CHÂTEAU TROPLONG MONDOT

The 2023 Troplong Mondot is simply stunning. It's one of the best wines yet made under the direction of Aymeric de Gironde. Towering and statuesque, the 2023 explodes out of the glass with tons of vertical energy. Dark red-toned fruit, licorice, spice, lavender, mocha and pencil shavings are some of the many notes that infuse the 2023 with character. The combination of soaring aromatics, chiseled fruit and a limestone-infused finish is nothing less than captivating. What a wine. Aging is in 60% new oak, 22% 20hL foudre and 18% once-used oak. Tasted two times. Drinking range: 2033 - 2063 Rating: 95-98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The fruit was picked and cooled overnight, then treated to a cold maceration for over a week, before the fermentation. The blend is 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. The picking started on September 5th, until October 9th, an early start in this vintage. Aromatically this is tense and exciting, with dried red cherry and red plum, with a firm and floral character, lifted by notes of crushed chalk, sandalwood and violets. The palate is similarly tense and correct, with modestly textured and powdery fruit, with fine and tight-knit tannins, with plenty of fresh acidity and a fresh saline bite which comes from the limestone. This has a slightly juicy style this year, with great tension and a granularity to the structure, and it finishes with a clamping down of all that limestone grip. A very restrained and coolly composed style of Troplong-Mondot. The alcohol is 14.1%. Rating: 93-95 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The 2023 Troplong Mondot was harvested from September 5 to October 9, with 60-70% picked within nine or ten days; other parcels were "stragglers" that required more time. There is actually 4-5% whole clusters in the blend,and according to Aymeric de Gironde, it works like the vin de presse, glueing components of the wine together. Sulfur is only added when the wine is put into barrel. The 2023 has a very well-defined and focused bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry, ground chalk and light sea cave scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a very crisp and mineral-driven entry. It's chalky in texture and quite tensile in the mouth, with a dash of black pepper on the finish. This is an individualistic Saint-Émilion that will fill out during its élevage. Very long. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 95-97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)