Château Troplong Mondot began its history as the property of Christine Valette and her family. Located at the top of Saint-Émilion (Bordeaux) –and with impressive views of the medieval village–, its vineyards fall within the category Premier Grand Cru Classé , being completely different from the wines made by the surrounding wineries, benefiting from an eroded land and a terroir complex that gives life to powerful wines , with great balance and an intense aroma.
In 2017, Château Troplong Mondot changed owners until reaching the reinsurer SCOR and, although it remained a home, this time it was thought of as one rental for groups of a maximum of ten people.
The Keys of Troplong Mondot.
This year, adds to the offer the three-suite boutique hotel, The Keys of Troplong Mondot, renovated last year by interior designer Mathilde Cardineau. Here, watching the sunsets from the Bell Tower room is a dream, the king size beds are dressed in Descamps signature sheets and the amenities they come with the Nuxe seal.
The Vineyard House.
Instead, The Vineyard House is a rustic cabin two-bedroom apartment tucked away among hydrangeas and lavender, located a short walk from Saint-Émilion. But there is more: a 18th-century château with five suites, pool, and a terrace overlooking the vineyards, which has just opened for the first time in its history to the public with a total renovation by Bruno Moinard.
The newly opened château.
Wine is at the core of everything that happens here , trying to make it accessible to everyone. Both for beginners and for the most experienced. "The farm does everything possible so that the guest has at his disposal all the personalized activities and experiences ”, they explain from Château Troplong Mondot.
Electric Land Rovers for children.
“This includes a Immersive Tour aboard our Land Rovers , designed so that the client understands the peculiarities of the terroir , at the same time that they can observe the horses while they work the farm, as well as the day to day of our wineries”, they continue. This includes a tasting at the end of the trip to try the different references of Troplong Mondot Premier Grand Cru in the Les Belles Perdrix restaurant.
Les Belles Perdrix.
Chef David Charrier is in charge of celebrating the ingredients of the area , mostly from vegetable garden with permaculture practices. "Charrier came to the restaurant in 2013 when we first started and he has worked ever since on renovating the project and reopening it last June."
Although it is still too early to determine which are the greatest successes on his menu – "I'm still too young to have great successes", he exclaims –, there are already elaborations that point to ways, such as his veal with eel tartare and shallots; the surrounding caviar with cottage cheese; or the Ikejime Wild Turbot with Garlic Beans and Lemon Butter.
Recently, in addition, the confectioner Adrien Salavert has joined the team, with a unique dessert of toasted bread mousse, milk chocolate and a crispy wheat topping with local saffron sorbet.
Chef David Charrier.
The vineyard and nucleus of Château Troplong Mondot, for its part, is installed around a historical park of more than two hectares, which allows the growth of different varieties of flora and fauna . “We give shelter to more than 30 species of birds, squirrels and hares, as well as partridges and bats. Roe deer and wild boar have also been seen here from time to time… although it is not the norm”, the current managers of the hotel joke. "You can also find chickens and a 'resident' pig."
“Both species were introduced this year to reduce the organic waste of the restaurant and as part of the sustainability project we are working on”. For this reason, last September they also welcomed a pair of Indian Runner Ducks, to take charge of eat the snails that abound in your garden . "If you visit us during the period from March to November, you will also find half a dozen Percheron horses."
The vintage.
Aymeric de Gironde, CEO of Troplong Mondot , has been in charge of making sustainability a reality with a pioneering way of making wines , prohibiting the use of herbicides and insecticides for twenty years, based on the use of horses to plow more than 80% of the land.
“Thus we minimize the artificial contribution to benefit the regeneration of the land , a step we have taken to avoid the harmful effect of using tractors , which compact the soil and remove all kinds of microbial life. We have also recently started transform waste from the vine to help our heating system work during the winter.
The chateau from above.
The end goal? Being a low-carbon business in which wine, history and relaxation coexist in peace and harmony.