This has a well-built core of loganberry, plum and black cherry preserve flavors infused with savory and tobacco nuances. The finish is lightly dusty but refined, with a subtle iron twinge filtering in.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: The 2016 Trottevieille is a blend of 45% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon and 53% Cabernet Franc picked on 6 October for the Merlot and 18 October for the Cabernets, one of the latest in recent years. The yield was 37 hectoliters per hectare, and it is matured entirely in new oak. The bouquet is quite intense, although personally I would have employed less new oak. However, it does open up nicely in the glass and imparts nuances such as orange blossom and incense aromas with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well judged acidity, and here I feel the oak is simpatico with the fruit. It has a lovely grainy texture, great depth and maintains precision all the way through to the finish. This is a strong follow-up to the 2015 Trottevieille although it will require several years in bottle to subsume the oak.
- Wine Enthusiast: Smoky, woody aromas still show in this young wine. It has plenty of elegance as well, showing its pedigree with restrained fruitiness that will develop slowly. This balanced wine will be ready to drink from 2025.
Producer Information
Château Trotte Vieille (sometimes encountered as TrotteVieille or Trottevieille) is a wine estate in Saint-Émilion, just one kilometer (0.6 miles) east of the town itself, on the famed Saint-Emilion plateau, neighboring the likes of châteaux La Couspaude, Troplong-Mondot and Balestard La Tonelle. The Merlot-dominant estate dates back to 1453 and has belonged to the Borie-Manoux négociant business since 1949. In 1955 it was rated as Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the official classification of Saint-Émilion wines, a status it has retained through every subsequent reiteration of the famed classification. The origins of the château’s name lie in the 14th Century. Legend has it that a little old lady would walk, or trot, down to the crossing where passing stagecoaches from Bordeaux would make a stop. She would hassle travellers for any news from the city, and the people of Saint-Émilion nicknamed her “la trotte vieille”, or “the old trot”. Viticulture at Château Trotte Vieille was first officially recorded in a document dating from 1453, making Trotte Vieille one of the oldest in the appellation. Indeed, some of the vines in the 10-hectare (25-acre) walled vineyard are more than 140 years old. The dominant grape variety is Merlot, closely followed by Cabernet Franc and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. These vines are planted in red clay soils overlying limestone. Château Trotte Vieille’s grand vin is Merlot-predominant, as is the second wine, La Vieille Dame de Trotte Vieille. Harvest is done by hand and the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled concrete vats. This fermentation lasts approximately 15-20 days in the case of the grand vin, after which the wine is then aged in oak barrels for 12-18 months. Borie-Manoux also owns two other properties in Bordeaux: Château Batailley in Pauillac and Château Beau-Site in Saint-Estèphe.
