2013 Trottevieille

The 2013 Trottevieille has a light, slightly earthy, woodland-scented bouquet with fine definition. It might lack a bit of vigor, but there is charm here and a sense of personality. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp and perhaps slightly obtrusive tannin that should be abraded down with time. This Saint Emilion is nicely balanced, nonchalant and carefree with a smudged cherry and redcurrant finish. This is perfectly satisfying for the vintage and should give up to a decade's worth of drinking pleasure.

Dark fruit-cake style on the nose – dense and raisined. Tip-top freshness on the palate, all very nicely made – just doesn't deliver the flavour range of a great vintage, understandably. A good example of the modesty of 2013. (RH)

The final blend of 54% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 70% of the production going into the top label, characterizes the 2013 Trottevieille. The wine is medium-bodied, pleasant, somewhat one-dimensional, but not deep, despite incredibly low yields of only 16 hectoliters per hectare. Consulting oenologists here are Denis Dubourdieu (a brilliant white winemaking guru, but less so with red) and Gilles Pauquet. A little more adventure and risk might produce something slightly more interesting than their 2013, but one never knows.