Bright, deep ruby-red. Brooding aromas of crushed blueberry, bitter chocolate and roast coffee. Rich, broad and sweet, with an almost liqueur-like ripeness of dark berries leavened by brisk acidity and firm minerality. Lots of lift and life here for such a lush, creamy wine. Finishes with big, sweet, building tannins and terrific palate-staining length. This should enjoy a long evolution in bottle.

It could be easy, after tasting the monumental 2005, to dismiss the 2006 Troplong Mondot, but don’t be so foolish. Proprietress Christine Valette has turned out another exceptional performance. Of course, this is not the 2005- a singular vintage that will be difficult to duplicate in a 20-30 year span, but the 2006 Troplong Mondot is an impressive, powerful, broad, surprisingly masculine and deep effort. Its inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by an exceptional bouquet of powdered rock, blackberries, blueberries, spring flowers, and hints of camphor as well as espresso roast. The wine is full-bodied with a layered, multidimensional texture, sensational purity and structure, and elevated levels of tannin, concentration, and richness. Forget it for 7-8 years, and drink it over the following 20-25 years.

Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2006 Troplong-Mondot is deep in color with minimal ageing on the rim. The bouquet is rich and generous with mulberry, Hoi Sin, orange blossom and melted tar aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, generous black pepper and graphite notes cutting through the dense black fruit, leading to an engaging, tensile, graphite and tobacco-driven finish that exerts both body and length. It still has that slight stockiness, but that is something I like. I have always found much to admire in this vintage of Troplong-Mondot and it continues to give so much pleasure. Tasted December 2016.

The 2006 Troplong Mondot is a thoroughly pleasant wine, although it is starting to show its age. There is a moderate intensity of plum and fig fruit on the nose, with the beginning of earthy notes and a hint of savoury leather. The tannins now are softly burnished, and the notes of chocolate and cocoa divulge the right-bank origins of the wine. It feels mature on the palate, and while it should hold at this level for some time, there is little to be gained from ageing the wine for the long term.

Attractive garnet colour. Rich, concentrated nose with meat juice and a touch of varnish. High but very fine tannins. Plentiful fruit and a touch of autumnal litter-leaf decay. Warm and perhaps a little overbearing. (RH)