Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Merlot
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Milk chocolate, violets, roses, lots of vibrant floral aromas with blue and red fruit. Super-fresh and vibrant, a crystalline and finessed aspect to the blueberry, red cherry and damson fruit but remaining quite fine in terms of texture. Focused, not so rich or plush, silky with the limestone giving the strictness, but also precision, sense of purity and salty, slate minerality alongside clove, cinnamon and liquorice. Mouthwatering acidity gives the vibrancy and overall this is round, layered and well balanced with energy and focus. Consistent quality in 2020 with a touch of the Trolong shine and sparkle. Ageing 60% one-year-old barrels, 40% stainless steel tank for 14 months. This is worth stocking up on.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
All Merlot from limestone soils, brought up in a mix of once-used barrels and tank, the 2020 Château Troplong Mondot Mondot sports a dense ruby hue as well as a gorgeous bouquet of pure black cherries, smoked tobacco, chalky earth and hints of tobacco. This beauty is medium to full-bodied, has an elegant, seamless mouthfeel, and a great finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet blackberries and raspberries mingled with hints of rose petal and spices, the 2020 Mondot is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a pure, seamless core of vibrant fruit and a long, succulent finish. Derived from Merlot growing on recently acquired vineyards on Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau, some 40% of the blend is matured in tank, with the rest in once-used barriques.
-
Vinous
The 2020 Mondot is an absolute delight. Freshly cut flowers, blood orange, sage, mint and rose petal accents are all laced together in this sensual, mid-weight Saint-Émilion. Mondot, 100% Merlot from limestone soils, is terrific. Aging is 60% in wood and 40% in tank, which also helps maintain energy. - Antonio Galloni
-
Wine Spectator
Sleek and fresh, with alluring black cherry and red currant coulis notes lined with a floral hint, ending with a caressing feel. Not big but sneaky long, with a subtle flint echo at the very end. Approachable now too, but will benefit from some cellaring. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035.
Premier Grand Cru Classe in Saint-Emilion, Chateau Troplong Mondot stands out with refinement, boasting a strong wine identity, a perfectly-controlled vineyard and an innate sense of welcoming. Located on the highet point of Saint-Emilion's famous limestone plateau, the 43-hectare estate held in one piece stands on some of the most enviable and unique terroirs of the Right Bank, with ideal geological conditions and exposure, The unique diversity of the soils is revealed through balanced wines combining strength and elegance, complexity and precision. Troplong Mondot's history has been enriched with charismatic and cultured figures who have led the estate towards excellence with a different vision. By trusting Aymeric de Gironde for the executive management, the company SCOR bring a fresh boost since 2017 while respecting the values and spirit of the estate.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.