The 2019 Trotanoy is blessed with ineffable delineation on the pure, focused nose, which features touches of pencil lead and sous-bois embroidered through a mélange of red and black fruit. Astounding. The palate is perfectly balanced with seamlessly integrated oak and a cashmere texture, complete and oozing effortless class. I don’t know whether to drink or elope with this Pomerol. Better, perhaps, to stick it away in a cool damp cellar for a decade and then make all your friends jealous when you serve it. A serious contender for wine of the vintage.

Aromas of peanut brittle, blackberries, crushed stones, violets and blueberries. Full-bodied and powerful with layers of creamy, velvety and juicy tannins. A classic Trotanoy with true character of itself. Wonderful length and character. Best after 2027.

The opaque purple-black colored 2019 Trotanoy slowly emerges from the glass with mystic notes of incense, iron ore, woodsmoke, black truffles and fragrant earth, giving way to a powerful core of ripe black plums, black cherry compote and mulberries with hints of graphite, crushed rocks and moss plus an enchanting waft of iris. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals a heart-thumping interplay between profoundly rich black fruit and an incredible array of mineral and floral sparks, supported by firm-yet-approachable ripe, rounded tannins and tons of freshness, finishing on a persistent ferrous note. Just magic. LPB

The 2019 Trotanoy is a powerful, searing wine. Far from an eaysgoing 2019, Trotanoy is going to demand cellaring. Today, the tannins are front and center, but there is enough persistence to get an impression of what is to come. Trotanoy is often a big, potent Pomerol. In 2019, those signatures are amplified in dramatic fashion, as the fruit really enrobes the tannins, resulting in a Trotanoy unlike any I have ever tasted. Christian Moueix adds that he harvested the entire vineyard in a single day whereas the gravel parcels are usually picked a week before the portions planted on clay.

This could rival the heart-stopping 2018. The depth of color lets you know this is special. One whiff of its showy display of plums, flowers, truffle, chocolate, black cherries, and incense, and you are sold. But when you get to the velvet-textured, opulent palate, you are blown away by how this caresses your palate. Plush, lush, silky, velvet-drenched layers of fruit hit you in non-stop waves. When this wine matures, it is going to be one of the great vintages of Trotanoy, Fans of the estate, and Pomerol with the disposable income should be all of this gem. Wait a minimum of a decade, twice that if you can, and enjoy for 2-3 decades after that! Drink from 2030-2055. Tasted March 2022

Reminding me a little of the 1998, the 2019 Château Trotanoy is all Merlot sourced from a 7-hectare vineyard planted on dark clay and gravelly soils. A prodigious wine in every way, it offers a serious, dense, powerful, full-bodied style as well as notes of ripe black cherries, damp earth, tobacco, cedar pencil, and graphite. As with the other top wines in the vintage, it has an incredible sense of purity and precision, building, firm tannins, awesome mid-palate depth, and a huge finish. It's not for those seeking instant gratification and is much more structured and backward than I would have thought from barrel. It needs a solid decade of bottle age and will have 40+ years of longevity. It's another brilliant, brilliant wine from this team that I wish every reader could taste. Tasted April 2022