2009 Troplong Mondot

An extraordinary wine, made before the new regime lightened up the wines produced here. Bright, deep crimson. Heady, almost soupy. Tastes like thick, wine-soaked charcoal. So heavily extracted! (JR)

More mossy than mushroomy, and still the same black-fruit intensity on the nose as their other vintages. Gorgeous olive tapenade and dark chocolate. Touches of violet too. Starting to drink now, and will age for very long. Eyelash-fluttering. (RH)

A big vintage, and a time when the concentrated Troplong style was in full assault. This is ageing as you would expect - which means slowly, and with a style that misses some of the generous charm that many 2009s are showing right now. I found this overbearing when tasting both En Primeur and at the 10 years on moment, and it has barely moved in expression since then. Alcohol is evident, and this feels heady and overpowering, although expertly laced with bitter chocolate, cocoa bean, damson puree. Estate signature dominates above terroir, hard to discern the limestone at this point, although it will emerge in the future. 100% new oak, Michel Rolland. The lower score here reflects the sense of disparity with what 2009 can offer elsewhere on the St Emilion plateau.