CHÂTEAU TROTANOY, 2022 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR

CHÂTEAU TROTANOY

“There are things we can’t explain… the self-preservation of the vines under these conditions.”

ÉDOUARD MOUEIX MAY 2023

TROTANOY 2022

Raw Glamour

What is the essence of Pomerol? The Oxford Companion to Wine defines it as a small wine region in Bordeaux “producing opulent and glamorous red wines dominated by the Merlot grape.”

Although undeniably true, the image of cashmereclad luxury is somewhat at odds with the decidedly unglamorous start in life offered to wines at Château Trotanoy. The dense clay soils here bake concrete-hard in a hot summer like 2022, conferring a stark streak of “elemental power”, as Adam says in his tasting note, which is every bit as much Pomerol as the sumptuous popular image.

Those lucky (and long-lived) enough to drink Trotanoy 2022 in maturity will enjoy their fair share of opulence. This primordial wine will be polished, pearl-like, over the years, as it shrugs off the extremities of its birth. It will find a place as one of the great Trotanoys.

Once again, we are also offering a small amount of a ready-to-drink vintage of Trotanoy’s second wine, Espérance de Trotanoy. The 2016 vintage is already considered a modern classic in Bordeaux and this should therefore help to pass the time while waiting for the 2022 grand vin

Please be aware that due to the summer heat, the volume of the 2022 vintage is even smaller than usual. We will spread our allocation as far and wide as possible but inevitably, there will not be enough to go around...

GUY SEDDON Head of Fine Wine Buying July 2023

THE HISTORY

The vines of the 18th century ‘Trop ennuie’ formed the western extremity of Pomerol.

Only the central plateau was planted with vines at that time, whilst on today’s map of Pomerol, Trotanoy sits almost dead centre, due north of the village of Catusseau. By the 19th century, Trotanoy had the twin distinctions of being Pomerol’s joint-largest volume producer and being ranked second in quality – behind Vieux Château Certan and ahead of Petrus.*

Trotanoy can therefore be seen to owe its longstanding importance in the Pomerol fabric to both its historical size and its increasingly dominant geographical location. Various plots were sold off over the years to settle inheritance expenses. One former parcel forms the

core of today’s Château Latour à Pomerol. By 1908, the holdings had been reduced to a still-fairly-substantial 18 hectares.

Jean-Pierre Moueix (pictured opposite) purchased Trotanoy in 1953. This was both his most significant acquisition to date and the turning point in the estate’s history. Under the steely resolve of Jean-Pierre and later the nurturing hand of his son Christian Moueix, Trotanoy rose to the position it holds today.

* Bordeaux et Ses Vins, Cocks et Féret, 1868

Jean-Pierre Moueix

Édouard Moueix

THE VINEYARD

The first impression of Trotanoy’s soils is of a sea of white pebbles, which shine piercingly in the sun.

These retain heat, helping protect against frost. They also become treacherously slippery when wet, whilst the clay beneath bakes solid in dry summers – hence ‘Trop ennuie’ –‘too much’, ‘too difficult’...

The 7.2 hectares of vines here are planted partly on the western extremity of the plateau, partly on a west-facing slope. There is deep gravel at the top and progressively more clay as you descend. The subsoil contains sand and then a rock-hard layer of iron-rich soil, Pomerol’s famous crasse de fer

The map opposite was drawn by Kelley Moueix, Édouard’s wife. As it shows, the vineyard comprises six parcels. The cypress-lined entrance is flanked by Entrée Gauche and Entrée Droite. Along with La Marinette (south-east, towards Le Pin), these have some of the deepest gravel soils in Pomerol. To the north-west are Le Hangar and Les Argiles, the latter named for its heavy clay soil. La Piscine lies behind the château, with Latour à Pomerol beyond.

The last significant replanting was a parcel of Merlot in 2002. Old vines prevail, the average age being nearly 40 years. The plantings are 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, although the blend in 2022 is 96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. On average, only 20,000 bottles are produced per year - and far fewer in 2022, sadly.

Gravel on clay and black clay on iron pan

Map reproduced with kind permission of Neal Martin, Wine Journal Publishing and Kelley Moueix.

Credit Benjamin Duvignac

THE CELLAR

The approach at Trotanoy was initiated by the great JeanClaude Berrouet, who over five decades made some of the most legendary Pomerols, including at Trotanoy and Petrus. It is, quite simply, to intervene as little as possible.

Jean-Claude Berrouet’s last complete vintage at Trotanoy was 2006, when he was succeeded as technical director for Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix by Éric Murisasco. Éric had worked as cellar master alongside Jean-Claude since 1993, meaning continuity was and is assured.

The grapes are sorted and fully de-stemmed. An optical grape sorter is on hand if required, having been used at all Moueix properties since 2009. Following fermentation and maceration for around three weeks in temperature controlled concrete vats, at a relatively low 26°C, the wine ages for 20 months in French oak barrels, 40-50% of which are new. It is fined with egg whites, with no filtration.

THE GROWING SEASON

Summer 2022 in Bordeaux saw 11 hours of sunlight a day, for 62 days in a row, with heatwaves in June, July and August peaking at over 40°C.

The winter of 2021-2022 was mild, dry and sunny, with the exception of December, which saw 50% more rain than usual. Spring was similarly mild, with only a few nights below zero in early April. Vine growth slowed after these spring frosts however.

Budbreak at the end of March was in line with the 10year average. The sudden heat of May jolted flowering to life, in the week of 16th-21st May. This was very early and abundant yields were forecast. The warmth barely let up through to harvest, as the following heat spikes show:

• 5th - 19th June: high of 40.5°C

• 12th - 15th July: high of 40.1°C

• 31st July - 13th August: high of 39.2°C

Of particular note is the length of these hot periods, particularly the third, which lasted for nearly two full weeks. With admirable foresight, the Moueix team did not remove any leaves from the vines in the first half of summer, to maintain shade. Édouard Moueix stressed that green harvesting was also crucial in this heat and contributed to “thick skins, soft tannins and intense fruit.”

80mm of rain at the end of June and a few showers on 20th July (15mm) and 15th August (10mm) eased the drought pressure, aiding balanced ripening. Even with these precious showers, the period from July to September saw less than half the amount of rain than the April-June period. For the year as a whole (1st November 2021 - 31st October 2022), 458mm of rain fell in Pomerol, versus a long-term Bordeaux average of 944mm. Dry, but not historically dry – the crucial element in 2022 was the unusually high demand for water, due to high levels of evapotranspiration.

Véraison (colour change) in the second half of July led into a warm, dry August and then an early September harvest, amid beautiful conditions. Despite the smatterings of rain mentioned, drought conditions had persisted since the winter.

Harvest started at Trotanoy on 1st September, finishing on the 19th. The wine will age for between 16 and 18 months, in 50% new oak.

THE ALLOCATION PROCESS

The nature of En Primeur means stocks are limited. We use our exclusive relationships to secure as much as possible. You can always order with confidence from Corney & Barrow.

• The focus of Château Trotanoy and Corney & Barrow is on the private customer and as a consumer rather than a speculator.

• The wines are bought on the clear understanding that they will be stored and delivered in the UK only.

• Should you wish to sell the wines in the future, do please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal as this will ensure the integrity of secondary market distribution, something which is of great concern to Château Trotanoy and Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix.

• Priority will be given to Ets JP Moueix’s, Château Trotanoy’s and Corney & Barrow’s best, most loyal and most regular customers.

As detailed above, all orders are conditional upon UK storage only.

Do please speak to our sales team, who will be delighted to help you further.

May we please have your order by Friday 21st July 2023. Allocations will be completed by Friday 28th July 2023.

Confirmation of order will be through receipt of invoice and the wine will be put into your reserve on payment.

TASTING NOTES

Espérance de Trotanoy 2016

Tasting note by Guy Seddon

Trotanoy’s second wine, Espérance de Trotanoy, is released once bottled. It comes from the younger vines of two deep gravel parcels at the heart of the estate, La Piscine and Entrée Droite. It offers a darkly-berried, gently leafy nose, with pure violet aromatics. The palate is textured, with dried-earth minerality, lifted by arching acidity –wonderfully approachable. Drink from now, although there is more than enough ageing potential and tannic substance here to see it through a decade and more.

Exclusive to Corney & Barrow in the UK

Corney & Barrow Score 18

Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2032+

£435/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

Château Trotanoy 2022

Tasting note by Adam Brett-Smith

Trotanoy is, of course, a legend. It is always offered separately as a gesture of profound respect for a great wine. Deepest ruby colour. In this wine is perhaps most perfectly expressed the power and beauty of the vintage. It is profoundly vinous on the nose, that is to say, the quintessence of a perfume of old, old vine fruit, clenched, creamy, almost impenetrably dense. The palate presents the other side of the coin. It is of utterly beautiful extraction in its combination of silken grace and elemental power, freshness, concentration, sweetness and length. About as good as it gets really.

Exclusive to Corney & Barrow in the UK

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19

Recommended drinking from 2033 - 2040+

£900/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

£610/Case of 1 magnum, in bond UK

Vineyard size:

7.2 hectares

Soil types:

Gravel on clay and black clay on iron pan

2022 vintage blend: 96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc

Tasting Guide

Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

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