2021, Château Trotanoy, POMEROL

Bordeaux Blend: Merlot, Cabernet Franc.

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. 93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous (2023).

The 2021 Trotanoy has one of the best aromatic profiles that I encountered amongst the Pomerols in this season: lovely, vivacious black cherries, wild strawberry, truffle and pencil box aromas that are beautifully defined and focused. This is real class. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh and focused with impressive weight and tension for such a challenging vintage. It takes a really terrible vintage to make a poor Trotanoy, and this is certainly a triumph in the face of adversity. 95 Neal Martin, Vinous (2023).

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, liquorice 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. 94+ William Kelley, Wine Advocate (2024).

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, cellar-able wine. 96 Georgina Hindle, Decanter (2023).

Drinking Window: 2030 - 2065