From the top of its promontory, the Troplong Mondot vineyard embraces contours that have altered little since its creation in 1700. The continuous ambition of its successive owners has been to ensure the estate’s longevity. Each and every one of them has taken a step forward in time; a philosophy that the SCOR group, which has owned the estate since 2017, applies to both its career opportunities and its investments. Today, it is still a question of looking ahead whilst keeping an eye in the rear-view mirror. At a time of accelerating economic and social changes, it is more urgent than ever to initiate actions whose achievements will be witnessed only by future generations. The next chapter in the memory of Troplong Mondot is being written now.
The rhythm of nature stretches time even further. It sets its calendar and keeps us waiting. In addition to the natural renewal of the vineyard, it is also necessary to anticipate future alterations: to foresee the grape varieties that will acclimatise best to climatic changes, to calculate how long the vines will need to “settle in” and do as best they can. The old vines share their genetic heritage thanks to massal selection, a memorable part of our heritage. From one winegrower to another, traditions are passed on, of course, as well as, beyond and above all, an environmental heritage. Troplong Mondot’s technical director has been here for the last twenty years and continues the work done before him to create and maintain the vineyard. The vines we grow today are nothing more than the result of yesterday’s concerns. We must project ourselves into the future so as to know how best to adapt ourselves and build tomorrow’s vineyard.
For this is our role: what we will leave to the future generations. However good the current vintage may be today, it will reach its peak in the coming decades, when tasted by our children and grandchildren. What a dizzying prospect! It is up to us to know how to evaluate the future of each batch at the time of blending. It is up to us to estimate the evolution of the wine after several years of ageing. And when it will come to be enjoyed, in 5, 20, 30 years… it will be like a window open in time. A link between generations, a diary of memorable circumstances: the year of a birth, of a heat wave, of a frost, of a new vat room… Just like other memories.