Troplong Mondot: 1959-2012

17 vintages, collected by me and the host over a number of years. The hopes were up for an unforgettable evening! Fears, of course, of oxidised mayhem and cork-damaged wines.

One bottle actually had to be replaced as it was corked. I found one bottle overly oxidised, but other than that, it was pure pleasure throughout.

What about enjoying a little bit of blind warming up? I got the first one's grape and vintage right, but ended up in Bordeaux :-)

• 1994 Vincent Pinard Sancerre Nuance 95 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

  What a fantastic wine in its best stride!
  One of the best Sancerres I ever had the pleasure of enjoying.
  
  Like a candy shop in the most positive way. Loads of apples signifying mature grapes rather than an over-mature wine. A beautiful round mouthfeel. Acidity is very happy and great.
  
  This is a phenomenal wine!

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• 2021 Fritz Volcker Sauvignon Blanc Trocken 86 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Pre-tasting pleasures.
  The host served me a blind mature Sancerre, so I was very happy to have with me a btl of Sb from Germany. The store manager had actually told me that this Sb was in the same style as Sancerre.
  
  But no, this is much more in the style of New Zealand Sb.
  
  Bright acidity, cat's pee, herbal, young with piercing acidity.
  Good but no cigar.

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1972 and 1977 are two vintages that are mainly forgotten and buried. However, all the five "weak" vintages performed very well! The hallmarks of a great Château :-)

• 1977 Château Troplong Mondot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  Medium-mature colour.
  Smoke, charcuterie, mellow and exciting aromatics including cumin.
  High acidity, slightly thin constitution but purity of fruit.
  Feels still young from a cooler vintage.
  
  My guess: 1993, 16 years wrong! Ha!
  ...and this is one of the completely forgotten vintages

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• 1972 Château Troplong Mondot 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Mature robe.
  Enticing nose: spicy, charcuterie, dry reeds in the fall, oak towards gunpowder and (Swedish) hard bread.
  A bit towards unusual, but still lovely. Richesse, grande, full-bodied with good acidic profile and great tannins.
  
  My guess: 1970.
  Pleasures from a totally forgotten vintage! Wow!
  
  If you can make great wines when everything works against you, you have some great grapes and skillz.

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• 1993 Château Troplong Mondot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark red.
  Youthful nose with menthol, delicious candy, deep and complex. A slight oxidative note.
  Great structure with biting tannins, M+ acidity with depth and width. The menthol comes again. Cherry caramel. Really beautiful, youthful fruit.
  
  My guess: 1994.

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• 1970 Château Troplong Mondot 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Loads of oak and hard bread (Swedish). Herbal, green and raw, not fully attractive nose with some oxidization shining through.
  Grows beautifully in the glass. Has beautiful tannins and really precise and pure fruit.
  
  My guess: 1983.
  Pleasures from a difficult vintage! Wow!

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• 1994 Château Troplong Mondot 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Oxidised, medicinal and muted aroma palette.
  Sits beautifully in the mouth. Great tannic structure. Drifts towards tawny port (without the sweetness). Tastes like a warm vintage. Absolutely lovely!
  
  My guess: 1989 and my flight-winner.
  Pleasures from the weakest vintage to ever stir the Bdx lovers (after '91, '92 and '93 almost anything would have been chalked up as classic and amazing)!
  Wow!

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Pre-tasting, I had higher expectations for these wines. The 1982, however, shone like the Sun. The 1959 was surprisingly vital and must have been a tannic megamonster back in the day.

• 1983 Château Troplong Mondot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Starts out anonymously. Especially in the company!
  In the mouth: Oh, it's a racehorse! Feels completely unredeemed and a bit linear (in the company). Tastes like a simpler vintage but is pure, beautiful and elegant. The intensity of this wine is enticing. Has that tar-cassis-tobacco that is exactly what the better left bank Bdx wines develop in better years.
  
  My guess: 1998

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• 1959 Château Troplong Mondot 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  
  light oxidative aromatics, but youthful. Felt like the youngest wine in this flight.
  A well-balanced wine but a bit over on the thinner side of things. Tannins are chewy in a good way. Cassis, iron (blood), ginger, black tea, fresh vegetables, lukewarm cola-flavored gummies.
  
  2 hours later: More rich, PHAT and the tannic structure is even stronger than before. (Makes you wonder what a monster this must have been in the early 60'ies!!!) Nothing to suggest this is a very old Bdx.
  
  My guess: 1983
  What a youthful beauty! Wow!

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• 1975 Château Troplong Mondot 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Eucalyptus and berry purity on the nose. Black currants and promising power!
  However, there's considerably less umpa-umpa in the mouth than advertised by the nose. There's a beautiful facet of Brett in the finish. This is a beautiful, ultra-pure and little sensitive wine.
  
  My guess: 2007
  Over 30 years wrong. Wow!

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• 1982 Château Troplong Mondot 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Newly painted basement, lilacs, tealeaves, cigar box and ashes. All in the most attractive sense of the context. Fresh and elegant on the nose.
  In the mouth, the purity is striking. Beautiful and then some. This is the type of wine that makes me understand my vocabulary is poor. A fantastic level of intensity, perfect balance and tannins like rocket fuel.
  
  My guess: 2012 and my wine of the flight.
  30 years wrong... Wow this is isht-good!!!

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This flight blew my socks off. Amazing wines and the only F of the evening!

• 1989 Château Troplong Mondot 99 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Small, young, anonymous aroma profile.
  A fantastic wine! Young, intense, the tannins owns my palate. Dense fruit with ink, lots of ink, cedar etc and a very very typical Bordeaux.
  
  My guess: 2010
  21 years wrong... Tonight's easiest wine (for me) to set as flight winner. Wow this is a great wine!
  Much better than the btl I plopped last year.

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• 1995 Château Troplong Mondot Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  F to me as it was unnecessarily over-oxidised.
  
  My guess: 1989 - 1985
  :-(

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• 1998 Château Troplong Mondot 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Aqua Vera :-) on top of pure, strong, beautiful fruit and deep berry aromas.
  A Formula 1 carriage. Pure fruit, long, elegant, complex, wonderfully elegant and handsome. Some early maturity and sports a bit of a Christmas feeling with its baked figs. It also shows off blueberries, fennel and woody wood.
  
  This was quite different from the others.
  
  My guess: the surprise wine
  Wow!

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• 1985 Château Troplong Mondot 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Maturing wine with turpentine, linseed oil/oil painting and everything citrussy from a better Oloroso.
  Beautifully oxidised in an excellent way. However, it is the weakest wine of the tasting.
  
  My guess: 1989 or 1985
  A bit of a negative surprise.

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• 1988 Château Troplong Mondot 97 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Mellow aromas with turpentine, linseed oil/oil painting, Bdx earth, black olives, tea and a hefty presence that can only be spelled: gravitas.
  This is big in a great way. All is in place. Warm fruit, one level lower acidity than the others. Elegance in an athletic way. The combo of the tannins and fruit is to live for!
  
  My guess: 1995
  I'd happily drink this every night! Wow!

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My first very positive encounter with a 2007. This one rocks! and I'm very happy to have a half case of the 2010 waiting for me to grow really old.

• 2011 Mondot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  
  Dark colour.
  Neutral nose with lighter barrel notes, varnish and liquorice.
  Polished, pure red berries in a good drinking phase and really good!
  Feels like a classic medium-good Bdx
  
  My guess: Didn't get it right, even with only 4 choices left...
  Much better than expected! Wow!

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• 2007 Château Troplong Mondot 98 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  Dark colour.
  Huge nose. Dark fruits, youthful fruit in a big way. Wunderbar
  A big bruiser of a young wine. Fantastic tannic profile that with the perfect acidity and fruit co-create a wine that will live and develop for decades. This is tight! And there are also plums and sloe to be enjoyed in there amidst the dark fruits.
  
  This is heavy metal in a bottle!
  
  My guess: I didn't get it right, even with only four choices left...
  My flight-winner, edging itself before the 2010.
  The first Bdx '07 to impress my socks off! Wow!

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• 2012 Château Troplong Mondot 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  Dark colour.
  Soft pepparkakekaka (Swedish Christmas dessert with ginger, cinnamon and cloves). Enormously attractive nose!
  In the mouth it's basically a tannic wall, making the wine feel like a simpler wine for now. When coaxing out the aromas, it feels attractive and open. But really needs to rest...
  
  My guess: Didn't get it right, even with only 4 choices left...
  I put it down as a 2007 as I expected 2007 to be the weakest wine left.

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• 2010 Château Troplong Mondot 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Semi-blind (knew which 17 vintages that were being served).
  Dark colour.
  Far too young. Difficult to get much from the nose.
  There is a tannic wall hiding behind the fruit that makes this feel linear at first. But a bit of deeper study reveals a grand wine in the making, but with still a very long way to go.
  The only wine with really blue fruit. It almost feels overdone but is devilishly delicious.
  
  My guess: Didn't get it right, even with only 4 choices left...
  Wow! Happy to have 6 btls for when I'm really old.

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Yeah, why not? :-)

• 1964 Gaja Barbaresco 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  This bottle was in early oxidation stage. My guess is that there are both better and worse examples out there.
  
  Exhibiting a mature, brown hue, this vintage offers a notable scent of oxidation. The palate is rich with pronounced figs, complemented by nuances of cherry and chocolate. The tannins are still assertive, adding complexity. There's a delightful balance with its mature character and fresh acidity. Truly the evening's most intriguing wine!
  
  I loved it!

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Knowing all the vintages, I managed to almost guess one wine correctly. Ha! This was difficult as f**k.

Key takeaways include:
==================
I really love Troplong Mondot.
Even in the weakest of vintages, they have produced amazing wines!
Their 2005 and 2010 are two wines to live for!
The 1959 is still highly alive and the 2007 is a winner!