Château Troplong Mondot 2003

Troplong Mondot’s 2003 is a brilliant success in this vintage, largely because of the limestone soils and incredibly low yields. There are nearly 70 acres of vines in production, yields were tiny, and the harvest was early. Nevertheless, there is an opulence and youthfulness in this wine that suggest it has at least a decade of life left. A luxurious effort with high glycerin, loads of blueberry, mulberry, black currant, licorice and charcoal ember-like notes, full body, low acidity and sweet tannin, this beauty is close to full maturity and can be drunk now as well as over the next decade.

Beautiful plum, berry and raspberry aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with refined tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very nicely done. Best after 2009. 3,915 cases made.

Fully mature, this medium-bodied wine is more interesting for its nose and texture than for its palate presence. The wine has developed prematurely and should be drunk up.

Deep, dense ruby-purple with violet highlights. Concentrated bouquet of mulberries, cherry and coffee notes, lovely roasted tones. On the palate, dense and creamy, packed with flesh and power, once again a sensationally concentrated berry character, with intense astringency. A powerful Troplong with potential.

04: Deep, dense ruby-purple with violet highlights. Concentrated bouquet; mulberry, cherry and coffee notes, lovely roasted accents. On the palate, dense and creamy, with flesh and power, again a sensationally concentrated berry profile, intense astringency. A powerful Troplong with potential. (18/20). 09: Open, gently candy-like bouquet, hints of cassis and elderberry. Firm palate with grainy-sandy tannins that create marked astringency, great potential, but rough and lacking charm. Will it tend to dry out? For now: 17/20. Potential: 18/20. 13: Ten years have now passed and the wine is still strict, indeed hard. I’m probably not the only one almost despairing at this fact. We had other 2003s alongside and almost each was more favorable. So it’s fair to raise some questions about the massive extraction. As a precaution, I’m deducting one point now.

Medium-bodied, herbal bouquet, wood, dark chocolate, coffee grounds. Dry, firm palate with sandy tannins, sweet, medium aromatics, dry finish. 16/20 drink - 2025

Inviting fruity nuances, slightly candied, which is hardly surprising given the vintage… and the winemaking! Good palate density with well-integrated tannins… age does soften manners! This 2003 is harmonious, well supported by its structure and ready to be enjoyed.

Dark, intense, and evolved color. The nose follows in the line of the previous ones, fairly aromatic, with ripe fruit, a truffled note, and a hint of hazelnut. Rich on the attack, silky as it unfolds, fairly aromatic; the wine first melts on the palate before becoming a little firmer, yet still flavorful.