Château Troplong Mondot is a producer located on the hills of Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of the Gironde in Bordeaux. Typically for the region, Merlot is the dominant grape variety. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are also used in smaller proportions.
Troplong Mondot is classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the Saint-Émilion classification. This was most recently updated in 2012.
Under the previous owners, and their consultant winemaker Michel Rolland, the wine was known for its deep color, concentration and full bodied style. However in 2017 the estate was sold.
The new owners, the French Insurance group SOCR, brought in Aymeric de Gironde – formerly of Pichon Baron and Cos d'Estournel – to manage the estate, with new winemaking consultants. Many changes have been implemented.
Two neighboring vineyard parcels have been added. Six hectares (15 acres) were acquired from Clos Labarde and 4ha (10 acres) from Bellisle Mondot. Initially these will contribute to the second wine, Mondot. The pre existing vineyards cover 33 hectares (81.5 acres).
Soils are well draining limestone and clay, interspersed with chalk and flint. Troplong Mondot has a cooler climate, at a higher elevation, than most of Saint-Émillon. Under the previous owners it was one of the last to harvest grapes each year.
The fruit will now be picked earlier, and previous extraction techniques replaced by more traditional processes. The grand vin is matured in 60 percent new oak which is untoasted, to deliver a less overtly oaky style than before. Positive reports of the 2018 suggest the wine will become fresher with more mineral characters, while retaining a silky texture.
Château Troplong Mondot was established in the late 1800s when Raymond-Theodore Troplong bought and expanded the Mondot estate.
Rated 96 points by Jeff Leve
//Licorice, dark chocolate, coconut, smoke and black cherry liqueur pack the nose, making this is no wallflower of a wine. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, rich, lusty and eager to show off its dusty, sweet, fruit-filled finish. There is a touch of heat in the endnote but there is so much fruit that the warmth is barely noticeable. The wine was produced from a blend of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, reaching 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65.//
Rated 96 points by Vinous
//The 2014 Troplong Mondot is super-impressive. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate and dark spice notes meld together in this stunningly beautiful, opulent Saint-Émilion. Large-scale, ample and totally flamboyant in style, the 2014 is going to need time to fully come together, but it is striking even today. The blend is 90 % Merlot, 8 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 % Cabernet Franc.//
Rated 96 points by Jeb Dunnuck
//The 2014 Troplong Mondot is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, and this beauty has more intensity, richness, and exuberance than just about every other wine in 2014. A blend of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc brought up in 85% new French oak, it sports a deep purple/plum color as well as a smorgasbord of blackcurrants, blackberries, scorched earth, toasty oak, graphite, espresso, and earth. With full-bodied richness, beautiful purity of fruit, and a rich, yet weightless texture, it’s a big, yet classy, elegant, and seamless wine from Xavier Pariente that should be snatched up by readers. It’s already drinking well but has 20-25 years of prime drinking to go.//
Rated 95 points by James Suckling
//The dark, savory, earthy and plum aromas plus the serious tannins here give this wine a lot of character, but it really needs a couple of years to open up. The finish packs a big tannic punch. For the long term.//
Rated 94 points by Wine Spectator
//Solidly built, with some heft to the core of raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry confiture flavors. Delivers ample cut and drive thanks to the racy graphite beam. Hints of ganache and Turkish coffee add a bass line without taking away definition or purity. //
Rated 94 points by Wine Advocate
//The 2014 Troplong-Mondot performed to my expectation now that the wine is in bottle. It has a refined bouquet with black cherries, raspberry preserve and mineral scents that gain intensity in the glass, but never get carried away. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, tensile in the mouth but surprisingly linear and conservative, at least in the first half. It is fresh and precise, then delivers the weight and concentration as it fans out on the finish, a residue of white pepper tingling on the aftertaste. This is a delicious Troplong Mondot that should age with style and grace. //
