The colour is deep ruby. On the nose blueberries and dark cherries. In the mouth fresh, elegant and tasty. The aftertaste is discrete.
Chateau Troplong Mondot 2013 is a blend of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is one of the stars of a very difficult vintage.
Located in a region where the majority of the properties do not exceed 10 hectares, the Premier Grand Cru Classé Château Troplong Mondot constitutes with its 33 hectares one of the largest estates of the Saint-Emilion denomination. Founded in the 17th century, since 1980 it has been run by Christine Valette-Pariente and her husband Xavier Pariente. In 2017 it has been acquired by the reinsurer SCOR Group. Since then it is managed by Aymeric de Gironde, former general manager of Cos D’Estournel.
In the 17th century, the property now known as Château Troplong Mondot belonged to the aristocratic de Seze family, also owner of other estates in Saint-Émilion. The castle, still present today, was built by the family in 1745. A century later the property was sold to Raymond Troplong, from whom the current name comes from, who has increased the area of the vineyard to its current 33 hectares. The domaine was then briefly owned by a wine merchant named Georges Thienpont, who sold the property after buying Vieux Château Certain in the nearby denomination of Pomerol.
In 1936, the estate was purchased by Bordeaux shopkeeper Alexander Valette, whose descendants remained there until 2017. When Christine Valette assumed the management of the property in 1980, she implemented various changes and hired Michel Rolland and then Jean-Philippe Fort as enologists consultants of the estate. The results of all her changes resulted in much improved wines.
I bought this wine En Primeur for 74.50 EUR. Nowadays it sell for 105 EUR (+41%), an appreciation of roughly 3.5% a year.
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Type: Red
Vintage: 2013
Producer: Chateau Troplong Mondot
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5