At Troplong Mondot, 2020 was a highly contrasted vintage that got off to a difficult start. The year began with an exceptionally rainy winter followed by a very mild spring. In this context, protecting the vines against mildew and managing the soil was a real struggle. The first miracle appeared in mid-May, with dry and warm conditions during one of the earliest flowerings we have seen, two weeks ahead of schedule. The second miracle was on 19 June when the rain stopped, and the weather turned dry and cool until the beginning of the grape color-change in mid-July. It is at this point in time that summer settled in for good, with some spells of heat through to mid-August when thunderstorms provided some relief and allowed the Merlot grapes to swell. The later-ripening Cabernets remained the size of blueberries until harvest, and the Merlots will ripen slowly until mid-September. The result was a vintage harvested about ten days early, mostly in sunny conditions. Both the Merlot and Cabernet were tannic, colorful and perfectly balanced.

The grapes quickly expressed an intense aromatic expression in the vats. Vineyards Troplong Mondot has 30 hectares of vineyards well-sited alongside the hill of Mondot to the north-east of the St-Emilion appellation. The soils are rich in limestone, clay, and are planted with Merlot (90%), Cabernet Franc (5%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%). Harvest took place from the 4th of September and lasted for about three weeks. The grapes were hand-harvested and then fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks. The wine was then aged in oak barriques (65% new and 35% 1-yr-old barrels) for 18 months. It was bottled unfiltered.

Promising, restrained aromas; particularly fruity and juicy in the beginning, but also with substance and depth, the alcohol cleverly balanced by the first-class tannins; excellently done, with polish.