88 Points From Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
"Good medium red-ruby. High-toned aromas of dusty redcurrant, tobacco, game, smoke and tobacco, with a slight green edge. Offers moderate density and ripeness, with good cut and brisk acidity. Compared to the 2003 and 2004 vintages at this address, this wine shows some herbal currant leaf notes and a touch of finishing hardness. The tannins are a bit youthfully rough."
About the Chateau
The 2002 Château Troplong Mondot Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is a prestigious Bordeaux wine from a renowned estate in Saint-Émilion. The 2002 vintage is highly regarded for its balance and aging potential, reflecting the quality of both the vineyard and the vintage.
This important chateau, which sits on the most dominant position of Saint-Émilion, was acquired by the reinsurer Scor during the summer of 2017. It is now managed by Aymeric de Gironde, previously Managing Director of the Médoc second classified growth Cos d ' Estournel. After the disappearance in 2014 of its former owner, Christine Valette-Pariente, Troplong-Mondot seemed to be wondering about his future.
With her husband Xavier, the "Queen Christine" embodied the rebirth of this cru, which was consolidated in 2012 in its rank of premier grand cru B. A well-deserved reward, in view of the terroir first of all, but also of the work carried out by Christine and Xavier Pariente for over twenty years. All the vintages produced since the end of the 1980s (1989 and 1990 in the lead) have pushed the sliders to the maximum in order to demonstrate the excellence of this property located on the Butte de Mondot.
A page has turned, which will have marked the contemporary history of Saint-Émilion. The style imposed by Troplong, which today seems dated in its search for intensity at all costs, is that of an era, which made Bordeaux progress, but which today seems to be over. We will therefore follow with the greatest attention the next vintages of this major cru, which will have to adapt to changing sensitivities to justify its position in the hierarchy.
