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Château Troplong Mondot
Since Christine Valette took over this property in the mid-1980s, the quality of the wines has reached new levels. The brilliant 1989 and 1990 vintages showed just how great the wines of this perfectly-situated château can be. In 2006, recognition was officially won with an upgrading to the coveted ranks of 1er Grand Cru Classé.
History
In the 17th century, the vineyard belonged to the Abbé Raymond de Sèze, who built the chateau as it stands today in 1745. In 1850, Raymond Troplong took over Mondot and turned into a 33-hectare estate, unchanged to this very day. Edouard Troplong, his nephew and successor, added the name Troplong to the estate before he sold it. The château entered his modern age with the Valette family. Alexandre Valette, a Parisian vintner, bought the estate crafted by Raymond Trplong. In 1980 Alexandre's great grand daugther, Christine, took over the estate and was joined, 10 years later, by her husband, Xavier Pariente. Together they continued to improve and embellish the vineyard, cellar and château. This hard work and their effort proved to worthwhile when in 2006 Troplong Mondot was awarded 1er Grand Cru Classé status.
The Estate
In a region where most estates hardly exceed 10 hectares, Troplong Mondot's 33 hectares make it one the "biggest" St- Emilion estates.
Soils - Thick limestone under a layer of dense clay, plus abundant underground water combine to give the old Troplong Mondot vines (35 years old average, the oldest were planted some 90 years ago) the fertility only the grands crus can claim. This limestone clay soil is rich in sedimentary fragments of flint and limestone.
Grape Varieties - 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc & 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
The Wines
Château Troplong Mondot is grown on extensive vineyards rich in limestone clay soils. Powerful, well-structured with pronounced complex tannins, its deep aromas of truffels and blackberries develop over time.
Mondot is the estate's second label and was created in 1985. Made mostly from Cabernet, this elegant wine displaying silky tannins has grown into a grand cru in its own right.
The most beautiful memory of harvesting time in Troplong Mondot comes from 1990. Besides the exceptional quality of this vintage, with an unprecedented heat and the most beautiful grapes we had ever had, this harvest was full of happiness. Under the sun, the gypsies who were picking the grapes, the employees of the château, everyone was laughing and singing. At the end of this idyllic harvest, the gypsies came to say that some cousins of theirs, great musicians, wanted to play for us. The night of the Gerbaude, while the lambs were roasting on the wood fi re, they played for us, and we danced until the morning light! - Christine Valette
