Trotanoy

Purchased by Jean-Pierre Moueix in 1953, Château Trotanoy has been considered one of the premier crus of Pomerol since the end of the eighteenth century. The soil of Château Trotanoy is a very dense mixture of clay and gravel which tends to solidify as it dries out after rain to an almost concrete-like hardness, hence the name “Trotanoy,” or, in other words, “too wearisome” to cultivate.

The Trotanoy vineyard slopes gently to the west. The soil at the highest point of exposure contains a good proportion of gravel, becoming progressively more dominated by clay as the elevation declines. Under this clay is a subsoil of red gravel and an impermeable layer of hard, iron-rich soil known as “crasse de fer.” This fascinating soil diversity brings power, depth and complexity to the wine. Trotanoy is vinified in small concrete vats, while aging takes place in oak barrels.

Winemaker notes

Trotanoy is a naturally profound, complex, richly-concentrated wine with outstanding aging potential. The wine possesses a deep color and a dense, powerful nose, repeated on the palate with the addition of creamy, dark chocolate notes, and a singular concentration of flavor owed to its very old vines.

2011

Wine Advocate 92+: Rich, dense, masculine and substantial, Trotanoy has produced a bigger wine than most 2011s. Similar to the masculinity and robustness of Gazin, with more mineral content, this medium to full-bodied, muscular effort will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring and should keep for two decades. Think black cherries, earth, baking spices and serious extract!

James Suckling 93: This shows very fine tannins for the vintage. Polished. Full body with a solid core of fruit and a long, caressing finish. Classy for the vintage.

2014

Wine Advocate 97: The 2014 Trotanoy had (que surprise!) closed down on the nose compared to its JP Moueix stablemates. A few swirls of the glass and it reveals very precise, mineral-soaked black fruit laced with black truffle and subtle sous-bois aromas. It soon gathers momentum and the aromas were gaining more and more intensity after five minutes. The palate is outstanding. There is brilliant structure here, immense and almost staggering purity, incredible focus and tension with an electrifying spiciness on the finish. Best Pomerol of the vintage? The only thing wrong with that last sentence is the question mark at the end.

James Suckling 97: Spellbinding aromas of flowers such as lilacs and honeysuckle with strawberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, super tight and polished with wonderful finesse and length. Seamless, fine tannins give this endless mouthfeel.

Vinous 94: The 2014 Trotanoy has a more complex bouquet than the 2014 Gazin, with more Pomerol DNA in the mix, iron-tinged red berry fruit, black truffle and cedar. Fine delineation and quintessentially Pomerol. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and harmonious, soy-tinged black fruit with white pepper sprinkled over the finish. This has personality and class but needs time (comme d’habitude). One of the standouts in what is an inconsistent Pomerol vintage.

Wine Enthusiast 95: This is a powerfully structured wine from a 18-acre property on the plateau of Pomerol. Rich Merlot dominates and gives the wine both its alcohol and its intense tannins and juicy red fruits. The wine is dense with the potential for aging over a considerable time. Drink from 2025. 

2018

Wine Advocate 99: The 2018 Trotanoy is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal a jaw-dropping perfume of Black Forest cake, black raspberries, blackberry pie and kirsch, followed by hints of cast-iron pan, violets, woodsmoke, Chinese five spice and eucalyptus, with a waft of tree bark. The full-bodied palate explodes with exotic spice and mineral fireworks, grounded by a concentrated, black and red berry preserves core and framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing with epic length and depth. It will need a good five years in bottle to tame some of the youthfully overt, showy fruit and allow the mineral and earth nuances to emerge, then it should easily cellar another 35 years or more.

James Suckling 98-99: This is such a pinpointed and precise wine that shows a fantastic center palate of ripe and rich fruit with a combination of chocolate and cedar. Full-bodied, racy and focused. Lasts for minutes.

Vinous 99: The 2018 Trotanoy is a bold, powerful wine. In this vintage, some of the imposing structure that is such a Trotanoy signature has been replaced by super-expressive aromatics and striking detail. Dried herbs, iron, gravel and crushed rose petals all lend gorgeous savory nuance to a core of potent red berry fruit. Trotanoy is a Pomerol for those who can be patient. The 2018, though, is extraordinarily beautiful right out of the gate.

Decanter 98: This is bright, vibrant, complex and full of life. This is the final blend, evolved just a notch since the En Primeur tasting because they have had one final racking since then (owner Edouard Moueix says that the Les Hangars plot in particular needs just a little longer than the rest to fully tame its tannins, and so they prefer to wait). The signature of 2018 is sun and you can taste it in the fruit here, that is ripe but not overripe, with a floral edging of violets and roses alongside a punch of blackberry, dark chocolate and cocoa powder that will evolve into notes of truffles. I get the same feeling as I did during En Primeur - that this flirts with the brilliance of the 2016, and that I'm hugely looking forward to tracking it in bottle.

Wine Enthusiast 96: This is a great estate performing at its best. In this latest release, massive tannins give black-plum fruits concentration and layers of spice and licorice flavors. The wine is set for long-term aging and certainly should not be touched before 2027. 

2020

Wine Advocate 94+: The 2020 Trotanoy is the most powerful wine in the Mouiex portfolio this year, delivering a rich bouquet of cherries, dark berries, fruitcakes, licorice, anise and brown sugar. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, with a ripe, heady core of sun-kissed fruit and considerable structuring extract, it concludes with a broad, expansive finish that largely conceals the wine's 15% alcohol. Given its structure and substance, it will certainly require some patience.

James Suckling 100: Love the perfume and finesse here with fresh flowers, blackberries, crushed stones and cement. Cedar. Full and very long with tight and muscular tannins that go on for minutes. Tight and thoughtful. Soulful. Try after 2030.

Vinous 98-100: The 2020 Trotanoy blew me away when I tasted the sample over several hours in the UK. Was it a potential perfect wine? The mere presence of doubt meant that I did not feel mandated to award a perfect score, by a cat’s whisker. Re-examining the Trotanoy at the offices of J-P Moueix, I feel this gives me the mandate to up my potential score. It is simply an astonishing Pomerol that takes all your senses by their lapels and demands attention. There is a beguiling symmetry that no other 2020 possesses, a precision that astounds. Let’s see what this boy can do in bottle then.

Decanter 100: A sure fire hit in 2020 and one of my absolute favourites of the vintage. Perfumed black cherries, roses and dark chocolate on the nose: ripe and fresh aromas. The crystalline fruit purity and finesse is wonderful while still filling the mouth with a density to the crushed velvet-textured tannins that give the structure and cushioning. Seriously appealing and charming, it’s big and clearly powerful with layers of black fruit, but it has a sense of restraint where nothing feels overworked. Perfectly weighted with balance, poise and persistence – you know you're drinking something special here.

Wine Enthusiast 95: The wine is floral as well as rich, perfumed black currant fruits that show strongly on the dense palate. It is structured, and concentrated; promising aging as well as juicy fruits now.

2021

Wine Advocate 94+: While the 2021 Trotanoy is the most muscular, structured wine in the Mouiex portfolio this year, by Trotanoy's standards, the wine is remarkably supple and charming, and it will only require a modicum of cellaring, even if it will reward more. Offering up aromas of dark cherries, plums and berries mingled with sweet soil tones, licorice and espresso roast, it's medium to full-bodied, with a broad attack, a creamy core of fruit and sweet, powdery tannins that only gently assert themselves on the finish.

James Suckling 96: Plum, chocolate, hazelnut and iodine aromas follow through to a medium body with firm and silky tannins and a savory finish. Hints of toasted oak and chocolate to the fruit on the palate. Balanced and classy. Seriously pretty. Trot personality. Give this three or four years to open and show more. Drink after 2025.

Vinous 93: The 2021 Trotanoy has come together nicely. Its mid-weight structure is impossible to miss. A hint of new oak, rarely perceptible here, is a clear sign of the lighter style of the year. Spice, leather, tobacco and cedar lead into a core of dark-toned fruit. The 2021 is a rare Trotanoy that will drink well with minimal cellaring.

Decanter 96: Perfumed and vivid nose. Supple and alive, plump yet streamlined, too - the initial bounce of round, ripe fruit straightens and focuses like a laser with cool blue fruits and menthol touches supported by the grippy, salty tannins that keep the mouth full of texture. A serious wine yet nuanced, pure and fresh. Perhaps not the weight you’d usually expect, but this has total charm and really delivers an enjoyable, cellarable wine.

Wine Enthusiast 96: Fresh aromas of blackberries are an enticing entry into a wine with ripe tannins. Clay with iron in the soil gives an important structure and layers of black currant fruits along with tannins. This is a big wine worth aging. Drink from 2028.

2023

Wine Advocate 95-97: The 2023 Trotanoy is showing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, rose petals, baking chocolate, spices and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and elegantly muscular palate that's rich, dense and powerful, while remaining unusually sensual and harmonious for the standards of an estate that can sometimes produce hulking, monolithic wines. Concentrated and penetrating, it's an especially strong performer this year.

James Suckling 100: Love the perfume and finesse here with fresh flowers, blackberries, crushed stones and cement. Cedar. Full and very long with tight and muscular tannins that go on for minutes. Tight and thoughtful. Soulful. Try after 2030.