Chateau Trotte Vieille Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2024

Deep garnet-purple colored. Needs quite a lot of swirling to coax out notes of black cherries, raspberry coulis, and boysenberries, leading to hints of cedar chest, rose oil, sassafras, and anise. The light to medium-bodied palate shimmers with energy delivering ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the mineral laced red berry flavors, finishing long and perfumed. Stunning!

Fragrant blackcurrant aromas with milk chocolate and a touch of vanilla. Clean and succulent, this is brimming with life and energy from the start. Mouthwatering acidity has both a subtle sweetness and cool touch with mint, graphite and pencil lead. Great texture - so silky smooth with refinement and elegance. Such a classy expression. Focus, precision and flavour. I like the structure and the clear minty, aniseed finish. 100% new oak is among the highest but this wine feels as if it can take it as the acidity keeps the expression lifted. Delicious. Perhaps less TrotteVieille signature than usual but really good. 75-80% grand vin. Ageing 100% new oak. 3.55pH.

Concentrated, medium intensity ruby red colour. On the opening this is restrained, elegant, pared back, with well delivered juice that just slowly infuses the palate with lift and sinewed salinity; This is a well balanced and confident wine, great quality. 100% new oak, 3.45ph. Tasted twice. Axel Marchal and Thomas Duclos consultants.

The 2024 Trotte Vieille is a potent, explosive wine. An exotic mélange of black fruit, new leather, chocolate, espresso, menthol and licorice literally stains the palate. As always, Trotte Vieille is such a distinctive wine. The finish is perhaps a touch light. Then again, this is 2024. Today, Trotte Vieille comes across as raw and not totally put together, but its pedigree and potential are undeniably present.

The 2024 Trotte Vieille was picked from 20 September to 5 October and matured entirely in new oak, with a small proportion aged in amphora. It has a lovely bouquet with redcurrant and black plum scents that gain amplitude with aeration. Not as intense as the impressive '22, but it has plenty of charm. The palate is medium-bodied with fluid tannins that lend a silky texture. The oak is well-judged and integrated, gaining weight towards the latter half. The finish is composed with just the right amount of piquancy. This is a delightful Saint-Émilion that will provide a great deal of pleasure.

Ideally situated on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, this estate consistently produces wines of great finesse without sacrificing body, even in challenging vintages. The 2024 Trotte Vieille is no exception, offering up bright aromas of licorice, pencil shavings, dark berries and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and impeccably balanced, it offers notable depth at the core, a juicy, fleshy mid-palate and a long, ethereal finish marked by chalky dry extract. The Cabernet Franc imparts a linear, ethereal structure, while the Merlot—harvested at optimal ripeness—contributes roundness and texture, seamlessly enrobing the wine’s core. This is a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc, 31% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon.