- 15.0.2025
- Press
For Tamara Southward, at Troplong Mondot, “you immediately sense something special.” Between historic charm, serenity, and exceptional hospitality, every detail is designed for a unique experience, summarized here in extracts from her article published in May 2025 in Condé Nast Traveller.
"Why book? For a glass (or two) of the most elegant wine the Saint-Émilion appellation has to offer, in an impossibly bucolic and historic setting"
The backstory - First built in 1745, the Château has been managed by Aymeric de Gironde since 2017, the Château now produces around 100,000 bottles of its Premier Grand Cru Classé B, Troplong Mondot, and just under 30,000 of Mondot, its delicious second wine. Today, the wines are distilled in stainless steel tanks and aged in oak barrels in a secret, Bond villain lair-like cellar which is an almost comically ultramodern contrast to the interiors of the estate’s neighbouring historic buildings.
The rooms - Guests have the option to stay in the Keys, which includes a breathtaking two-bedroom art studio-style suite with an imposing fireplace and views of the tree-framed swimming pool, a cosy bedroom in the bell tower and a dark-panelled, 19th century-style downstairs suite. The Vineyard House, the two-bedroom cottage [...] is the most intimate option for a party of two or four. The Estate itself is available for a full buyout and is nothing short of regal: it sleeps ten to twelve [...] and is perfect for everything from group getaways to vineyardside weddings.
Food and drink - Red wine is my favourite drink [...] I can confidently include Troplong Mondot in my top three favourites of all time. You can have supper at the glassed-in, Michelin-starred Les Belles Perdrix, where Chef David Charrier serves up bite-sized bliss with whatever’s in season: garden peas in mint vinegar dotted with white flowers, line-caught sea bream, morilles drenched in jus.
While Les Belles Perdrix is across the road from the main houses and therefore doesn’t have the postcard view of what might be Bordeaux’s most storied village, in some ways it might be my favourite lookout point on the property: vineyards tumble down to a forest bursting with mushrooms and real-life Peter Rabbits, and a lone runner (whose route I mentally track for my own vineyard jog) runs through the vines in a scene from a film’s closing credits.
The neighbourhood - In well under a half hour, you can take the most picturesque walk through the vineyards and down a winding road to the village of Saint-Émilion. You can also get here via the hotel’s electric bikes, which we attempt in a heels, wheels and cobblestones scene that could only be compared to a Monty Python skit [...] With 39 hectares, Troplong Mondot is one of Saint-Émilion’s biggest properties, and is a runner and biker’s paradise, where you can dip in and out of the vineyards and onto main roads lined with other châteaux and postcard-perfect farmhouses.
The service - Imagine renting out a château (or a cottage that gives the manor a run for its money) where you have full independence, only your beds are made in the morning and your meals are sorted. This is what makes this not quite a hotel, and while that’s not for everybody I don’t see a world where this place could exist in any other way. The staff are out by bedtime and back for breakfast, but both the watchman and his adorable dog are somewhere in the vineyard.
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