CHÂTEAU TROPLONG MONDOT

"We had a few old demons hanging around" remarked estate manager Aymeric de Gironde, referencing the new regime at this revitalised property currently undergoing huge investment. The 2017 Troplong Mondot has a nicely detailed though not powerful bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, charcoal and light tertiary aromas, touches of peony developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and fine acidity. This does not possess the complexity or finesse of the top Saint-Émilion wines this vintage and there is a lick of dark chocolate on the finish that feels a little misplaced. Nonetheless, it represents a delicious Troplong Mondot that will give 15 to 18 years of drinking pleasure, though you can bet your bottom dollar this will be surpassed in years to come. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drinking range: 2022 - 2040 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2020)

This has a rather concentrated, dried-plum character on the nose, smoky with peppery nuances, the dried-plums and dried-cherry character dressed with tobacco oak and a little seam of vanilla freshness. A surprisingly glossy palate follows, showing a polished medium-bodied substance with a sweet concentration of fruit, all red cherry and peppered red plum, with a supple, succulent substance, backed up by tightly grained tannins and fresh acidity. This has a fine poise for the vintage, elegantly refined, integrated, balanced, lacking the impact that I know Troplong-Mondot is capable of but it has freshness and balance on its side. Firm grip from the tannins, but showing through only at the finish. Very good. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2018)

The 2017 Troplong Mondot, the first under the new regime of former Cos d’Estournel manager Aymeric de Gironde, has a gorgeous bouquet with well defined red and black fruit, hints of dark chocolate and crushed flowers, a subtle mineral undercurrent that becomes more prominent with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. This is a much fresher and balanced style of Troplong Mondot that tended to be over-egged in the past The terroir is much more evident where it counts – in the glass. There is a pleasant spiciness that comes through with aeration and a touch of sense of tension from start to finish. If this represents how this estate will continue, then the new era is going to be festooned with some exemplary wines. Drinking range: 2022 - 2042 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

Troplong Mondot saw hardly any frost—less than 10%. The 2017 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers up a cedar chest, cinnamon stick and cloves-laced nose with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry compote and preserved plums plus wafts of licorice, violets and sandalwood. Full-bodied, concentrated and sporting a firm frame of velvety tannins, it has a lively line lifting the densely packed fruit, finishing long and on a compelling savory note. Rating: 95-97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. Black core with deep purple rim. Smells ripe, almost a little raisiny, rich in purple fruit. Firm tannins but it does have freshness on the finish. Chewy, dense, with the oak well integrated. Still in a very ripe style. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

Aymeric de Gironde arrived here from Cos d'Estournel in September 2017, and he is clearly intending to make his mark. To get things started, they have brought the harvest dates forward (particularly on the Butte de Mondot, where drainage in recent years has stopped that clay mound being as cool as it once was). They have also stopped carrying out malolactic in new oak and brought the level of new oak down to 65% from 90%. They have a new consultant in the form of Thomas Duclos - this is surely his year - and carried out the blending before ageing in barrel, in a nod to Aymeric's left bank experience. Very little here was affected by the frost, giving a yield of 45hl/ha, 95% used for the grand vin. This is a terroir that doesn't need to be dressed up, as I have said several times in the past, and Aymeric is taking what had already begun under Xavier Parrente to the next level. This is one of the few wines to really make your heart race in 2017, with its blueberry and cool, black fruit notes with zippy minerality and a juicy, slightly saline finish. There is plenty of power, but it's contained, and the fruit is almost surprising in its purity and direction - it makes everyone around the table start talking. This is an extremely surprising 2017, one that I absolutely recommend without hesitation. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)

Good bramble and anise notes are matched by blackberry and black cherry compote flavors. A fresh savory streak underscores the finish. Sneakily long, with an emphasis on freshness. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

A bright and vivid red with dark-berry and plum character. Floral and bright. Medium to full body. Intense and crystal-clear. Chewy tannins at the end. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)