Last Friday I visited 4 St. Emilion premiers crus (or reputed to be, since the 2006 classification has been invalidated…) with Alain Bringolf of Winemega.
Our first stop was at Château Troplong Mondot, located at the highest point in the St. Emilion appellation.
When we arrived, everyone was in a state because of the new vat room being built and also because of the recent court decision that did away with their upgraded classification.
This 33 hectare estate has 90% Merlot and slowly, but surely, has made a name for itself over the years, to the point where it was classified a Premier Cru in 2006. The cellar master, Monsieur Taleyson, was thus rather bitter that this status, having been acknowledged, has now been withdrawn.
The soil at Troplong Mondot is "cold", and ideally suited to the Merlot variety. The estate has nevertheless asked well-known geologists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon to do an in-depth soil analysis to adapt each plot to the best possible grape variety.
We tasted 2 wines:
2002 Mondot – They don't like the name "second wine", preferring to call this "l'autre vin"…
Touch of bricking on the rim and a slightly green, but fruit-forward nose. There was an impression of purity, but also of dilution on the palate, with harsh tannins. Somewhat hollow and lacks richness. However, good oak on the finish. An OK, uncomplicated wine.
2002 Troplong Mondot:
The color was much deeper here and the nose had attractive coffee and cherry overtones. Sweetish, rather ethereal nose, but too restrained. Silky, with more character on the palate. Slight medicinal taste. Much more body and weight than Mondot with a decided earthy flavor and a good, long aftertaste.
Our second visit was to Château Angélus, another ex-Premier Cru in the Pied-de-Côte ("foot of the hill") part of the appellation with full south-facing sun exposure. This 32 hectare estate has 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Two thirds of the soil is clay-limestone with blue clay deep down and the other third is more sandy on a layer of clay.
Angélus took a 50% shareholding in Château Bellevue across the road, and it seems pretty likely that we will be hearing more about this estate in years to come.
We tasted one wine:
2005 Angélus – The color was deep and superb. The nose was sleek and rich with a slight spirity touch. A very sensual mouth feel with tight, dynamic, extremely promising tannin and plenty of fruit. Good grip on the aftertaste. 100% new oak does not overpower the lovely, assertive flavor. A big wine, but not a top-heavy one. 14.7% alc./vol. but the balance is there.
After lunch at the Envers du Décor, we went to Château Canon where Géraldine Léger took us around. She was just back from a Union des Grands Crus tasting in Moscow and had not had time to digest the news about the cancellation of the 2006 classification. We took a tour through the underground cellars, a former quarry gong back centuries that is no longer used for ageing. We tasted 2 wines:
2007 Canon
The color was purplish with a good, deep core. Sweet, sophisticated, subtle nose. Sweet on the palate as well. Light-bodied. Smooth relatively modern style. Some grip on finish. A feminine wine to enjoy on the young side.
2006 Canon
Medium-deep color. Mysterious and unfocused bouquet with some raspberry in the background. Full-bodied but relatively acidic and disjointed on the palate. How much balance will it find with age? Cherry-vanilla flavours. Not particularly impressive.
After lunch at the Envers du Décor, we went to Château Canon where Géraldine Léger took us around. She was just back from a Union des Grands Crus tasting in Moscow and had not had time to digest the news about the cancellation of the 2006 classification. We took a tour through the underground cellars, a former quarry gong back centuries that is no longer used for ageing and tasted 2 wines:
2007 Canon
The color was purplish with a good, deep core. Sweet, sophisticated, subtle nose. Sweet on the palate as well. Light-bodied. Smooth relatively modern style. Some grip on finish. A feminine wine to enjoy on the young side.
2006 Canon
Medium-deep color. Mysterious and unfocused bouquet with some raspberry in the background. Full-bodied but relatively acidic and disjointed on the palate. How much balance will it find with age? Cherry-vanilla flavours. Not particularly impressive.
Our last stop was at Château Trottevieille, where we were welcomed by Christophe Dussutour. This estate belongs to the Castéja family and is exclusively sold by their négociant firm, Borie Manoux. Trottevieille is not far from the town of St. Emilion on the northeast limestone plateau and has 7 hectares of vines in a single block. The grape varieties are 45% Cabernet France, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 50% Merlot. The average age of the vines is 60 years. They also produce a tiny quantity of wine (135 bottles a year…) from very old Cabernet Franc vines.
Trottevieille is aged in 100% new oak and is not among the best-known premiers crus because it is small and because of the way it is distributed, as well as the high proportion of Cabernet (which often makes it show less well in its youth).
We tasted the 2004 and the 2007.
The 2004 showed slight bricking with good depth. The nose was reminiscent of tobacco, dark chocolate, and eucalyptus with deep aromas of fruit preserved in brandy. Round and fleshy on the palate with fresh red meat flavours, good acidity, and an empyeurmatic (OK, an esoteric word – burn rubber, let's say) afteraste. Slightly dry finish.
The 2007 had a lovely, deep, dark color. The nose is pretty with some fermentation odors (needs to be resolved and become more focused) as well as caramel, toasty oak nuances, and a slight cherry cough syrup aroma. The taste is lively with fresh acidity, but still soft. Bit heavy-handed style due to too much oak.
Best regards,
Alex R.