Ch.Troplong Mondot 2000 750ml

Wine Advocate #189, Jun 29, 2010, by Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Extremely young with an unbelievable deep purple color, the 2000 Troplong Mondot has hardly budged since I tasted it in 2003. Two recent tastings confirmed that this is the greatest Troplong Mondot between their profound 1990 and more recent vintages such as 2005, 2008, and 2009. Copious chocolate, graphite, blackberry, blueberry, cassis, and ink characteristics are present in this full-bodied, powerful, massive St.-Emilion. While the tannins are noticeable, they are better integrated than they were seven years ago, and the fruit, extract, and richness clearly outweigh the wine’s structure. This 2000 will benefit from another 4-5 years of cellaring (longer than I originally predicted), and has at least two decades of drinkability ahead of it.

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. In spite of 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 Saint-Emilion'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 Alexandreâ??s great grand daughter, 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.

Meats, Beef and Venison