Trottevieille 2019

From: Bordeaux 2019: The Southwold Tasting (Feb 2023)

The 2019 Trottevieille has a slightly disjointed bouquet at first, though it melds together over time, with dusky red fruit laced and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry, moderate depth, not amazingly complex with just a little dryness creeping in on the finish. Yet there is promise here and I feel that it is just beginning to close down. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

- By Neal Martin on January 2023

Drink 2024-2044

Aromas of cherries, sweet berries and plums, framed by notions of raw cocoa, loamy soil, spices and licorice, introduce the 2019 Trotte Vieille, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's broad, textural and enveloping, built around succulent acids and ripe, powdery tannins that gently assert themselves on the finish. Drink date 2025-2045

This small estate, owned by the Castéja family, amounts to a mere 12 hectares, eight of which are located in a walled clos. Planted with a large percentage of Cabernet Franc, including a parcel of ancient, pre-phylloxera vines from which a massale selection has been taken, soils are shallow clay over limestone—entirely different from the deep clays of neighbor Troplong Mondot (the vineyard's exposition is different too). Vinification is quite gentle, though temperature is maintained at around 30 degrees Celsius at the end of maceration, and since 2010 or so, winemaking is more reductive. In the cellar, 100% new oak is the order of the day, but the toasts chosen are not especially impactful, and this naturally concentrated, lively wine seems to have no trouble digesting it.

Aromas and flavors of dark fruit, plums, mushrooms, pine cones, cedar and tile. Full-bodied, yet reserved, with ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate. So layered and beautiful. Hints of crushed stone and deep earth on the finish. Steely at the end. Give this time. Try after 2025.

Blackberry, raspberry and cappuccino-laced liquorice notes on the attack. As ever with Trotte Vieille there is clear and present austerity that comes through as chalky tannins and fresh acidities that scrape through the finish along slate walls adding a kick of salinity. Takes its time to open and is really one you need to sit with. As it relaxes in the glass the peony and iris floral notes become clear, showcasing the Cabernet Franc in the wine, with smoked coffee beans ensuring a gourmet edge. Good stuff. Drinking Window 2027 - 2044

Deep ruby purple in the glass with a brilliant, aromatic nose of violets and blue fruits. The paalte is silky, soft and refined, the ripe tannins allowing the blueberry core to shine through. There is a hint of savoury menthol and cedar, and just a hint of green peppercorn that adds freshness with vibrant acidity. This is finely etched and forward, with compact precision and juicy approachability. A great effort this year.

Gorgeously pure notes of blue fruits, violets, spring flowers, and graphite emerge from the 2019 Château Trotte Vieille, a silky, concentrated, sensational Saint-Emilion. Clearly the finest vintage from this château I've tasted, it's medium to full-bodied, has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's a "wow" wine in the vintage that can be drunk today or cellared for two decades. Bravo!