Château Troplong Mondot Saint-Émilion Red 2014

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 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. Despite 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.