2023 Troplong Mondot

The Grand Vin 2023 Château Troplong Mondot checks in as 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, from healthy yields of 53 hectoliter per hectare, raised in 60% new wood, hitting 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.48. It brings another level of density and depth, with gorgeous notes of black cherries, hints of mulberries, graphite, and crushed stone. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shines for its beautiful purity of fruit and has plenty of background oak, a creamy, rounder mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish.

Deeply colored, the wine is rich, deep, full-bodied, concentrated and intense. The wine is silky, lush, with its creamy textures which come across as gentle, vibrant, and elegant, with depth, and width. The lingering finish displays sweet, red, and black fruits, salted oranges, and a beautiful chalky character on the backend. The key for the vintage here was the terroir which allowed for ample water retention during the heatwaves, and the ability to harvest at their own pace. The wine blends 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. 14.1% ABV, 3.45 pH. Harvesting started September 5 - October 9.

A blend of 84% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Troplong Mondot has a pH of 3.45. Aymeric de Gironde commented, ‘Our crop of Cabernet Franc was our biggest ever.’ It has a deep garnet-purple color and needs a little swirling and coaxing before gorgeous notes of mulberries, wild blueberries, and redcurrant jelly slowly begin to emerge, followed by hints of sassafras, mossy tree bark, and graphite, plus wafts of rose oil and cumin seed. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black and red fruit layers, with floral and chalky sparks and velvety tannins, finishing long and beguiling. This is breathtaking!