Chateau La Tour de Mons 2014

With a dense, racy structure, more slender than broad, as always somewhat lean, yet with ageing potential.

The 2014 La Tour de Mons has a crisp bouquet with leafy black fruit tinged with graphite and sous-bois scents that gently unfold. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite supple tannin and well-judged acidity. The oak is neatly integrated and it gradually builds to a very refined and satisfying finish. This is a well-crafted Margaux that will give plenty of drinking pleasure over the next decade. Tasted September 2016.

Fresh and relatively open-knit, with friendly red currant and raspberry coulis notes stretching over light cedar and juniper threads. A flash of incense runs through the finish. Best from 2018 through 2024. 9,667 cases made.

Tasted blind. Rich, polished and exciting with lots of energy. Well layered and vibrant. (JR)

The 2014 La Tour de Mons feels reticent and rather anonymous on the nose at first. Perhaps it is going through a dumb phase? The palate is medium-bodied with rather stringy tannins, becoming chewy toward the finish, whereas its peers show more finesse. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Medium-bodied, soft, forward and already showing ripe, dark red fruits, earth and tobacco nuances. Round in texture, with some oak still in the forefront, this is a nice, character-driven, well-priced, value wine from the Margaux appellation.

Herbs, medium-intensity bouquet, blue berries, wood, smoke. Bourgeois, nicely dry palate with sandy tannins, light fruit, firm structure, medium aromatics, dry finish. 16/20 2019 - 2028

A medium-bodied Margaux with a refined, easy-drinking style that is already opening up. The tannins are fine and silky, and the finish is elegant, if not very deep.

A lovely, elegant wine with great finesse and beautiful length. 54% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot.

Ruby red with garnet highlights. Fruity, spicy nose, clearly expressive of its terroir. On the palate, it confirms the aromatic characteristics with its intensity and fruit. A pleasant, silky touch. The body is juicy and well supported by a lively structure that carries the fruit through to the finish. An elegant wine with slightly grainy tannins, well equipped for the future… although I doubt it will be kept for long… it's rather irresistible!

The nose is aromatic, juicy and relatively intense. It reveals notes of blackcurrant, blackberry and subtle red fruit notes (raspberry, wild red berries) combined with discreet hints of violet, lilac (very subtle), toasted oak, mocha and cardamom. The palate is fruity, mineral, elegant, well-crafted, rounded, offering nice flesh, an airy feel, a fresh acid line, a refined minerality and tension. On the palate, this wine shows notes of black cherry, plum and fine/discreet touches of red berries and cherry, combined with delicate notes of grilled oak and roast, as well as a hint of mocha and tobacco. The tannins are fine and well-handled. Good length and persistence on mineral and cocoa notes.

In the village of Soussans, and in the north of the Margaux appellation, this estate has a fine reputation for its wines. This vintage, with its great balance between fruit and tannins, shows why. It is a ripe wine full of black fruit and with the bright acidity of the vintage. Drink the wine from 2021.