Château Trotanoy 2018

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.

Rich, with a velvety feel to the mix of crushed plum and steeped fig and boysenberry fruit. Lots of dried anise, tobacco, charcoal and black tea curl around the finish, where a graphite spine is deeply imbedded. Well-structured for the cellar too. Best from 2023 through 2038. 1,375 cases made.

This stood out en primeur and it does again in bottle (I also tasted it in between at a Decanter Fine Wine Encounter), more than holding its own over ageing. There is just so much to sink your teeth into: a ton of textured blackberry and bilberry fruits, with cocoa pods and saffron spice, giving a clue as to the warmth of the vintage, but still shot through with fresh acidity. Young and curled, this needs time.

Super nose of dried blueberry, black plum, walnut, myrrh and sandalwood. Lavender, violet, and chocolate, too. Ripe with wood now, but fresh. It’s full-bodied with firm, ultra-fine tannins. Lots of dark spice is interlaced with the ripe fruit, giving this complex, perfumed character. Muscular, long and seamless with incredible depth and concentration. Reminds me of the great 2009, but this is better with more structure. Amazing wine. This is 100% merlot. Try from 2027.

The 2018 Trotanoy is one that I described as one of the vintage’s best wines when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it delivers a heavenly bouquet of mixed red and black fruit, iron filings, truffle and mint. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful structure and poise. This is an extremely complex Pomerol, lightly peppered with gentle but insistent grip toward the finish. You can feel it lingering in the mouth for 60 seconds afterward. Returning to the same bottle the following day, it had, remarkably, blossomed into an even greater Pomerol, gaining cohesion and revealing its symmetry and structure, with even more complexity and nuance on the finish. A titan.

Breathtaking in every sense of the word, this is what great Pomerol is all about. Dark in color, the complex bouquet opens with flowers, truffle, chocolate, black cherry, incense, smoke, licorice and spice. But the best part of the wine happens on your palate, with its lavish display of velvet-drenched fruit. The level of purity, combined with its opulent, sensual qualities, length and complexity, is almost off the charts! The finish easily crosses the 60-second mark! This is a future legend of Bordeaux.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, violet tints, delicate watery edge. Fine plum fruit, fresh orange zest, black forest berry jam, tobacco nuances. Complex, finely meshed, fine nougat, black fruit, vivid, supporting tannins, very complex and long, chocolatey finish, designed for decades.

Another heavenly Pomerol in the vintage, the 2018 Château Trotanoy checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up in (I suspect) lots of new French oak (although it's certainly not apparent). Revealing a dense purple hue as well as a smorgasbord-like bouquet of blackcurrants, dried flowers, cured meats, violets, tobacco, and chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a sexy, seductive texture, building yet sweet tannins, and just a rich, concentrated, yet flawless profile on the palate that's already impossible to resist. Nevertheless, a good 7-8 years of bottle age are warranted, and this magical elixir is going to evolve for 40 years or more.

Deep purple with an opaque core and a delicate ruby rim. Very complex bouquet with dried wild herbs, bay leaf and profound terroir spice. On the second approach, blackcurrant, wild cherry and dark chocolate truffle. On the multi-layered palate with a soft texture, cocoa-like extract, dense tannic framework that gives Pomerol–Thor poise and incredible depth—I’m left breathless. In the concentrated, never-ending finish, a symbiosis of unbelievable power, magical finesse, regal astringency and dark graphite. This is pure perfection and can only receive the highest score. Merci, Christian Moueix!

Kunz barrel sample 19: (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc) Closed, deep, dark bouquet with black blackberries, black cherries, fine woods, currants, licorice, small tobacco squares, cedar. Concentrated, multi-layered, powerful, elegant and aromatic palate with dense, velvety fruit, lots of fine tannins, a varied, intense aromatic profile, a finely muscular, finely creamy structure, and a very long, explosive, super aromatic finish.

Concentrated, complex, profound, mineral, superb bouquet, wild strawberries, dark chocolates, flint, currants, dark tobacco, fine graphite. Powerful, tightly woven and elegant, with great drive, a concentrated, creamy structure, plenty of fine tannins, superb aromatics, a very long, dense, full finish. 20/20 2026 - 2060

Inky depths to the colour. This has been hard to ignore since the first tasting En Primeur, and although now three years old, it is barely out of the starting blocks. In fact, scratch that, it isn't yet out of the starting blocks, and needs at least another decade in bottle to really hit its stride. The tannins, however, are already covered in satin and dark chocolate, muscled and bristling, enclosing the most gorgeously pure cassis and blackberry fruit. Graphite, cigar box, slate come in strongly on the finish, and even though it is not ready, I have to say that I kept going back to it for just one more sip, just to check...

The 2018 Trotanoy is 100% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little swirling before it erupts with powerful notes of crushed black cherries, blackberry pie, and dark chocolate, leading to suggestions of licorice, cast-iron pan, charcuterie, and Indian spices. The full-bodied palate is so tightly knit, giving glimpses at bright black fruits and mineral layers framed by firm, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long on a lingering ferrous note.

All in restraint, a Trotanoy with structural intensity, muscle, delicacy, and haute couture silkiness.

Estate of 7.2 ha. Soils composed of clay gravels and black clays over iron deposit. An exceptional bouquet of complexity, subtlety, and depth! Plenty of fruit combining freshness and ripeness, with aromas of raspberry, black berries, and plum. A touch of cedar and smoky nuances. On the palate, the wine reveals itself with elegance and persuasion. It is broad, creamy, imposing yet subtle. It perfectly embodies the notion of quiet strength, of a great wine. The tannins are precise and powerful, aligned with the liveliness and energy of the acidic structure. So much depth and length in this wine. A great success that ranks among the best Bordeaux 2018.

Dark, intense, beautiful color. Very aromatic nose, delicate, fruity, complex and refined. Incredible floral nuances despite its 15% alcohol. Broad on the attack, supple through the mid-palate, highly aromatic, pure in its flavors, precise in texture; the wine glides, lingers mid-palate, bounces back and lasts a very long time. Bravo!

95–97. Barrel Sample. This is a powerful wine that is striated with big tannins from the Merlot. Dark and concentrated, its solid core of tannins contrasts with the bright acidity and the beautifully fresh black currant flavor. It will age magnificently.