Troplong Mondot sits on Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau and remains a Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the (still much-debated) classification. The 2003 came at the height of the Christine Valette era, when the estate's signature was ripe, opulent, almost decadent wine, and the heat-wave vintage played directly to that style. The limestone gave the wine just enough freshness to balance the heat; everything else dialed up to eleven. More than twenty years later, the 2003 is fully mature: dark, glycerol-rich, spice-laden and still long. A snapshot of a famous vintage from a famous estate at a particular moment in its history.