Château Troplong Mondot 2018

Château Troplong Mondot is a Saint-Émilion property that epitomizes the classic characteristics of this dynamic and rich terroir.  This estate exists very much within a class of its own and has captivated the minds of viticultural giants within the wine industry due to its close proximity to great neighbors like Château Pavie.  The property has been in possession of titans like the Thienponts, the Valettes and the de Seze families – all well respected vignerons and négociants who have overseen operations at iconic estates such as Château Vieux Château Certan.  There is undeniably something very special about this Right Bank estate, and it was ranked a Saint-Émilion Premiere Grand Cru Classés Class B property – one of the highest of honors.  

Château Troplong Mondot hosts a history that is about as rich as its terroir.  Origins of the estate date back to the 17^th Century, when it was owned by Abbe Raymond de Seze, who built the château on its stunning grounds.  The de Seze family were already well established within the wine world, and they owned Château Troplong Mondot for one hundred years.  The property was then purchased by Raymond Troplong, who gave the estate its namesake and increased the size of the vineyard holdings to what they are today.  Château Troplong Mondot eventually was acquired by the legendary Thienpont family, who oversaw operations at the estate for a long time, but it wasn’t until the estate was purchased by Christine Valette that Château Troplong Mondot really began its meteoric rise in quality.

Christine Valette was a wonderful, kind, smart and savvy woman who started managing the property in 1980.  She made a series of sweeping changes to the estate, such as switching everything over to manual harvesting, lowering yields, and removing the copious amounts of Malbec vines that were planted over the grounds.  Christine also changed the cellars at Château Troplong Mondot, like adding temperature controlled, stainless-steel tanks in the vat room.  It was only a mere matter of time before critics started to take notice of the increased quality of the grand vin coming from this estate.  The property was classified as one of the Premiere Grand Crus Classés properties in Saint-Émilion in 2006, and the vintages released during Christine’s tenure at the estate were considered some of the most profound of all time.  Tragically, Christine passed away but her legacy at the estate lives on.

Today, the property is managed by the French insurance company SOCR.  A massive renovation was done to the cellars, and it was completed as of 2020.  The 37 hectare vineyard is planted with a mixture of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon which thrive in the limestone soil.  The majority of the vines are 35 years old, but there are some parcels where the plantings are close to 100 years old.  The wine from Château Troplong Mondot is formidable, richly concentrated and possess an almost exotic undercurrent in terms of character.  It is recommended one give their bottle of grand vin just a little bit of time for it to reveal all of its complexities. 

"The 2018 Troplong Mondot is a remarkable wine. All the elements fall into place in a stunning, aromatically intense Troplong Mondot that is full of character. There is a level of precision and vibrancy in the 2018 that is simply breathtaking. Black cherry, raspberry, mocha, flowers, mint and spice all meld together in this captivating, arrestingly beautiful Saint-Émilion. New oak is 60%, with lower toast levels than what was common just a few years ago. The blend is 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc." - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, (April, 2019), Ratings: (94-97)

"The 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.56. Deep garnet-purple in color, it begins slowly with bold, bright black raspberries, ripe black plums, fresh blackberries and Morello cherries notes, giving way to underlying scents of tobacco, wild sage, Sichuan pepper, black olives, truffles and Marmite toast with hints of crushed stones and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers wonderfully fresh, energetic black fruit with a downright racy line of freshness (uncommon for this vintage) and firm, rounded tannins, finishing long with lots of mineral, earth and dried herbs layers giving beautiful electric sparks." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (4/23/2019, Bordeaux 2018 Issue), Ratings: (93-95)+

"The 2018 Château Troplong Mondot showed beautifully. Based on 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it reveals a dense purple color as well as ripe beautiful aromatics of black cherries, red plums, graphite, espresso, Asian spices, and gravelly earth. Beautiful on the palate as well, it's medium to full-bodied and has a rounded, expansive texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, building tannins, and present yet integrated oak. This classic, impressive Troplong Mondot will need 5-7 years of bottle age but will evolve for 30 years or more." - Jeb Dunnuck, Jebdunnuck.com, Rating: 96, Drink: 2026-2056