Troplong-Mondot St-Emilion 2020

100 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "A sensational Troplong. Vibrant and vivid, this makes you smile from the first smell: milk chocolate, floral notes of roses and lavender, wet stones, liquorice, cinnamon and ripe bramble fruits. Round and thrilling on the palate, tannins are abundant with a chalky blueberry coolness while a salty tang settles around the mouth. Lovely precision and purity of fruit; you feel the sharp definition - still linear which makes it less immediately charming than the 2019 but giving undeniable complexity. Deep but not heady, this remains pure and detailed, with a leanness from the terroir really setting this apart. After a few minutes, the glamour starts to appear giving a salivating, succulent and moreish aspect to the finish. An absolute beauty. Drinking Window: 2028-2047. (Jan 2023)"

98+ points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The 2020 Troplong Mondot may prove to be even better than the brilliant 2019, and it is one of the Right Bank's finest wines in this vintage. Unwinding in the glass with deep aromas of mulberries, blackberries and red cherries mingled with hints of rose petal, licorice and exotic spices, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a satiny attack that segues into a vibrant, polished mid-palate, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Having seen only 65% new oak and with malolactic fermentation completed in tank rather than in barrel, it's remarkably pure and seamless. With the 2020 vintage, this estate's stylistic redemption appears to be complete. Drink: 2027-2060. (4/6/23)"

98+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "A blend of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Troplong Mondot is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a swirl or two to release a profound nose of plum preserves, juicy blueberries, and chocolate-covered cherries, giving way to hints of violets, black truffles, fertile loam, and tar, with a waft of licorice. The full-bodied palate shimmers with energy, delivering tightly wound layers of black fruits, floral notes and mineral layers, framed by very fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and minerally. So very fresh and bright - it needs time, but is already a temptress. (3/12/23)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2020 Troplong Mondot is fabulous. Rich, dark and expansive, the 2020 is wonderfully exuberant right out of the gate. Black cherry, plum, gravel, incense and licorice are all dialed up. There's tremendous breadth and power, but without the excess weight of the past. Even so, the 2020 is a big, big wine that needs the better part of a decade to soften. All the classic Troplong structure is there, but buffered by vibrant acids and tons of supporting minerality. Harvest started on September 5 and finished on October 8, a very wide window for the Right Bank, and a reminder of how different the parcels are. The 2020 was done in 60% new oak, 12% foudres 28% once-used barrels. Drink: 2030-2060. (Feb 2023)"

98 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$120 list] This firmly structured wine with its high percentage of Merlot is powerful and dense. The bold black fruits and perfumed density are impressive. It will age, ready to drink from 2028. Alcohol 14.5%. (Apr 2023)"

96-98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Deepest ruby, opaque core, purple reflections. Sweet, dark berry fruit, nuances of cassis and blackberries, a hint of fig, subtle herbal savouriness, mineral touch. Substantial, powerful, black cherries, ripe, supporting and at the same time silky tannins, dark nougat on the finish, has great aromatic depth, great length, certain ageing potential. (5/28/21)"

97+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "A clear step up over the 2019, the 2020 Château Troplong Mondot is mostly Merlot yet includes 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, all of which was raised in 65% new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels. The level of purity and finesse here is remarkable, and it reveals a deep ruby/purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of cassis, ripe black cherries, graphite, gunpowder, and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has building, perfectly ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. Certainly light years away from the riper, more opulent style of the 2000's, the wines today under consultant Thomas Duclos are much more about finesse and elegance. While I certainly miss the sexy, riper style of the past, there is no denying the incredible quality from this château today. Drink: 2027-2052. (3/29/23)"

97 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc). Powerful and knitted down, this feels both crafted and hewn out of the clay-limestone slopes of Troplong. Blueberry, plum, slate, cocoa, espresso, all the power of this estate delivered with salt-studded chocolate, liqourice root, cocoa powder, mint leaf, just a brilliant wine, that ends with a whoosh of freshness and lift. Just 2mm of rain in July and 30mm in August but the deep clay-limestones at Troplong kept their freshness, and there were no blockages in ripening. Thomas Duclos consultant, Aymeric de Gironde director. Last vintage before the new cellar was competed. 60% new oak, 3.53ph. Drink: 2030-2048. (2/16/23)"

97 points James Suckling: "A soft and round red with plum and milk chocolate. Hazelnuts. Full-bodied and layered. Juicy. Hints of sea salt. Power is there. Turns firm and vivid. So attractive now. Savory. Needs three to four years to open. Drink after 2027. (11/19/23)"

96 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "The 2020 from Troplong-Mondot is a blend of 85% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, while the élevage was in 65% new oak and 35% second-fill barrels. It opens with a fragrant nose, all perfumed redcurrant and dried red cherry, with layers of tobacco, crushed chalk, toast and liquorice. The palate begins with a beautifully silky integration, showing sinewy if not silky fruit wrapped around a core of finely drawn, firm but rather powdery tannins, with lively vivacity, and notes of black olive, liquorice, currants and dried cranberry. There is a fine energy here, and a finessed tannic structure, with little notes of toasted almond intertwined with the berry fruit. It finishes with a very finessed grip, and a salinity and minerality that helps this wine stand out from the crowd. Troplong-Mondot is back in the room! A wine with fine potential, one to tuck away for ten years and probably longer. The alcohol is 14.5%, less than the second wine I note. Tasted twice, in London and in Bordeaux. (Dec 2022)"