Château Troplong Mondot Saint Emilion 2015

Barrel Sample. Rich and smooth, this is a powerful and concentrated wine. The wine is perfumed and fragrant, with fine dusty tannins and a fresh edge that provides a nice lift to the finish.

Offers a gorgeous, caressing, velvety feel, with waves of warmed plum, fig compote and blackberry reduction gliding through, inlaid with notes of graphite, sweet tobacco and black licorice. A light loamy echo adds a pleasant tug of earth at the very end. Best from 2022 through 2040. 10,000 cases made.

The 2015 Troplong Mondot is inky black in color. The nose was initially arresting with a carapace of toasty new oak, but it only takes several swirls of the glass for that to dissipate and leave scents of intense black fruit, crème de cassis, spice box and violets. It is verging on "heady" in style, powered along by that Merlot. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin, layers of ripe, sensual, lavish black fruit interlaced with black pepper and clove. The acidity binds everything together, maintains control through to the finish that fans out nicely. It leans towards the hedonistic style of Saint Emilion, but it is not pushed over the edge as I have found in previous recent vintages. What it needs to develop is just the charm and personality of the finest Saint Emilion wines this vintage.