CHATEAU TROPLONG MONDOT 1er Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion 2017 Bottle

Description

The 2017 Château Troplong Mondot is a remarkable wine that has received significant acclaim, including 98+ points from Vinous, which highlights its rich yet energetic character. This vintage marks a new era under CEO Aymeric de Gironde and consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos, showcasing the terroir's power and vitality. James Suckling awarded it 98 points, praising its purity of fruit with notes of blackcurrants, cherries, and floral nuances, alongside fine tannins and impressive length. Wine Enthusiast awarded 96 points, noting its structured profile with dense tannins and lifted acidity that promise excellent aging potential, while Decanter also rated it 96 points for its compelling blueberry and black fruit notes, minerality, and juicy finish, making it a standout choice for collectors and enthusiasts alike.

*****

Château Troplong Mondot is a prestigious estate located in the Saint-Émilion appellation of Bordeaux, classified as a 1er Grand Cru Classé. Established in the 18th century, it spans approximately 33 hectares, predominantly planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc grapes. The estate is renowned for producing rich, full-bodied wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region, characterised by clay and limestone soils. Château Troplong Mondot's wines are celebrated for their complexity, depth, and ability to age gracefully, often showcasing dark fruit flavours, spice, and elegant tannins. With a focus on sustainability and meticulous vineyard management, the estate consistently receives high accolades from critics, making it a highly sought-after choice for collectors and wine enthusiasts.

VINOUS 98+ points
The 2017 Troplong Mondot is stunning, just as it was en primeur. Rich and ample, yet endowed with striking energy as well, the 2017 is the first vintage made by new CEO Aymeric de Gironde and consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos. The 2017 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. All of the power that is typical of this site is evident, it seems to come so naturally, and yet picking earlier and then using a lighter hand in the cellar yielded a Troplong of uncommon energy and vibrancy. The 2017 has been nothing short of thrilling on the four occasions I have tasted it from bottle so far. What a wine! - Antonio Galloni

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
The purity of fruit is pretty phenomenal here with blackcurrants, cherries and crushed-stone undertones. Floral notes of roses and violets, too. Full-bodied, yet this is a linear style with super fine tannins and great length and beauty. You really want to drink it. It grows on the palate and shows real power, with breadth and depth. Remains fresh throughout. Really something. Try after 2026.

WINE ENTHUSIAST 96 points
This wine is structured, with dense tannins as well as impressively ripe black fruit. Showing lifted acidity, succulent blackberry flavors and elegance, it has a good future and will be ready from 2025. — Roger Voss

DECANTER 96 points
Tasted by: Jane Anson
(at Primeur week tastings in Bordeaux, 09 Apr 2018)
Part of Anson: Nature vs nurture in Bordeaux wine styles
Drinking Window: 2026 - 2040
Aymeric de Gironde arrived here from Cos d'Estournel in September 2017, and he is clearly intending to make his mark. To get things started, they have brought the harvest dates forward (particularly on the Butte de Mondot, where drainage in recent years has stopped that clay mound being as cool as it once was). They have also stopped carrying out malolactic in new oak and brought the level of new oak down to 65% from 90%. They have a new consultant in the form of Thomas Duclos - this is surely his year - and carried out the blending before ageing in barrel, in a nod to Aymeric's left bank experience. Very little here was affected by the frost, giving a yield of 45hl/ha, 95% used for the grand vin. This is a terroir that doesn't need to be dressed up, as I have said several times in the past, and Aymeric is taking what had already begun under Xavier Parrente to the next level. This is one of the few wines to really make your heart race in 2017, with its blueberry and cool, black fruit notes with zippy minerality and a juicy, slightly saline finish. There is plenty of power, but it's contained, and the fruit is almost surprising in its purity and direction - it makes everyone around the table start talking. This is an extremely surprising 2017, one that I absolutely recommend without hesitation.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Drink Date: 2024 - 2050
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Troplong Mondot is a little closed to begin, soon unfurling to reveal expanding notions of warm blackberries, wild blueberries and licorice plus hints of smoked meats, black olives, pencil shavings and truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed mouth-coating black fruits, exploding into loads of earthy sparks with a soft, velvety texture from ripe, rounded tannins. It finishes with spectacular freshness and loads of layers.
Published: Mar 16, 2020