95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The brilliant 2011 Troplong Mondot is one of the superstars of the vintage. The final blend was 89% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, and the wine tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol. Its opaque blue/purple, nearly black color is followed by aromas of blueberry liqueur interwoven with black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, camphor and forest floor. Among the most complete wines of the vintage, with no hollowness, astringency or herbaceousness, this is a tour de force in a challenging vintage. Some tannins are noticeable, but this 2011 is already approachable and should provide delicious, complex drinking over the next two decades. Bravo!

94pts Wine Spectator

A gorgeous red offering ganache and fig notes melded nicely together with ample heft but good freshness with a long dark richly layered finish. This goes for power-and pulls it off.

93pts Wine Enthusiast

There is a sense of alcohol with this wine. It is so rich, so dense, so ripe. The texture is round, full in the mouth with a touch of pepper. As a contrast, it also shows a surprising amount of freshness, especially in the aftertaste. Drink this ultra-rich wine from 2018.

93pts James Suckling

This is a muscular wine for the vintage with loads of fruit and tannins, not to mention the new wood. Full body, chewy and intense. Lots of minerals, sweet tobacco and berries. Needs a least three to four years to soften. A big, muscular 2011. 85% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc.

90pts Decanter

Violet, blackcurrant and cedar on the complex nose. The palate is rich, supple, sweet and seductive. A big, powerful wine with big structure and tannins, but with the fruit to match it for a good future.

Vinous

Purple-ruby; this stains the glass. Superripe, showy aromas of plum, blackberry jam and sweet spices. Then very oaky and astringent in the mouth, with the black fruit flavors currently overswhelmed by mouth-drying tannins. This wine is saved by its floral, complex perfume; otherwise I'd have serious reservations about it. My hope is that time will bring better balance and a smoother middle palate.

Tasting Notes

A great wine is a notion of balance between elements complementing one another: strength and elegance, complexity, and precision. At Château Troplong Mondot, men reveal the terroir. 

Serve with meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, chicken, roasted, braised, stewed, and grilled dishes.

About the Winery

Château Troplong Mondot is a St. Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé property that has in the last decade been producing wines that are the equal of many 1er Grand Cru Classé estates. Its handsome château dates back to 1745 and Troplong-Mondot was originally part of one sizeable domaine which included the vineyards of Château Pavie.

In the 17th century, the vineyard belonged to the Abbé Raymond de Sèze, who built the
chateau as it stands today in 1745. The Sèze family was one of the most prestigious of the Bordeaux area's landed gentry and owned many other estates. It was particularly illustrious in providing Louis XVI with his personal lawyer, Raymond de Sèze. Under the aegis of the Abbé, Mondot won its place among the best Saint Emilion wines.

In 1850, Raymond Troplong took over Mondot and turned it into the 33-hectares estate,
unchanged to this very day. A peer, a famous jurist and a lover of art and literature, he
became president of the Senate in 1852 and held this office until his death in 1869. In spite of his state duties, he operated the rich Mondot estate with remarkable success, producing a highly prized wine classed by the renowned Annuaire des Châteaux de Féret as SaintEmilion's second finest wine in 1868. Edouard Troplong, his nephew, and successor, added the name Troplong to the estate before he sold it.

The château entered the modern age with the Valette family. Alexandre Valette, a Parisian
vintner, bought the estate crafted by Raymond Troplong. He already owned Château La France in Fronsac and would soon acquire Château Pavie. In 1980 Alexandre’s great granddaughter, 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 chateau. This hard work and their efforts proved worthwhile when in 2006 Troplong Mondot was awarded 1er Grand Cru Classé status. 

Blend: 89% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc

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