Chateau Trotte Vieille Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018

Wow. This really sends a tingle down my spine. Love the energy and length to this. Very distinguished. Full-bodied yet tight, polished and compressed. It has a great finish. Exciting. Really.

There's a floral edge to the nose here that is clear from the start - the old Cabernet Franc vines and the limestone have served Trotte Vieille well in 2018. It has good juiciness, full of such beautiful signatures of the property, from its mineral, slatey character that scales the walls, to its creamy texture and brambly and raspberry jelly fruit, all finished off with a saline kick on the finish. Great stuff. 38hl/ha yield. 100% new oak.

The 2018 TrotteVieille is a super-intriguing wine. Aromatically deep and layered, the 2018 offers tremendous depth and textural finesse. Mocha, grilled herbs, black cherry, new leather and spice all wrap around the palate in a dense, racy Saint-Émilion. The blend is 54% Cabernet Franc, 44% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2018 TrotteVieille appears to have calmed down since I tasted it from barrel. High-toned black cherry and cassis fruit are still to the fore, though again, I would prefer to see more delineation. The palate is ripe on the entry with a sweet core of cassis and boysenberry, light veins of graphite and an opulent but controlled finish. As I commented from barrel, it needs a little more charm and personality, although it is very harmonious and quite precise.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Trotte Vieille leaps from the glass with vivacious scents of baked red plums, black raspberries and prunes with underlying scents of dried herbs, fallen leaves, dusty soil and tobacco. Full-bodied with a firm line of chewy tannins, it delivers a lot of stewed fruits on the mid-palate with a slightly warm finish.