Best wine and stellar cuisine: This Bordeaux chateau made for a spectacular evening

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Since the best seasons for a trip to Bordeaux are spring and autumn, Château Troplong Mondot organizes private dinners with select wines in Zurich during the winter months.

Blick was there, chatting with Château manager Aymeric de Gironde, 50, and celebrating the delights of star chef David Charrier, 41, who runs Les Belles Perdrix restaurant at Château Troplong Mondot. Its cuisine is inspired by the culinary traditions of the Gironde and interpreted with great elegance and sophistication.

The best castle in Saint-Émilion

The stars of the evening were five Troplong Mondot wines from 1990, served at the perfect temperature in the dining room. The chateau is in Saint-Émilion’s top league as Grand Cru Classé B. It is directed by Aymeric de Gironde, who has been directing the evening since 2017. De Gironde’s philosophy for Troplong Mondot: “I want to make wines with many different flavors that reflect the diversity of our vineyards.”

The Château’s soils are perfect for this: Classic Bordeaux varieties Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are spread across 25 different soil types. The highest altitude is 110 meters and is above all wineries in the region.

While Charrier was preparing delicacies in the kitchen, de Gironde talked about working and living at Troplong Mondot. Since taking over the castle in 2017, much has been achieved: plots have been purchased, the cellar has been renovated and production has been converted to natural viticulture. “We are committed to the Paris climate agreement. We want to make our company compatible with climate-neutral production by 2050. There is still a lot of work ahead of us,” de Gironde explained.

Bordeaux can also be served with caviar

The second wine, Mondot by Troplong Mondot 2018, produced from 100 percent Merlot from a single vineyard, was a perfect match with the caviar-leek cream soup, leek sauce and foam made from John Dory, with its elegant fruit aroma, crisp acidity and essential freshness.

From the magnum bottle, the 2017 Château Troplong Mondot brought together the depth of fruit typical of the Château, beautifully integrated spicy notes, a touch of orange peel and again ethereal freshness with fine tannins. David Charrier’s signature dish: duck tart with crispy pastry crust and orange sauce was the perfect accompaniment. The glass highlight of the night was the 1998 Troplong Mondot. The palate was firm and perfectly structured, with a lovely bouquet of deep fruit with ripe notes such as tobacco and Perigord truffle. Whoever still has one of these in their basement is lucky.

The 1990 vintage represented mature Bordeaux classics. While its soft tannins harmonized with Grand Cru chocolate, the ginger and lemon in the dessert refreshed the palate. The 1990s are reminiscent of the times when grapes in Saint-Émilion were sometimes picked only in October and the extraction of grapes in the cellar was the main business. “Those days are over,” Aymeric de Gironde said. “We are harvesting earlier today and the grapes bring density and structure.”

Source : Blick