2015 Château Troplong Mondot, St Emilion, Bordeaux

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. Neil Martin - erobertparker.com # 224 - April 2016

A luscious and rich red with blackberry, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Full body, very harmonious and super bright. All about clarity. A majority of merlot with some cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. james_suckling - jamessuckling_com - Apr 2016

Ripe and powerful with an unusual 8% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (90% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc). Dark cherry, blueberry and spice notes. Richly concentrated with sturdy but refined tannins. Freshness of the terroir lends balance. Just a touch of grainy oak which has not yet been fully integrated. Drink: 2023-2040 james_lawther MW - decanter.com - April 2016