Château Troplong Mondot 2021
• Domaine: Château Troplong Mondot
• Appellation: Saint-Émilion
• Classification: Premier Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Right Bank, Bordeaux, France
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 17th 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.
Tasting Notes
"The 2021 Troplong Mondot shows considerable promise, exhibiting aromas of plums and wild berries mingled with notions of sweet spices, rose petals, vine smoke and raw cocoa, followed by a medium to full-bodied, seamless palate endowed with impressive intensity and texture. Built around beautifully refined, powdery tannins and lively acids, it concludes with a long, mouthwateringly saline finish. Macerations here were long but gentle, including a long cold soak before fermentation, and the blend, after much deliberation, is 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. Tasted four times." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (4/29/2022), Ratings: 93-96
"The natural density that they have at Troplong was extremely helpful in a vintage like 2021. This is a little more reserved than a typical year, but very much delivers signature power. Expect gunsmoke, fern and raspberry leaf alongside cherry pit and saffron salinity, black cherry fruits, rosebud, anis, fennel spice, all with the powerful and concentrated signature of limestone. I was here on the last day of harvest, and I remember how healthy the grapes were. This is the first vintage where the cellar has been completely finished, moving from 20 to 42 tanks. No chaptilisation (but the natural 13.5%abv is extremely rare at this late ripening property, and a real indication of how long it took for sugars to climb in this vintage)." - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (4/7/2022) Ratings: 95, Drink: 2028-2040
"The 2021 Troplong Mondot is shockingly raw and untamed, but in the very best sense of those terms. A wine of energy and pure power, the 2021 is going to need a number of years to be at its best, but it is certainly very impressive in the early going. The 2021 clocks in at 13.5%, which has not been seen here since the 1990s. The 2021 is not an easy wine to taste at this stage, as it is not fully formed. I won't be surprised if the 2021 turns out even better than this note suggests. It is a dazzling wine by any measure, and a far cry from the wines of decade ago, when the malolactic fermentations were often not finished when en primeur samples were presented! Superb." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous (5/2022) Ratings: 95-97
Stock Status | Pre-Arrival |
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Appellation | Saint-Emilion |
Vintage | 2021 |
Brand | Château Troplong Mondot |
Shipping Weight | 3.000000 |