This 33 hectare estate (25 currently under vine), is one of the largest in Saint-Emilion. Situated at an altitude of over 100 m., the Butte de Mondot is the highest point in the Saint-Emilion appellation. The vineyards cover a plateau overlooking the medieval town to the southwest and a steep slope bordering on Côte Pavie to the south.

Château Troplong-Mondot was built in 1745 by abbot Raymond de Sèze. The estate as we know it today was consolidated in 1850 further to its acquisition by Raymond Troplong. His nephew, Edouard, added the family name not long before selling the property to Alexandre Valette. In 1980, Christine Valette, Alexandre's great granddaughter, took over management of the estate, joined ten years later by her husband Xavier Pariente. Troplong-Mondot underwent an ambitious renovation in the vineyard, the cellars, and the château itself.

Troplong-Mondot's naturally well-drained soil is ideally suited to winegrowing. This remarkable terroir consists of thick limestone with sedimentary flint under a layer of rich clay.

The blend of grape varieties has been significantly altered over the past few years further to microbiological analyses made by Claude Bourguignon, one of the finest specialists in his field. As a result of his findings, grape varieties were adapted to each specific plot. The proportion of Merlot and Cabernet-Franc was significantly increased, to the detriment of Cabernet-Sauvignon and Malbec. Re-planting also provided an opportunity to change vine density, which has been gradually increased to 6,600 vines per hectare. The château now ferments and ages wine from individual plots separately in order to fine tune the final blend.

Viticulture is based on environmentally-friendly principles. Chemical fertilizers, weed-killers, and pesticides are banned! The vines are pruned like "bicycle handlebars" in order to maintain balanced growth. Bud pruning is done in spring, and the soil is regularly plowed.

Ripening is enhanced by leaf thinning and green harvesting. Picking times depend not only on laboratory analyses, but also taste testing. The grapes are entirely hand-picked and totally destemmed. The wine is fermented in small temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and, depending on the vintage, may undergo cold maceration prior to fermentation. Extraction takes place by pumping over or délestage (rack and return). The wine is kept on the skins in truncated cone-shaped vats for 21-28 days.

Approximately 75% of the total production is then run off into new oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, without bâtonnage (stirring with a stick). The wine ages for 12 to 24 months, depending on the vintage, with periodic racking from barrel to barrel. The wine is fined with egg white if necessary. The final blend is made just prior to bottling, at which point wines are designated either Troplong Mondot or Mondot (the 2nd wine).

Troplong-Mondot is much admired for its wines of character with good structure and rich, complex, tannin that often takes on bewitching complexity over time. Aging also brings out wonderful black truffle aromas.

In the Bottle

The in-depth reorganization and renovation at Château Troplong-Mondot undertaken by Christine Valette has resulted in unquestionably improved quality since the late 1980s.

The present owners have taken a complete new look at how best to make the most of their wonderful terroir. Progress in recent vintages (since 2000) has been impressive. The 2005 Troplong-Mondot is probably the estate's most successful wine since the extraordinary 1990.

Among older vintages, the 1989 Troplong-Mondot was a pioneer in showing Troplong-Mondot's excellent potential. The 1985 and 1982 Troplong-Mondot vintages were also very good, but are starting to be past their best.

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Troplong-Mondot, Mondot (second wine)