Wine Review: Mondot Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2016

Описание: In today's Wine-Searcher tasting our Wine-Director, David Allen MW looks at the first of two wines from Saint Emilion that gained recognition for their rich, hedonistic styles in the 1990's. This wine - Mondot Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 2016 - is from a period prior to the toning down of the wine's ripeness. In contrast tomorrows tasting of Chateau Quinault L'Enclos 2014 should show a much more toned-down, elegant style.

Château Troplong Mondot lies on the hills of Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of the Gironde in Bordeaux. Typically for this region, Merlot is the dominant grape variety. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are also used in smaller proportions.

Château Troplong Mondot was established in the late 1800s when Raymond-Theodore Troplong bought and expanded the Mondot estate. In 2006 Troplong Mondot was classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the Saint-Émilion classification. This was status was maintained when the classification was most recently updated in 2012.

Under the previous owners, and their consultant winemaker Michel Rolland, the wine was known for its deep color, concentration and full bodied style. However in 2017 the estate was sold.

The new owners, the French Insurance group SOCR, brought in Aymeric de Gironde – formerly of châteaux Pichon Baron and Cos d'Estournel – to manage the estate, with new winemaking consultants. Many changes have been implemented.

Two neighboring vineyard parcels have been added. Six hectares (15 acres) were acquired from Clos Labarde and 4ha (10 acres) from Bellisle Mondot. Initially these will contribute to the second wine, Mondot. The pre existing vineyards cover 33 hectares (81.5 acres).

Soils are well draining limestone and clay, interspersed with chalk and flint. Troplong Mondot has a cooler climate, at a higher elevation, than most of Saint-Émillon. Under the previous owners it was one of the last to harvest grapes each year.

The fruit will now be picked earlier, and previous extraction techniques replaced by more traditional processes. The grand vin is matured in 60 percent new oak which is untoasted, to deliver a less overtly oaky style than before. Positive reports of the 2018 suggest the wine will become fresher with more mineral characters, while retaining a silky texture.

To find out more about this wine, its pricing and where to buy it go to the Wine-Searcher website: https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/mo...

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