Chateau Troplong Mondot 2012

Professional Ratings

• 97 Jeb Dunnuck
  A flat-out gorgeous wine in the vintage is the 2012 Troplong Mondot, which sports an inky ruby/purple color to go with heavenly notes of black currants, smoked earth, plums, licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, seamless, ultra-pure and impressively concentrated, this blockbuster effort needs 3-4 years in the cellar to let the tannins integrate, and it will knock your socks off over the following two decades.
• 96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2012 is another truly great wine from Troplong Mondot. It’s always sentimental to taste this wine, realizing that proprietress Christine Valette (the larger-than-life heart and soul behind this estate) has passed away. She was one of the bright, shining stars of Bordeaux. Nevertheless, her legacy is certainly well-established, and the quality of this wine is beyond reproach. Inky bluish purple, its great notes of cassis, blackberry, licorice are followed by a full-bodied, opulently textured wine with stunning concentration, purity and overall balance. It should drink well for 20-25 years and turn out to be one of the great superstars of 2012. Their 63-acre vineyard was cropped at 31 hectoliters per hectare, producing a final blend of 90% Merlot and 10 Cabernet Sauvignon that achieved 14.2% alcohol.
• 94 James Suckling
  This is concentrated and impressive for the vintage with beautiful ripe fruit, minerals, chocolate and light-coffee character. Full body, polished tannins and a long finish. Better in 2018.
• 93 Wine Enthusiast
  While initially tough and almost too extracted, this firm, dark wine has intense density and spice from new wood. As it opens on the palate, slowly hints of juicy black-currant fruit and acidity comes through.
  Barrel Sample:91-93 Points
• 93 Wine Spectator
  Offers a solid, if slightly chunky, feel, with ganache and charcoal notes coating the core of dark currant preserves, fig paste and warmed plum fruit. Shows lots of smoldering tobacco accents on the finish. Pretty grippy for the vintage, but this is headed in a promising direction. Cellar for maximum effect. Best from 2018 through 2025.
• 93 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  One of Saint-Émilion's greatest estates, the 2012 Château Troplong Mondot carries the spirit of longtime proprietor Christine Valette—she was the inspiration behind this property's success and passed away in 2013. This wine displays uncommon depth and power that is missing in many of the wines from this vintage. Bold, ripe fruit flavors are the wine's hallmarks, but the signature elegance that accompanies those attributes ties it all together. Cellar time will be required. (Tasted: January 30, 2015, San Francisco, CA)