(90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc; 3.57 pH; IPT 74; 13.7% alcohol): Bright red with an amber rim. Knockout high-pitched aromas and flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, spices, licorice and violet, plus a note of crushed stone. Silky-smooth and refined on the palate, but with laser-like acidity lifting the rich fruit flavors. Still, I would have liked a little more focus and concentration for an even higher score. Finishes with smooth tannins and powerful, very persistent notes of red cherry and peppery tobacco. Some other bottles of this wine that I have enjoyed were clearly softer and more forward, but this one was outstanding. .

A bubbling vat of cream here, with complexity coming from the notes of dried wild mushroom and wild flowers, too. The central palate is long, sweet, rich and graceful, drying just a little towards the finish.

Tasted at the Trotanoy vertical in Hong Kong, the 1989 Trotanoy has long been a variable wine. Now at 27 years of age, the bouquet is clearly fully mature with attractive, if not powerful scents of warm gravel, truffle and clove. You would describe it as a "mellow" nose, although it does not possess the fruit intensity of the 1990. The palate is, again, fully mature with grainy tannin. It is not a deep Trotanoy, although it is nicely balanced with a pinch of black pepper towards the masculine finish. It is a pleasurable Pomerol, however, given the benevolent growing season and the heights of Petrus or Lafleur, it falls well short of what could have been achieved. Tasted November 2016.

Trotanoy's 1989 is an elegant, mature wine revealing a deep ruby color with some amber at the edge. Sweet, ripe fruit in the nose reveals hints of herbes de Provence, black olives, and cedar. Round, elegant, and medium-bodied, this fruity, soft, easy to drink and understand wine should be consumed over the next 10-12 years.