It was probably the Giraud family who first
planted vines in
Chateau Trotanoy, and the land was referred to as
Trop-Ennuie, translating to ‘too annoying’ because of the soils of thick clay
and gravel being too difficult to work. During the 19th century, the estate
was comfortably positioned with the best of the appellation, including Vieux
Chateau Certan and La Conseillante. It was also one of the largest, with 25
hectares.
From 1898 the estate became more
parcellated, due to the Napoleonic rules of inheritance and also inheritance
tax, which saw some of the vineyards sold off. With world war and
economic decline the estate declined in size, which was incorporated then as
the Societe Civile du Chateau Trotanoy, reducing to just 11 hectares.
The first change of hands happened after
more than two centuries, shortly after World War II, to the Pecresse family. However,
they did not hold the estate for long, and in 1953 it was sold again to the
Moueix family, with Jean-Pierre the one who struck the deal. It is
now under the next two generations of the right bank dynasty, Christian and
Edouard Moueix.
The Trotanoy vineyards comprise just 7.5
hectares, positioned partly in the Pomerol plateau, partly on the slope to the
west. The lower parts of the west-facing slope are rich in a dark clay
which is the character for much of Pomerol , with the parts higher up much more
gravel. The subsoils contain gravel and sand, and deeper is a rock-hard
layer of iron-rich soil.
Jean-Jacques, Christian’s cousin, now
resides in the chateau which is a modest but attractive house dating from the
late 19th century. The vines are 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet
Franc, approximately 40 years on average. The harvest in
Trotanoy may have finished in less than two days, even if the pickers are restricted
to work in the afternoon after the warmth of the day has lifted the morning dew.
The hand-picked fruit is delivered to the
cellars, where it is vinified in small concrete vats for up to ten days,
followed by a week of maceration on skins. Up until 2007 it
was Jean-Claude Berrouet that oversaw the operations, who also did at Petrus. With
his retirement he has been replaced by Eric Murisasco, still having very
similar processes as Petrus.
The main difference on the barrels at
Trotanoy typically only one-third to one-half are new each vintage. The
wines are kept within typically 18 months prior to bottling.
I have
recently tasted the 2006 vintage and below is my tasting note:
Appearance
Bright
and clear, it has medium ruby color, with fading rims and legs.
Nose
Clean,
with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry and plum,
herbal notes of mint, pungent spice of anise and licorice, oak notes of
vanilla, kernel notes of dark chocolate, sweet spice of nutmeg, maturity notes
of tobacco. The wine is developing.
Palate
Dry with
medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and silky texture, with
medium alcohol and medium body. It has medium (+) intensity flavors of black
fruit such as blackberry and plum, oak notes of vanilla, pungent spice of
licorice. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion
Very
good quality Pomerol with a good concentrated nose of good complexity, the wine
has demonstrated elegance and at the same time a firm structure, with the
Cabernet Franc characters particularly strong to my surprise. The palate is
equally intense and the wine finishes with a fairly long finish. It is ready to
drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 4-6 years.
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