Since 2020, this estate has been fashioning absolutely brilliant releases, and the pure, graceful 2025 Château Troplong Mondot does everything right. Black raspberry, crushed stone, spicy graphite, and assorted floral notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a pure, layered mouthfeel, beautiful mid-palate concentration, and a great finish. It's one of those rare wines that brings remarkable intensity and depth with no sensation of weight, and this comes closest in style to the 2020.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2025 Troplong Mondot needs a little patient swirling to unlock notes of crushed black cherries, ripe blackberries, and black plums, opening out to reveal nuances of lilacs, iron ore, sandalwood, and chalk dust. The medium- to full-bodied palate is intense with tightly wound black fruit and minerally layers, framed by firm, chalky-textured tannins and a crisp line, finishing very long and pure. Very singular and very impressive. The blend is 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 13.9% with a pH of 3.43. (LPB)

The 2025 Troplong Mondot is one of the most finessed wines I have ever tasted here. Dark, ample and explosive, with mind-blowing purity, the 2025 simply has it all. Hints of dried herbs, chocolate, menthol, licorice and blackberry infuse the wine with remarkable concentration and pure power. Even with all its natural richness, the 2025 is not at all heavy. A totally stunning Saint-Émilion, Troplong Mondot is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Harvest started on August 28 (the earliest ever) and wrapped up nearly a month later on September 25, which illustrates how diverse the terroirs are here. Aging was in 50% new oak, 40% 20HL foudre and 10% once-filled barrels. (AG)