Mondot by Château Troplong Mondot 2018 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 750ml

Mondot is genuinely the second wine of Château Troplong Mondot, a Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate that's produced this bottling since 1985 — made entirely from parcels designated specifically for this purpose, giving customers real access to the estate's own winemaking philosophy at a more accessible tier. The 2018 vintage arrives during a genuinely transformative period for Troplong Mondot: director Aymeric de Gironde, working alongside new consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos (who also advises Château Canon), has been actively rewriting the estate's traditionally powerful, black-colored house style into something more precise, floral, and limestone-driven — a shift genuinely notable enough that industry skeptics openly questioned whether de Gironde was pushing too far, bringing in the first grapes on September 7, weeks ahead of the traditional harvest window.

This 2018 Mondot is 100% Merlot, sourced mostly from designated estate parcels — 20% of the property's total Merlot production goes into this second wine, reflecting the estate's own selective approach to what makes the Grand Vin versus what's channeled into Mondot. No sulphites were used until the wine was barreled, a deliberate choice meant to let the wine's natural aromatics shine through more clearly.

James Suckling scored the wine 93-94 Points, calling it "a really sexy second wine from Troplong with black cherries and stone," describing it as "medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and an attractive finish." Jeb Dunnuck scored the wine 92-94 Points, noting the wine "shows the new style of this estate beautifully" with "remarkable purity in its black raspberry and cassis fruits as well as complex notes of white flowers, violets, and spice," describing it as "medium-bodied, silky, and beautifully balanced," with "a terrific floral quality as well as ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and an attractive, chalky minerality on the finish." This is a genuinely well-reviewed, sexy second wine — real access to one of Saint-Émilion's most talked-about recent stylistic transformations, at a genuinely more approachable tier than the acclaimed Grand Vin.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Mondot by Château Troplong Mondot 2018 is the second wine of Château Troplong Mondot, a Premier Grand Cru Classé B estate in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, produced under this name since 1985. Made entirely from Merlot, sourced mostly from parcels specifically designated for the second wine — roughly 20% of the estate's total Merlot production. The wine is crafted under director Aymeric de Gironde, with consulting winemaker Thomas Duclos, reflecting the estate's genuinely transformed, more precise and floral house style introduced in recent vintages. No sulphites were used until barreling.

Critics Reviews

James Suckling — 93-94 Points:
"A really sexy second wine from Troplong with black cherries and stone. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and an attractive finish."

Jeb Dunnuck — 92-94 Points:
"The second wine of Troplong Mondot, the 2018 Troplong Mondot Mondot comes mostly from designated parcels and is 100% Merlot. It shows the new style of this estate beautifully and offers remarkable purity in its black raspberry and cassis fruits as well as complex notes of white flowers, violets, and spice. Medium-bodied, silky, and beautifully balanced, it has a terrific floral quality as well as ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and an attractive, chalky minerality on the finish."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Black cherry and stone lead, joined by black raspberry, cassis, and white flower, alongside violet and delicate spice.

Palate
Medium to full-bodied, with firm yet silky tannin carrying real purity, developing complex floral and chalky mineral character.

Finish
Attractive and balanced, closing with fine, ultra-refined tannin and lingering chalky minerality — genuinely no hard edges.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Grilled or roasted red meat
• Rich pasta dishes
• Aged cheeses
• Savory braises