Château Troplong Mondot 2021

Red-fruited with an almost Burgundian-like bouquet, very floral, radiant fruit, underpinned by minerality. On the palate, approachable, elegant, concentrated yet not heavy, silky tannins, great harmony. A grace.

The 2021 Mondot is charming and expressive, bursting with aromas of blackberries, plums, orange zest and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and velvety, it's seamless and suave, with succulent acids and a mouthwateringly saline finish. This is the last rendition of Mondot produced exclusively from Merlot growing on Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau.

Fresh, if a touch on the skinny side, with bitter cherry and pomegranate notes carried by a chalky structure, while savory accents dart around throughout. Pretty, silky finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2033. 10,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.

Delicate and beguiling fragrance with a bright, shiny and sleek expression on the palate. Direct and focused with tangy red berry fruit, high-toned acidity giving an immediate buzz, and supportive tannins that provide density and structure while retaining grace and elegance. A full and serious wine while still being streamlined and on the leaner flavour spectrum. Lots of texture and interest.

85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. 47 hl/ha. Cask sample. Deep colour. Floral notes with an attractive density of fruit. Finely structured, velvety tannins providing the framework. Minty freshness as well, the finish chalky. Balanced with all the components in place. (JL)

The 2021 Troplong Mondot was bottled in July 2022 after the wines were taken out of barrel in February, as it was felt the wine had received sufficient oak aging. I tasted two samples, one decanted earlier and one freshly poured. The latter showed more fruit: black cherries, violet, touches of pencil shavings and dried roses, building in intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, fresh, vibrant and spicy, with an insistent grip and dashes of black pepper and chalk toward the finish. Quite a vertical Troplong Mondot with an almost briny aftertaste, this deserves four or five years in bottle.

Medium-bodied, vibrant, crisp, and focused on its mineral essences, the wine is upbeat with freshness, energy, lift, and precision. The red fruits are expressive, clean, and salty with accents of smoke, mint, spice, flowers, and espresso. This is a finesse-driven wine that is going to show well on release. The wine blends 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink from 2025-2050.

Dark ruby, brightening to purple at the narrow rim. Very floral on the nose, with savory notes of fennel pollen and cherries at various stages of ripeness, herbal aromas. Dense, fine, grippy tannins, powerful but well-integrated alcohol, lots of juiciness and tremendous tactile minerality. Acidity and body merge seamlessly; the wine combines good concentration with the elegance typical of this vintage.

A blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Château Troplong Mondot was raised in 55% new oak, 21% in once-used, and the balance in foudre for 14 months. Its ruby, semi-opaque hue is followed by a beautiful perfume of smoky black raspberries, crunchy cherries, chalky minerality, rose, and spring flowers. It's medium-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and just a pretty, pure, seamless style. It clearly offers pleasure today but should be given 4-5 years, and it will evolve for two decades.

With a noticeably darker core of color than the second wine Mondot, the Grand Vin Troplong-Mondot initially needs some air, then unfolds with finesse and lightness on the nose, showing great nuance and youthful character. The bouquet will certainly need a few more years in bottle before it fully opens. On the palate, it has very straight, forceful tannins that merge with a subtly resonant, red, racy fruit component. Everything is subordinated to clarity and breed—very linear, structured in one line, and long. Thus, the 2021 is a fine, very chalky, mineral-saline Troplong-Mondot that, in its youthful stage, does not yet offer much flesh. But with increasing maturity it will gain in volume and juiciness. For now, it is more of an intellectual undertaking; in 5–10 years, Troplong should develop a Pinot-like elegance and a penetrating, finely structured, fresh red fruit that will convince with seductive silkiness. At the moment, one still needs plenty of imagination. Because only the tannins and the most delicate play of acidity bear witness this year to great class.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc) Complex, Burgundian, elegant, fresh, finely mineral bouquet, raspberry jelly, raspberry seeds, slate, mint. Densely interwoven, elegant, multi-layered palate with diverse, powerful, sweet aromatics, delicately concentrated, finely structured frame, very fine tannins, fresh fruit, very long, powerful finish with sweet afterflavors.

The natural density and power of Troplong are a major asset in 2021. I love the coiled energy and the precision on display, with damson and blueberry fruit, salted cracker, density through the mid-palate, and a fennel and liquorice-root finish. A full month of harvest, and the first time with the new cellar. One of the few that may well need 8 to 10 years before really hitting its stride.

The 2021 Troplong Mondot has a deep garnet-purple color. It slowly emerges from the glass with notes of black cherries, juicy blackberries, and fresh black plums, giving way to nuances of licorice and tar, plus wafts of violets and cracked black pepper. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the tight-knit, muscular fruit, finishing long and minerally. Should age beautifully!

What can one say when tasting one of the great achievements of 2021? To put it simply, I’d say that reflection and meditation deserve points. Ooohhhmmmm. Otherwise, a more detailed note: The subtlety of the élevage leaves room for the bouquet’s depth. Spicy nuances are complemented by fine notes of elderberry and a chalky touch. Everything is about restraint, about detail. The bouquet unfolds like filigree, transparent and precise. On the palate, the wine manages to let breadth and lightness meet—and that makes for a performance of stature (not only in the vineyard). There is the liveliness of the acidic structure and finesse, tannins that reinforce the wine’s aerial side… we are at the height of paradox. An energetic, deep, powerful, subtle, racy, thirst-quenching, mouthwatering wine. This interplay between grandeur and lightness, depth and responsiveness, timidity and serenity—might this not be one of the conceivable futures for Bordeaux?

(85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc) Complex, Burgundian, elegant, fresh, finely mineral bouquet, raspberry jelly, raspberry seeds, slate, mint. Densely interwoven, elegant, multi-layered palate with varied, powerful, sweet aromatics, delicately concentrated, finely structured texture, very fine tannins, fresh fruit, very long, powerful finish with sweet afterflavors. 19/20 2029 - 2060

Spice, sandalwood and red-berry fruit aromas all come together to produce a fragrant, powerful and rich wine. Its tannins bring a firm structure to this dense wine. It is a luscious wine with a great future. Drink from 2028.