibrant, and elegant, with depth, and width. The lingering finish displays sweet, red, and black fruits, salted oranges, and a beautiful chalky character on the backend. The key for the vintage here was the terroir which allowed for ample water retention during the heatwaves, and the ability to harvest at their own pace. The wine blends 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. 14.1% ABV, 3.45 pH. Harvesting started September 5 - October 9. Drink from 2029-2060."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Troplong Mondot unwinds in the glass with aroma of black raspberries, mulberries and cherries mingled with notions of iris, licorice, black tea and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's textural and mouthfilling, with the mid-palate density so typical of this terroir, its concentrated core of fruit framed by beautifully polished tannins and succulent acids."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frische Nuancen von Ribiseln, zarte Kräuterwürze, schwarze Herzkirschen, Noten von Lakritze, etwas Nugat und kandierte Orangenzesten, floraler Touch. Kraftvoll, komplex, saftig, rote Waldbeeren, gute Frische, straffe, aber seidige Tannine, mineralisch-salzig im Abgang, balanciert, feine Würze im Abgang, bereits gut zugänglich, gute Länge, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial, ein Speisenbegleiter mit Finesse."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The Grand Vin 2023 Château Troplong Mondot checks in as 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, from healthy yields of 53 hectoliter per hectare, raised in 60% new wood, hitting 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.48. It brings another level of density and depth, with gorgeous notes of black cherries, hints of mulberries, graphite, and crushed stone. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shines for its beautiful purity of fruit and has plenty of background oak, a creamy, rounder mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Complex nose with a stony-mineral edge. Smooth and supple on attack, the tannins silky and plentiful. Fruit fairly dense. Refreshing saline finish. Drink 2030 – 2045"