Tronquoy 2019

As I wrote earlier this year, the 2019 Tronquoy-Lalande has turned out beautifully, and it continues to show very well, offering up inviting aromas of wild berries, spices, rose petals and cassis. Medium to full-bodied, layered and sensual, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a long, vibrant finish, it's reminiscent of a somewhat more sun-kissed and extroverted sibling of the terrific 2016 at this address.
Drink Date: 2025 - 2045

This is really complex and perfumed, with an extremely attractive bouquet of flowers and dark fruit, such as currants. Full-bodied with crushed stones and chewy tannins, yet there’s polish and sophistication to it. Serious bottle here. Try after 2025.

The 2019 Tronquoy-Lalande is made from 50% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly unfurls to offers fragrant notes of rose oil, Indian spices, and licorice over a core of creme de cassis and stewed plums, plus a hint of lavender. The full-bodied palate is firm and sturdy, with grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to match the muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy.

The 2019 Tronquoy-Lalande has a concentrated nose with quite intense black fruit, touches of boysenberry, a little richer than some of its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with a dense, powerful, almost burly entry, very saline in the mouth, yet I am seeking more precision and finesse on the finish. That may well develop with time. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Deep, vivid purple in the glass and intense on the nose with a gravelly, smoky tone and lashings of ripe blackcurrant fruit. Rich and powerful on the palate, it matches depth with a sheen of silky blue and black fruit. There is an airy top note, balancing the fruit with notes of flowers and white pepper. A spicy, impressive, complex wine, this is a mini Montrose. Outstanding value for money.

So much ripe juicy fruit here, striking depth and power to the berries. This has the seductive flesh of Merlot, and is overall extremely bright blueberry and blackberry, and full of vigour. The vines are now at 10 years after an extensive replanting programme, and are showing their potential.

Tasted blind. Very deep, glowing crimson. Sweet, ripe and glamorous. Intense – like the essence of St-Estèphe. Stone tisane ... Combines the sweetness of the early wines in this flight with the stoniness of the later ones. GV

Always a slightly Merlot-heavy blend that includes lots of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as small amounts of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the deep purple-hued 2019 Château Tronquoy-Lalande offers a powerful, medium to full-bodied, concentrated style that's going to reward cellaring. Giving up lots of red and black currant fruits as well as cedarwood, iron, and chocolaty aromatics, it has terrific overall balance, background oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's well worth seeking out and comes close to rivaling the 2018.