Château Troplong Mondot 2019

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. 

"Has any Bordeaux château realized a more wholesale stylistic revolution in so short a time than Troplong Mondot? Since Aymeric de Gironde arrived at the estate in late 2017, the ultra powerful "shock and awe" style of the 2000s is out, and a new refinement is in. Of course, the deep clays that define the core vineyards around the château itself are never likely to produce light or ephemeral wines, but de Gironde has astutely understood that (to develop an analogy), when driving down hill, one can ease off on the accelerator. The 2019 Troplong Mondot is a ringing endorsement of the new direction, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of wild berries, violets, coniferous forest floor, licorice, raw cocoa and subtle spices, followed by a full-bodied, velvety and layered palate that's seamless and perfumed, its enveloping core of succulent fruit framed by rich, powdery tannins and lively acids. Harmonious and penetrating, I never thought I'd taste a wine like this from Troplong Mondot." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, (04/07/2022), Ratings: 98

"The 2019 Troplong Mondot is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Vertical and explosive in feel, the 2019 dazzles with its magnificent balance. Inky red/purplish fruit, cinnamon, chocolate, dried flowers and lavender open with a bit of time, but Troplong is not a wine for the here and now, but rather a wine for readers who can be patient. The 2019 is all class and refinement. Those qualities become increasingly apparent over time, once some of the initial power and density subsides with air. This is the first time the Grand Vin was blended before the malolactic fermentation." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (02/28/2022), Ratings: 97

"The 2019 Troplong Mondot is a blend this year of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 10th to the 25th of September. The pH is 3.55—pretty incredible when you consider the alcohol is nearly 15%! I hasten to add that from tasting, I would have guessed this was 14.3% to 14.5% alcohol. It is the kind of wine with so much energy it practically does pirouettes on your palate. Opaque purple-black colored, the nose is fantastically floral, bursting from the glass with notes of candied violets, red roses and lavender over a core of plum preserves, wild blueberries and black raspberries with touches of garrigue, tilled soil, wild fungi and crushed rocks plus a waft of powdered cinnamon. The medium-bodied palate is like a tightly coiled spring, featuring beautifully knit layers of black and red fruits, earth and floral notes within a firm, fine-grained frame and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. This is a far cry from the old-school style of Troplong Mondot from a few years back, and it is incredibly impressive. This wine is aging in French oak barriques, some larger vats, and a small proportion is in amphorae. The oak portion is 60% new." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, (07/15/2020), Ratings: 96-98