(tasted from cuve Good bright ruby-red. Cassis, lead pencil, licorice and minerals on the nose. Supple and sweet but with very good life in the mouth. Distinctly cool flavors of black fruits, bitter chocolate, minerals and nutty oak. Elegantly styled and fine, but much less dense and broad than the 2005. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and sneaky lingering flavor.

Aromas of blackberry, with hints of tobacco. Full-bodied, with fine tannins, good length and a delicate, fruity aftertaste. Much more refined than I remember from barrel. Caressing. JS

The ’04 Troplong has a pure bouquet with blackberry, creme de cassis, clove and a touch of liquorices with fine definition. The palate displays dense, slightly oppressive tannins: very forthright and demanding, perhaps banging on the table too hard demanding attention. Still, there is an attractive animally quality coming through on the finish and it has good length. Fine. Tasted November 2010.

Sweet cherry, white chocolate, black currant, and crushed rock-like characteristics are present in this medium-bodied St.-Emilion. Excellent richness, spicy tannin, and hints of underbrush and herbs in the finish result in an excellent rather than brilliant Troplong-Mondot that must take a back seat to their other-worldly 2005 and impressively endowed 2006. Give it 2-4 years, and it could have outstanding potential.

Red-ruby. Raspberry, plum, licorice and mocha on the nose, plus suggestions of meat, leather and burning tobacco. Supple and smooth on entry, then a bit simple in the middle palate, with a slight mintiness emerging with aeration. This is less filled in than the promising 2006, with less verve and definition. Finishes broad but slightly dry.

Medium bodied and ready to drink, this is better on the nose, with its plum and truffle scents, than on the palate, which is slightly drying in the finish. Tasted Nov 2014

Liquorice, leather, black fruit with a sleek, rounded style. Lighter on the palate than the 2005 and 2006. A relatively understated style with plenty of heat on the finish. (RH)