2020 Trotanoy
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2020 Trotanoy blew me away when I tasted the sample over several hours in the UK. Was it a potential perfect wine? The mere presence of doubt meant that I did not feel mandated to award a perfect score, by a cat’s whisker. Re-examining the Trotanoy at the offices of J-P Moueix, I feel this gives me the mandate to up my potential score. It is simply an astonishing Pomerol that takes all your senses by their lapels and demands attention. There is a beguiling symmetry that no other 2020 possesses, a precision that astounds. Let’s see what this boy can do in bottle then.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Deep plum colour. Pared back and precise on the nose, showing damson, gunsmoke and rose petal. This is all about the crouching fruits and fine but utterly confident tannic structure - it makes you smile involuntarily. There is just so much happening underneath the layers of blackberry fruit - the rose petal from the nose becomes more evident, as does the depth and texture to the tannins. A brilliant Trotanoy, showcasing so much of its personality, and why this is a long-living Pomerol that has menace and bite, but also beauty. There is unquestioned austerity on the tannins at the end of play, but they are drumming their fingers, ready to spring forward. Harvest September 15 to 18, a yield around 42hl/ha. Potential 100 when in bottle.
Opaque purple-black in color, the 2020 Trotanoy needs considerable coaxing and swirling before it erupts from the glass with powerful notes of prunes, chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and hoisin, plus nuances of candied violets, star anise and clove oil, with a touch of smoked meats. The big, concentrated, full-bodied palate explodes with decadent black fruit preserves and exotic spices, supported by wonderfully velvety tannins and bags of freshness, finishing with epic length and, finally, lots of earth and mineral layers. A truly impressive titan of a Pomerol, this is going to need a good 6-8 years in bottle, then should go on wowing for 40 years or more.
A very concentrated Trot with density and depth, the tannins spreading across the palate. Full and very intense. It goes on for minutes. Great depth. Another soulful wine from the Moueix family.
About the producer
Château Trotanoy was one of the first recognised Premier Cru sites on the Pomerol plateau, with records dating back to the late 1700s. Even back in the nineteenth century it was seen as the best site in Pomerol second only to Vieux Château Certan.