Chateau Trotte Vieille

Chateau Trotte Vieille is located east of St-Emilion on the limestone plateau, with its name derived from la trotte vieille, an old trotting lady. There was a story of an old lady who trotted to hear the news of Bordeaux when stagecoaches came, which got the estate its name.

The current owners became involved with the property in 1949, acquired by Marcel Borie, who subsequently passed to his son-in-law Emile Casteja. Now it is under Societe Borie Manoux, part of a portfolio that also includes Batailley and Lynch-Moussas.

The vineyards cover 10 hectares, having a favorable south-southwest aspect, with clay over limestone bedrock, planted with 50% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon at 5%. Planting density is 7500 vines per hectare, with the average vine age of about 50 years. A block actually dates back to pre-phylloxera era.

Yields are controlled by single/double Guyot pruning and debudding, with green harvesting during summer, averaging about 33 hl/ha, and 29 hl/ha for the grand vin. Harvest is manual, with the fruit fermented in temperature controlled concrete vats. The wines stay between 3-4 weeks before transferring to barrel for malolactic fermentation and ageing.

The wine will be aged for 18 to 24 months, using 90 to 100% new oak. The grand vin is Chateau Trottevieille, with a second wine La Vieille Dame de Trottevieille. It is ranked a premier grand cru classe in the 2012 classification.

I have recently tasted the 2008 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose
Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit of dark plum, blackberry and dark cherries, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of licorice, sweet spice of cloves, kernel notes of coffee, hints of maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin which is silky and integrated to the structure, showing nice finesse. Medium in alcohol, the wine has medium body and medium intensity on flavors of black fruit such as plum and blackberry, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of espresso, sweet spice of cloves. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion
Good quality St-Emilion with a fairly intense nose showing good complexity, with different characters all harmonized, the wine has a well-balanced palate, showing fair concentration and a finesse on its silky and integrated tannin. Finishing with a good length, the wine is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.