Château Troplong Mondot 1989

Seductive. Gorgeously perfumed, loads of raspberry and floral aromas. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a delicious blackberry and dark chocolate aftertaste.--1989 Bordeaux horizontal.

The 1989 Troplong-Mondot has an earthy, strawberry pastille and leather bouquet with hints of clove; attractive if just a little tired. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin and notes of red fruit, black tea, leather and tobacco, lightly spiced and gentle, but missing real body and grip toward the finish. Drink soon. Tasted from an ex-cellar magnum at the property.

Probably close to fully mature, with a definite lightening of color, the wine was loaded with spicy black cherries, wet earth, smoke, jam, licorice and mocha, soft, silky and round in texture, the wine finished with a sweet, cherry griotte, plum and spicy, chocolate finish. For those of you who like facts, the ABV level reached 13.5%.

Medium, maturing wine-red color. Open, malty bouquet with baking chocolate, Chinese mushrooms, celery powder, chemical notes, Bakelite. On the palate, an admittedly imposing body but little harmony; rum-pot fruits in the extract, overall rather sharp and aggressive, arrogant tannins. A wine that receives significantly higher scores from other critics, but even after ten different tastings we remain pessimistic.

On paper, the starting conditions for this wine should have been sensational. With yields of just 45 hl/ha, it was intoxicating at the barrel tasting, with notes of smoke, rum and dried bananas. True, in its youth I found the oak influence overly dominant, but I was convinced that, given its promising ageing potential, this shortcoming would be compensated for. From 1995 onwards the wine deteriorated steadily, became drier and drier and seemed to lose aromas almost month by month. In 1996, I sent a bottle back to the Château, asking for a comment. It would be a little more mature than the bottles in the estate’s cellar, but perfectly sound, replied the owner, Christine Valette. That same week I re-tasted an ’89 Troplong from a completely different cellar: the bouquet shows burnt traces as well as a hint of volatile acidity. On the palate the wine is coarse and out of balance. One might ask whether it is going through such a massive reduction phase? I increasingly believe, however, that after the fruit phase there will be a very great disappointment. With every sip I start giving up hope more and more! The American Robi gives it 96/100 points. Well then, cheers! 99: After worsening more and more since the hopeful barrel sample, there is now a certain parallel with political events in Germany at the time: the fall of the Berlin Wall. Despite a deep, promising colour, the wine is increasingly splitting into individual parts: burnt bouquet, slightly volatile notes; compact, yet dry. On the palate it is unharmonious—certainly powerful and throwing concentration around—yet there is still no harmony, and there never will be. Off to auction, and find those who don’t know it yet (14/20). 03: Medium, maturing wine red. Open, malty bouquet; baking chocolate, Chinese mushrooms, celery powder, chemical notes, Bakelite. On the palate, an imposing body but no harmony; rum-soaked fruits in the extract, yet overall rather sharp and aggressive, with arrogant tannins. I am aware that this wine repeatedly receives much better scores elsewhere, but after around 10 different tastings I believe my pessimism is closer to the mark. 15/20 drink up

A hot vintage, and the spices here are a little more exotic than the 1988, clear turmeric and cumin on the first nose. Still full of intensity, a brilliant wine with impact and power, and one that would start conversations around a dinner table. A touch of earthy brett as it opens, but it is part of a myriad of flavours, textures, aromatics - far more evident on the nose than in the mouth, coming across as black truffle, earth and undergrowth. Thoroughly enjoyable. Claude Valette owner, with his daughter Christine manager and Jean-Pierre Taleyson cellar master. Michel Rolland consultant. This was also the year that a sorting table to installed in the cellar for the first time during harvest, with 50% new oak used for ageing.

With this vintage of Troplong Mondot, there are variations from one bottle to another. At the château in 2005, I tasted an ’89 with an overly oxidised nose that seemed completely past its best. By contrast, another bottle was remarkable, with aromas of fruit and coffee and a powerful palate of fruit and liquorice, supported by rich, long tannins. I rated it 17.5. However, at a dinner during Vinexpo 2007, several bottles of the ’89 from the château were also oxidised.