Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Château Trottevieille is based on 51% Cabernet Franc, 46% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon that's resting all in new barrels. It has an absolutely brilliant nose of cassis, graphite, wood smoke, and crushed stone, and it's full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with beautiful mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, flawless overall balance, and a great finish.

The 2025 Trotte Vieille soars out of the glass. Freshly cut flowers, mocha, dried herbs, menthol and espresso meld into a core of rich, deeply layered dark fruit. Trotte Vieille is a rare Saint-Émilion that features Cabernet Franc. All of that intensely floral/savory character (and the matching structure) is in evidence today. The 2025 builds beautifully in the glass, revealing myriad dimensions of intensity. Blue-toned fruit, gravel, cloves, lavender, licorice and espresso linger. The only question is how long the 2025 is going to need.

Inky with violet edging, vibrant and concentrated, iris and wet stones, pumice, chamomile, peony, rose bud, this is an excellent wine that has a serious edge to it, tightly knitted down tannins that are plentiful, waves crushed mint, slow and steady progression through the palate, there are a ton of tannins here and plenty of ageing potential. Pumice stone finish, sucks the juice out before returning it in a gulp. Harvest September 4 to 19. 100% new oak, 27hl/h yields because lots of old vines. The estate will be making 130 bottles as usual of their 100% old vine Cabernet Franc, with the rest of these pre-Phylloxera vines going in here.

Softly fragrant, dark fruit and heady, exotic sweet spices – cinnamon, cedar, clove. Bright acidity makes the first mark, mouthwatering with such smooth, silky tannins with a slight crisp, crunchy aspect to the red fruit. Still a little marked by the wood at this point – more streamlined than TrotteVieille can be – more delicate in terms of texture and impact but still with concentration and fruit. I like the friendliness, great balance and still lots going on. Grippy, dark, spiced tannin impression on the finish. Refined and ageing should add more flesh and density on the mid palate. Ageing 100% new oak.

The 2025 Trotte Vieille shows exceptional potential, unfurling in the glass with aromas of ripe blueberries, violets, subtle spices and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's deep, concentrated and refined, with lively acids, lovely purity and a long, penetrating finish. This limestone terroir on Saint-Emilion's plateau is really showing its pedigree, and it has produced one of the highlights of the vintage.

The 2025 Trotte Vieille was picked between September 4 and 19 at just over 30 hl/ha and matured entirely in new oak. The 51% Cabernet Franc drives the nose, so it errs more towards black, slightly peppery fruit, with touches of bay leaf and pencil box. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, pleasing edginess, moderate depth, more linear, fresh and sapid in style, with commendable minéralité towards the finish. This is a very well-crafted Saint-Émilion that will only get better with age, as testified by numerous vintages tasted over the years.