Château Troplong Mondot 2009

Those who, like us, make classic, easy-drinking wines will set it aside and leave it unrated. But for lovers of power and richness, it’s an absolute must: full-bodied, opulent, fiery like a Port... The score reflects this character.

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. It comes closest in style to the prodigious 1990 that proprietress Christine Valette produced 22 years ago. A phenomenal effort, it unquestionably justifies its relatively new Premier Grand Cru St.-Emilion status. Readers should keep in mind that the 1990, which probably has lower acidity and not the level of concentration found in the 2009, is drinking incredibly well at age 22 and reveals no signs of falling apart.

Very dark, with strong pastis-soaked blackberry and roasted plum notes leading the way, with layers of sweet spice, mocha and tobacco filling in on the finish. Rather lush and perhaps a touch too roasted in style for some folks, with enough just grip to keep it going. Best from 2013 through 2024. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 6,288 cases made.

These were the St‑Emilion excess years and you see it here, with kirsch flamboyance on the nose from the off. You hover around before tasting, not quite sure of how close to get. There's gloss to the palate, with high‑toned silky fruits that are not balanced perfectly with the heat running through the palate. I remember this at En primeur, and it hasn't calmed down enough over the last 10 years. It's got all the stuffing to impress, but you need to be looking for a very specific style. Lovers of subtlety should look elsewhere.

Although this is very ripe and rich with a generous body and a slew of black fruit aromas, it’s also elegant and poised. The bitter chocolate character is more restrained than in many modern-style Right Bank wines of this period and there's a lovely balance of lively acidity with fine dry tannins at the complex finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

Toasty mocha on the nose and palate, and a curtain of oak that obscures most else at the moment, though there seems to be plenty of dark fruit beneath the oak. Powerful, dense but closed, with the 15.5% alcohol remarkably well hidden, except perhaps on the finish. Not my favourite style. (JH)

The 2009 Troplong-Mondot has a completely over-the-top, gregarious, raisin-like bouquet that, frankly, comes as no surprise given the estate’s philosophy at the time. The palate is sweet on entry with candied black cherries, cassis, and cough candy, unlike Bordeaux in some ways, with a rather cloying and alcoholic finish. Now it seems like an anachronism. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.

Full-bodied, ripe, lush, powerful and packed with multiple layers of sweet black cherries, juicy plums, smoke, licorice, chocolate and hints of blue fruit on the nose. On the palate, the wine is plush, opulent and mouth-filling, with a finish that lasts more than 40 seconds.

Very opaque and youthful appearance; still young and closed on the nose but with great purity of fruit. The palate is immensely concentrated, with flavours of cassis, blackberry jam, smoke, mineral and black truffle; very fine balance, immense structure and a huge aftertaste. This will be magnificent, a big wine in the making.

Pure perfection in a glass, the incredible 2009 Troplong Mondot offers off-the-charts notes of blackcurrants, licorice, truffles, and saddle leather that just soar from the glass. This is a big, ripe, incredibly sexy wine that hits the palate with huge texture, building, ripe tannins, no weight, and a finish that just won’t quit. Utterly brilliant, it’s slightly more approachable than the 2005, but both vintages play in the same style. Drink bottles anytime over the coming two to three decades. Bravo!

90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep purple. Ripe, heady amarena bouquet, lots of ripe fruit but also green-spicy notes, tobacco tones, freshly roasted coffee. Plenty of backbone in the massive extract, more power and flesh than charm. A powerhouse with character.

90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep purple, dense at the core, with garnet highlights at the rim. Shows a ripe, heady amarena bouquet, with a hint of green spiciness, tobacco notes, plenty of ripe fruit, and freshly roasted coffee. Lots of backbone from the massive extract, more power and flesh than charm. A characterful powerhouse.

Lush, velvety, sweet, full bouquet with chocolate, raw meat, red berries, and cedar. Soft, opulent, broad palate with rich fruit, plenty of fine sandy tannins, and a sweet, lavish aromatic profile. Very long, full, sweet finish with mocha chocolate. 18/20 2015 - 2028

These were the years when Troplong was unashamed to show its full-on power, and when I was at odds with many of the critics and scores. Expect here waves of cigar box, tobacco, coffee bean, incense, brambly fruit, bitter dark chocolate, fig, dried fruits, incense. Plenty of concentration and swagger, certainly, but it is monolithic, and lacks the easy joy of the vintage. 100% new oak, Michel Rolland consultant.

The 2009 Troplong Mondot has a deep garnet color. It prances out with showy notions of black cherry compote, boysenberry preserves, and candied violets, leading to a core of plum preserves, molten licorice, dark chocolate, and spearmint, with a touch of cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate is so, so dense with firm, beautifully ripe, rounded tannins and exhilarating tension, finishing so, so long and achingly perfumed. Incredible.

Surprisingly smoky nose; fleshy, broad yet slender, with lovely raspberry and floral flavors alongside notes of toast and truffle. Long, mouthwatering finish.

As is their habit, Christine and Xavier Pariente “took their time” before harvesting, aiming to push grape ripeness as far as possible. Yields were low, but the wine shows extraordinary density. A radiant nose blending dark fruit and spicy oak. On the palate, it unfolds an opulent, ultra-concentrated, full, flavoursome texture with an immense aromatic range. A success that clearly demonstrates that Troplong-Mondot deserves—perhaps more than others—its status as a premier cru classé.

A dense, compact wine—highly concentrated, long, tight, tannic, austere, yet with a solid core. It will need time to develop all its potential.

The bouquet of the 2009 is open, intense and inviting! It hints at a sun-drenched character, yet shows a floral tendency… which bodes well in this context! Notes of black tea and caramel complemented by black berries. On the palate, the wine is caressing, silky, seductive and perfectly balanced. A pleasure wine, ready to be enjoyed while keeping a steady course toward a reliable evolution.

Logo on the cork: MS Dark, intense color with slight evolution. An intense, refined nose, fruity, with licorice notes and a touch of oak. Very precise in texture from the outset, particularly fruity mid-palate, broad, smooth and juicy, a touch warm; the wine develops with a rich feel, long, spicy, noble and seamless. Enjoy now.

A very concentrated wine with such a stylish feel. It balances ripe berry fruits with chocolate and wood flavors in the richest, ripest combination. The wine has power, without losing its poised character. It's ready for long aging.