Château Trotte Vieille 2019

The 2019 vintage in Saint-Émilion

Vintage benchmark: 95/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: A hot end of summer on rehydrated soils gave a rare balance between freshness and substance.

Overall reading of the year’s season across Saint-Émilion. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.

Tasting

“With a sparkling red colour, the bouquet develops an expression of red fruits and flowers, complemented by a subtle sensation of freshness. The texture on the palate is tasty, with very elegant tannins. The finish, while delicate, is highlighted by a remarkable firmness, the classic signature of this singular limestone soil. As often, a little reserved at first taste, it gradually develops all its complexity and great breeding.” - Axel Marchal, Doctor of Oenology

The vintage

Vintage 2019: a very great vintage, with a surprising and unusual drought.

The first climatic feature of this vintage is the drought throughout the growing period. Cool winter and spring with a rainfall deficit compared to averages, last frosts at the beginning of May (6 May). Fast flowering at the beginning of June, with slower vegetative growth than usual because of this climate. A beautiful month of June followed by a very dry and warm July, with a record of 106°F (41°C) on 23 July. Mid-veraison around 6 August; the drought continues throughout the month and goes on into early September. As in many great vintages, the harvest starts early and begins practically at the same time on the right and left banks. The Merlots did not see any water, while the Cabernets benefited from a few millimetres at the end of September. For this vintage we have historically high degrees in all grape varieties. The colours are superb and deep; the roundness, the fruit and the length of the wines make this an exceptional vintage. Like most early vintages with such grape quality, where the Merlots are as good as the Cabernets, the wines are as superb and pleasant young as throughout their ageing.

Harvest: Merlots from 16 to 24 September, Cabernets from 4 to 7 October.

Blend of the 2019 vintage

Figures from the 2019 sheet

• 15 % vol.Alcohol

Terroir

Château TrotteVieille occupies a superb hillside east of the village of Saint-Émilion; the vineyard extends over a 12-hectare terroir planted with 49% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is one of the few estates still holding very old Cabernet Franc vines dating from before phylloxera.