| 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.
The 2022 is the second vintage to be made in the fully renovated facilities, which include 26 vats for 11 hectares of land. The blend is 53% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot. Maturation in 100% new oak. 50% of the crop was relegated into the 2nd label - Dame de Trottevielle. Production 1500 cases
The 2023 Trotte Vieille has quite a floral bouquet, with plenty of raspberry and crushed strawberry fruit and hints of potpourri emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red fruit and fine structure. Though it doesn't possess the sheer horsepower and length of the previous vintage, it has an animated, peppery finish that lingers in the mouth. Proprietor Frédéric Castèja actually prefers this to the 2022, and I can see why.
Bright ruby colour. The nose is tropical and exotic here, showing damson fruit and blueberry jam. The palate is oily, slick and marked by toasty, generous wood. There is a blood orange, amaro, graphite note that keeps everything in check and adds lift, but this is full of spice box and is a plump, polished style. Well made, this should knit together well in barrel. Smoky, long finish.
Wow, this is really something. It is full and powerful with truly impressive depth of fruit. Yet, it remains agile and structural, with flexed muscles, balanced by a sense of floating. Well defined and poised. 53% cabernet franc, 44% merlot, and 3% cabernet. Will it be better than 2022?
The 2023 Trotte Vieille is deep garnet-purple in color. The first impression is WOW! It prances out of the glass with showy notes of ripe black plums, mulberries, and blackberry pie followed by hints of candied violets, cedar chest, cinnamon stick, and clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers electric tension, with super-fine satiny-smooth tannins and intense black fruit and baking spice layers, finishing long and fragrant. Along with the 2022, this is the best Trotte Vieille I've tasted. The blend is 53% Cabernet Franc, 44% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol of 13.5%. “The new vat room was finished in 2021 for Trotte Vieille,” commented owner Frédéric Castéja. “This made a big difference to what we could achieve this year. The aim was to respect the fruit, keep the freshness, and make wines that are not too tannic and aggressive when young. This is the opposite of the wines from the 1990s.”
The 2023 Trotte Vieille is a seriously impressive wine. Dark, resonant and explosive, the 2023 packs a huge punch. A blast of dark fruit, herbs, menthol, spice and licorice saturates the palate, with pretty floral and savory notes that play off all that richness. Superb. Drink 2030-2053.
