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A tour de force in 2009, this year's Troplong Mondot reveals copious layers of sweet berry fruit,black cherry and earthy truffle. Despite its admirable presence, its St. Emilion curvaceousness is not far behind. An iron fist in a velvet glove.
A tour de force in 2009, this year's Troplong Mondot reveals copious layers of sweet berry fruit,black cherry and earthy truffle. Despite its admirable presence, its St. Emilion curvaceousness is not far behind. An iron fist in a velvet glove.
It boasts an inky/purple color along with a gorgeous bouquet of mocha, chocolate, blackberry and cassis fruit, an unctuous texture, a full-bodied, viscous mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like, multilayered finish. This spectacular wine is nearly overwhelming in its richness, thickness and intensity. Once all its baby fat falls away, the terroir characteristics and additional nuances will emerge. This blockbuster, fabulous Troplong Mondot will benefit from 10-15 years of cellaring and keep for three decades or more. It is not shy either, bouncing over the palate with 15.5% natural alcohol. The 2009 Troplong Mondot will provide plenty of competition for the 2010, 2005 and 2000. Drink: 2022 - 2052
I tasted this wine four separate times, with three tastings extremely consistent, and one tasting showing slightly more noticeable and astringent tannin. Do I think it is going to be as prodigious as the 2005? No, but it is a compelling Troplong Mondot, and probably more approachable than the 2005 has been in its youth. The wine is inky purple in color, displaying beautiful creme de cassis, licorice, subtle smoke and graphite notes, enormous body, juicy, viscous texture, good vibrancy, a skycraper-like, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, and a whopping long finish of 40+ seconds. This is a great wine, probably more hedonistic and voluptuous than the 2005, but ultimately a tiny notch below that virtually perfect Troplong Mondot, which still gets my nod as the best ever made. This wine should evolve for at least 30-40 years. (Tasted four times.) Drink: 2010 - 2050
The opposite end of the spectrum from Canon but huge personality. Blue-black colour. Rich and concentrated. Spicy, chocolaty, dark fruit aromas. Full-bodied and powerful but not over the top. Tannins quite refined. Drink 2018-2035.
Intense aromas of blackberry and blueberry follow through to a full body, with well-integrated tannins and a fruity finish. Offers lots of licorice and spice. There's lovely length to this. Reserved and pretty.
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.
