| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This Saint Emilion property is owned by the Casteja family of Chateau Batailley. Quality has been impressive here in recent vintages. The 2018 is 54% Cabernet Franc (some of which is from very old vines), 44% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2018 TrotteVieille appears to have calmed down since I tasted it from barrel. High-toned black cherry and cassis fruit are still to the fore, though again, I would prefer to see more delineation. The palate is ripe on the entry with a sweet core of cassis and boysenberry, light veins of graphite and an opulent but controlled finish. As I commented from barrel, it needs a little more charm and personality, although it is very harmonious and quite precise. 2024 - 2045
Aromas of ripe berry, mushroom, ash and smoke follow through to a full body with a ripe, juicy center palate and lots of creamy tannins that are balanced and refined. Generous and very intense. Tight palate now. Give it time. Try after 2025.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Trotte Vieille opens with alluring scents of kirsch, baked plums and wild blueberries, plus hints of red roses, dark chocolate, tapenade and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate has ripe, rounded tannins and lovely freshness supporting the juicy red and black fruits, finishing long with great purity. 2022 - 2036
Tasted blind. Meaty nose and then quite soft fruit. Not that concentrated. Pleasant rather than dramatic. Harmonious. Cool. Just slightly inky in texture – but long. 14.5%
Drink 2027 – 2043
Black-hearted with a purple rim. Charry, toasty blackcurrant. Very oaky on the nose for now. But has a lively freshness on the palate, and the tannins are compact but not thick. Dark and a little rocky/dusty in a good way. There’s lively fruit but a little disjointed for now.
Drink 2023-2029
Deep purple in the glass. Spicy and dark fruited on the nose, with hints of cocoa and coffee. The palate is rich and ripe, with exotic fruit and soft tannins giving a plump, polished and fleshy mouthfeel. The fruit is dark but lifted my notes of menthol and fresh mint. Bright acidity on the finish gives a hint of violet, adding to the savoury, moreish quality to this wine.
Wow. This really sends a tingle down my spine. Love the energy and length to this. Very distinguished. Full-bodied yet tight, polished and compressed. It has a great finish. Exciting. Really.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Trotte Vieille leaps from the glass with vivacious scents of baked red plums, black raspberries and prunes with underlying scents of dried herbs, fallen leaves, dusty soil and tobacco. Full-bodied with a firm line of chewy tannins, it delivers a lot of stewed fruits on the mid-palate with a slightly warm finish.
