We host two blind tastings each year at our Battersea offices: the “10 Year On” tasting (more on which to follow in the coming weeks) and the Southwold tasting. Originally held in Southwold – hence the name – this blind tasting of the top 250 or so wines of the most recently shipped vintage has been held in our Battersea offices since 2016. We now call it “Southwold on Thames”. Both tastings invariably throw up some surprises, and the recent tasting of the 2022s gave us a giant-killer.
Château Tronquoy has been one of the Médoc’s biggest overachievers in the last decade, and continues to rise through the ranks year on year. This is no surprise in itself: the property is under the same ownership as Montrose, arguably the left bank's strongest performer in recent years, and shares the same expertise and financial backing that this affords. The property sits in one single plot on terrace 3, a seam of soil that streaks through some of the Médoc's finest vineyards with a gravel-clay mix that lends the wines here a supple texture.
2022 Château Tronquoy has always been a brilliant wine, rated highly from the start. "One of the Médoc's greatest values over the last decade", wrote William Kelley in March last year, scoring the wine 94 points. Neal Martin was also at 94 points in February 2025 and these are punchy scores for a wine at this price.
Blind at Southwold last month it shone even brighter. In Saint Estèphe it was beaten only by Montrose – and by a narrow margin. In terms of overall scores it was considerably ahead of both Châteaux Cos d’Estournel and Calon Ségur – the two wines that on paper should join Montrose on the podium. Indeed more than a handful of the panel rated it ahead of Montrose, a wine that comes in at more than six times the price.
Our stocks of 2022 Tronquoy, packed in original cases of six bottles, are lying with us at our Melksham bond and are ready to go. The wine is already delicious though ideally wants another couple of years in bottle, and will continue to develop for a decade plus. It is a great deal of wine for the money.
The 2022 Tronquoy has turned out much better than I anticipated, bursting with aromas of dark berries, cassis, cigar box and nicely integrated new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and elegantly muscular palate that's dense and penetrating. This is well worth seeking out. 2027 - 2045
The 2022 Tronquoy contains more Cabernet Sauvignon this year due to the low-yielding Merlot, resulting in an impressive Saint-Estèphe. It was an impressive Saint-Estèphe out of barrel. Now, it has a very intense bouquet of blackberry, raspberry coulis, wilted violets and a slight honeyed aroma. This is well defined, miles away from the Tronquoy I tasted a decade ago. The palate is medium-bodied and very balanced, with powdery tannins and a thread of salinity that gives it an estuarine personality. There's real character to this wine, though I suggest giving it three to five years in bottle before broaching. Excellent. 2028 - 2060
Tasted blind at Southwold 2022. This wine has been excellent since we first tasted it from bottle, and blind it has revealed just how brilliant it is, coming second only to Montrose in Saint Estèphe. Still with a purple sheen in the glass, the nose is full of dark cherry and cassis, a touch of grilled bread and some seductive but well-judged wood spice. The palate is rich with dark fruit but matched by chalky, ripe tannins. This mixture of sweet and savoury comes together superbly, creating a wine of breadth and depth, accented with more flecks of that well-judged wood with tones of incense and burning embers. This is a serious wine and still very youthful - it is delicious but will benefit from another two years in bottle before approaching, and I expect it will really hit its stride from 8-10 years old like the 2016. A deep, focused finish promises even more to come. A quite outstanding wine, regardless of its price.
Gorgeous aromatics, silky tannins, great waves of cocoa bean and plum puree, slow burn on the opening, then the fruit slowly expands throughout the mid palate, strong floral quality on the nose, peony and iris, this is a good vintage of Tronquoy, modern, hard to argue with. Clear tannic grip, give it a few years in bottle.
Tasted blind. Good energy on the nose. Sweet, purple-fruited start. Masses of tannin. So youthful! But very stony St-Estèphe.
The 2022 Château Tronquoy is the finest vintage of this cuvée ever produced, offering fabulous aromatics of cassis, graphite, violets, flowers, chocolate, and earthy nuances. Full-bodied and beautifully rich and textured on the palate, with sweet tannins and a seamless, concentrated mouthfeel, it’s already hard to resist, and as I said from barrel, it shows the ripeness of the vintage while staying pure, balanced, and seamless. It’s going to benefit from just 4-6 years in the cellar and drink well for 25+ years.
59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Formerly Tronquoy-Lalande. New label with blue typeface; blue wax seal. Cask sample.
Lots of energy, the fruit pure and juicy. Aromatic with dark-fruit notes and well-integrated oak. Ripe but lifted. Crunchy tannins on the finish. (JL) 14.5%
Drink 2030– 2040
