Troplong Mondot 1994

A beautiful wine, with notes of tapenade, licorice, spice box, black currants, and toasty oak, this medium-bodied wine has shed a lot of its tannin and exhibits excellent purity, a real sweetness on the attack, a bit of firmness on the back end, but impressive concentration and length overall. Anticipated maturity: now-2016. Last tasted, 10/01.

In my opinion, this brilliantly run property should have been elevated in the recent reclassification of St.-Emilion. Opaque ruby/purple-colored, with a tight but promising nose of toasty new oak, black fruits, licorice, and spice, the 1994 Troplong-Mondot is built for the long haul. The wine possesses high tannin levels, as well as outstanding concentration and ripeness. It is largely closed except for some explosive sweetness and ripeness that appear at the back of the palate. Prospective purchasers should realize this wine requires 7-8 years of cellaring before it rounds out. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2015.