Trottevieille 2006

Proprietor Philippe Casteja has significantly increased the quality of this St.-Emilion estate over recent vintages. While the 2006 does not hit the heights of the 2005, it has turned out well, offering a seductive combination of smoky black cherry fruit intermixed with licorice, pain grille, earth, and spice. It possesses supple tannin, medium body, lovely fruit, and no hard edges. Enjoy it during its first 12-15 years of life.

The 2006 Château Trottevieille has an elegant bouquet, abraded by time with melted tar and truffle infusing the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe tannin, a little chewy and not as refined as the 2006 Canon; but there is a pleasant spicy touch on the smudged mulberry and tobacco finish that shows decent weight, if not the finessed sophistication that recent vintages have demonstrated (such as the 2012 tasted just the previous week).

Relatively pale. Soapy nose. Nice satin texture with a little energy but not quite enough ripe fruit on the mid palate. Pretty chewy and austere - almost like underripe Cabernet Sauvignon. Fine tannins - the problem is not tannin management but underripe (overproduced??) fruit.

Deep red. Redcurrant, licorice and mint on the nose, lifted by a note of floral pastille. Supple, silky and nicely ripe, with enticing floral perfume complicating the red fruit flavors and ripe acidity giving the wine good lift. Much better than a barrel sample I tasted last spring. Finishes with broad, rather suave tannins and nice aromatic persistence.