1994 Trotanoy

Beginning to show some evolution, the dark plum/garnet-colored 1994 Trotanoy has a certain herbaceousness and an interesting beef bouillon smell intermixed with some sweet cherries and earth. On the palate, it is a medium-bodied wine with sweet fruit, good brightness, but some relatively hard and slightly astringent tannins in the finish. That latter characteristic may become worrisome if they do not melt away. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2016. Last tasted, 2/02.

As a longtime fan of this property, I have been candid about my disappointment with most vintages of Trotanoy between 1983 and 1989. Certainly the 1990 appeared to be a return to the big, burly, concentrated style of Trotanoy produced in the forties, fifties, sixties, and early seventies. I am now convinced this property is on the rebound, as a result of sensational efforts in 1993, 1994, and the 1995, the latter wine the greatest Trotanoy since the 1970 and 1982. A dark ruby/purple color and a closed set of aromatics need to be probed to find the sweet, ripe fruit that appears to have gone into hiding since bottling. The masculine 1994 Trotanoy is backward, powerful, and in need of 5-7 years of cellaring. It is rich and medium to full-bodied, with outstanding fruit extraction, beefy, burly, and a true vin du garde. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020. Feb 1997, www.robertparker.com

Excellent deep red-ruby color. Bitter cherry and an exotic citrus skin note on the nose. Creamy in the middle and quite suave; as sweet as this is, it's also bright and firm, with very good backbone and grip. The tannins are similarly quite refined, and the finish is subtle but very persistent. Really impeccably balanced.