| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This Saint Emilion property is owned by the Castéja family of Château Batailley. Quality has been impressive here in recent vintages. The vineyard is planted with 50% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc - some of which is over 100 years old - with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Blackcurrants and blueberries with some chocolate and hazelnut. Bark and mushroom undertones. Salt. Full-bodied with very fine tannins. Very structured. Muscular yet polished. The tannins go on and on. 50% cabernet franc, 49% merlot and 1% cabernet sauvignon. This needs lots of time because of the super tannin structure. Needs five or six years to soften. Try after 2029.
The 2020 Trotte Vieille opens in the glass with aromas of sweet dark berries, violets and licorice framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with impressive depth at the core, it's nicely balanced but a little wrapped up in firm, seemingly barrel-derived tannins. Improvements are underway in the vineyards, but for now, the élevage would appear to be this estate's weak link.
The 2020 Trotte Vieille has an arresting bouquet that initially puts me off. However, upon closer inspection, it coheres and gains freshness, perhaps due to a healthy dollop of Cabernet Franc in the blend. It works. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins, quite rich yet fresh thanks to the acidity. It lacks some nuance and amplitude on the finish, but otherwise, this should be fascinating to watch age. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2027 - 2048
The 2020 Trotte Vieille is a blend of 95% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, aging for an anticipated 16 months in French oak barrels, 80% new. The alcohol is 15%. Opaque purple-black in color, it bursts from the glass with vivacious notes of wild blueberries, ripe, juicy black plums and black raspberries, plus hints of lilacs, star anise and tar with a touch of wild thyme. The rich, full-bodied palate coats the mouth with black fruits and exotic spice sparks, framed by grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on a fragrant earth note. 2024 - 2044
Always one of the latest to harvest, as this is located directly on the limestone plateau, with 12ha of vines. Intense and focused, showing sculpted blueberry and black cherry fruit, grilled cocoa bean and tar, the tannins close in pretty tightly through the palate, and it needs plenty of time in the glass to reveal the gunsmoke and violet edges. Great ageing potential here, this is living up to En Primeur potential.
Full bottle 1,340 g. Undated cask sample. 50% Cabernet Franc, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Average vine age 65 years.
Dark purple. On the nose there is no hint of such high alcohol. Very supple texture and a lot of flattering fruit that pretty much distracts from the medium charge of tannin. Much less obvious tannin than most of its peers. A certain appetising savour and energy. 15%
Drink 2026 – 2040
The 2020 is 50% Cabernet Franc, 49% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep ruby in colour. Wonderfully fragrant on the nose, all blue fruit, violets and spice. The palate is elegant and fine, with a graphite note from the Cabernet Franc to keep everything fresh and vibrant. Plump, sweet plums and vanilla bolster and round out the wine, but this is all about elegance and poise. An excellent showing this year.
(50% M, 50% CF; 60% harvest; 14.5% ABV; 100% new)
Dense, dumb to smell, but you sense a farily massive presence; full-bodied, fresh to vital, firm in tannin; ripe and sweet and mouthcoating, long and fragrant, firm and yet elegant, complex, tenacious, slightly old-fashioned in its tannin feel, but complete and with excellent length. Sweet, fresh, stylish in its slightly rugged way. Very long and detailed, the texture just a touch coarse by today’s very polished standards. Needs a decade minimum. 2030–50+.
The 2020 TrotteVieille has a backward nose that gradually opens, with layers of blackberry and raspberry, freshly rolled tobacco, clean and precise. This is classy. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, beautifully balanced and finely structured. A dash of black pepper toward the persistent finish. This is living up to its full potential and should develop with class in bottle.
The 2020 TrotteVieille is quite broody and backward on the nose at first, demanding 15–20 minutes to open. It then reveals blackberry, sea spray/marine scents and hints of crushed chalk and pencil box. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a firm structure, indicating that this is a Saint-Émilion that should be cellared for several years. There is a lovely touch of white pepper and allspice toward the finish. I suspect this is a TrotteVieille that will reward the patient. 2028 - 2055
Fantastic texture and structure to this wine with firm, silky tannins that go on and on. Love the crushed blackberries, blueberries and salt. Floral and mineral character, too. Full and tight with great length. Chewy at the very end, indicating real structure. All about structure and length. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 49% merlot, and 1% cabernet sauvignon.
Excellent grip and tension through the palate, a well-judged and well-balanced Trottevieille, doing exactly as well as expected in a vintage that favours clay and limestone soils that keep freshness and focus. Elegant and sleek, plenty of tight blackberry fruit and a mouthwatering finish. Expands through the mid palate and then closes in on the finish, a confident wine where you feel the terroir is pulling the strings not the winemaker. Tasted twice, loved both times.
Drinking Window 2028 - 2044
