Chateau Troplong Mondot 2014

Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2014 Troplong Mondot is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, and this beauty has more intensity, richness, and exuberance than just about every other wine in 2014. A blend of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc brought up in 85% new French oak, it sports a deep purple/plum color as well as a smorgasbord of blackcurrants, blackberries, scorched earth, toasty oak, graphite, espresso, and earth. With full-bodied richness, beautiful purity of fruit, and a rich, yet weightless texture, it’s a big, yet classy, elegant, and seamless wine from Xavier Pariente that should be snatched up by readers. It’s already drinking well but has 20-25 years of prime drinking to go."

James Suckling: "The dark, savory, earthy and plum aromas plus the serious tannins here give this wine a lot of character, but it really needs a couple of years to open up. The finish packs a big tannic punch. For the long term. Try in 2024."

Lisa Perrotti-Brown: "The 2014 Troplong Mondot is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. Scents of cedar and unsmoked cigars are followed by nuances of dried blackberries and plum pudding with a waft of spice cake. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of mature black fruit and spicy layers, support by firm, lightly chewy tannins and great tension, finishing with impressive length."

The Wine Cellar Insider: "Deep in color, the wine is round, concentrated and loaded with dark chocolate covered cherries and plums, smoke, licorice and truffle. With depth of flavor, intensity and richness, this is a full bodied effort that will reward a decade in the cellar, before everything really comes together here."

The Wine Advocate: "The 2014 Troplong-Mondot performed to my expectation now that the wine is in bottle. It has a refined bouquet with black cherries, raspberry preserve and mineral scents that gain intensity in the glass, but never get carried away. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, tensile in the mouth but surprisingly linear and conservative, at least in the first half. It is fresh and precise, then delivers the weight and concentration as it fans out on the finish, a residue of white pepper tingling on the aftertaste. This is a delicious Troplong Mondot that should age with style and grace."

Wine Spectator: "Solidly built, with some heft to the core of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry confiture flavors. Delivers ample cut and drive thanks to the racy graphite beam. Hints of ganache and Turkish coffee add a bass line without taking away definition or purity. Best from 2022 through 2035. 5,583 cases made."

Jane Anson: "Smoked and grilled caramel notes, oak present but there is nuance here also, and a sense of light and shade, allowing you to take a pause and enjoy the red and black fruits that build up through the palate. Caramel, butterscotch, black cherry, raspberry puree, tempered in its powerful character by nuanced saffron and white truffle. A more challenging vintage on the Right than Left Bank, with rain during harvest, but I am impressed with what they have achieved here, where the natural exuberance and power is softened by gentle acidities. 100% new oak, Michel Rolland consultant."

Weinwisser: "Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Sehr intensives, warmes Bouquet mit einer schier schizophrenen Aromatik. Da sind einerseits Rosinentöne und Amarenakirschen, auf der anderen Seite grünwürzige Komponenten mit einem Hauch Eukalyptus drin. Im Gaumen sehr konzentriert, stoffig, ja fast sperrig. Somit mutiert er – mit Clos de Sarpe – zum wohl härtesten Saint-Émilion. Das hätte nicht sein müssen, wenn man die logische Jahrgangsvariante bei der Vinifikation gewählt hätte. Die Moderne hat hier zugeschlagen. Hier meine Potentialwertung, definitiv ohne jegliche Kaufabsichten."

Vinum: "Hier ist das Kunststück gelungen, dem massiven Stil treu zu bleiben und nicht gegen den Jahrgang zu keltern und die Masse durch Frische auszubalancieren. Der schönste Troplong seit langem."

Decanter: "Rich and intense with chocolate, liquorice and dark fruit notes. Sweet but poised on the palate. Modern extraction but with restraint. Firm, long finish."