CHÂTEAU TROTANOY, 2023 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR

“Power and brilliance from its clay soils, finesse from its gravel”

ÉDOUARD MOUEIX

APRIL 2024

TROTANOY 2023

The Moueix touch

Édouard Moueix was en pleine forme when we caught up with him and the wider Moueix clan in Bordeaux in April. In the 2023 vintage, as he put it, “You couldn’t have a more precise expression of the place where the fruit has matured.”

And what a place: on the right bank of Bordeaux, Château Trotanoy is unique. Its soils are some of the most unforgiving: brilliant white gravels over dense clay. Underfoot, the vineyard is slippery and boot-caking when wet, or concrete-hard in the summer heat.

Trotanoy’s power is inbuilt. Making wine here is like breaking in a horse, year after year. You must tame the terroir to let it shine. You have to extract cautiously: in the glass, Trotanoy 2023 is not inky-black as you might expect, but a shimmering purple-ruby. An inviting hue that draws you in, whispering don’t be afraid…

There is a particular refinement to Trotanoy in 2023, which is driving and incisive, but sensual rather than brutish, coming down decisively on the side of elegance. That is the class that the Moueix touch brings to this great property – the hand that guides and ushers, and has turned 2023’s raw talent into something remarkable.

GUY SEDDON Head of Fine Wine Buying

June 2024

Credit Alain Benoit DEEPIX

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 below) 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 Trotanoy 2023 is 100% Merlot. On average, only 20,000 bottles are produced per year.

VINEYARD HOLDINGS

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

Credit Benjamin Duvignac

Édouard Moueix

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 destemmed. 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 2023 GROWING SEASON

A fluctuating season bookended, when it mattered, by periods of calm

After a generally mild and dry winter, punctuated by a few cold spells, the first leaves appeared on the vines on 29 th March, falling in line with the past ten years. A homogenous budbreak augured well.

Mildew pressure in April and May was caused by stormy weather combined with above-average temperatures. However, these attacks were adeptly countered by the Trotanoy vineyard team. Flowering started early, on 23rd May, with large quantities of pollen heralding a big crop. Édouard Moueix spoke of how the “perfect flowering” conditions resulted in an average of 300 berries on each bunch – a generous crop indeed.

The summer was unpredictable, with some intense storms in June and temperatures 3°C above the seasonal average. July was relatively cool, with light but frequent rain. The vines maintained their lead and véraison (colour change) got underway, with the first coloured berries appearing on 17 th July.

Green harvesting significantly reduced yields, enabling ripening and safeguarding the uniformity of the crop. As Édouard explained, “the overcast month

of July made us worry whether the vines could bring to maturity” so many grapes.

August was something of a rollercoaster. A cool start gave way to an “intense” heatwave from the 16 th to the 24 th, followed by a sudden drop in temperature. Total hours of sunshine were “below expectations”, in contrast with the plentiful sun of recent vintages. Nonetheless, this period was described by Édouard as “a beautiful two weeks at the end of August and a beautiful two weeks at the beginning of September.”

The early September heatwave gave way on the 11th to light rainfall, which encouraged the final push of ripening. The harvest took place amid summer conditions, in an unhurried window between 7 th and 29 th September. As Édouard evoked it, “almost three weeks of carefully observing each parcel, tasting the berries daily and occasionally interrupting picking to ensure optimum quality.”

In the cellar, there was minimal intervention, with a gently controlled maceration and extraction, interspersed with light pump-overs to preserve the quality and elegance of the tannins.

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 Thursday 4th July. Allocations will be completed by Thursday 11th July.

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

TASTING NOTE

CHÂTEAU TROTANOY 2023

The legendary Trotanoy, wrought from its harsh clay/ gravel/crasse de fer soils, is here offered separately, as always, out of respect for a great wine. Dark, intense berry aromas with ferrous minerality and cedary spices. A brooding, Byronesque nose with some minty relief. The palate is dark and powerful, latent, with a lean minerality, framed by powerful yet refined chalky tannins. Driving, with that clipped gravelly Trotanoy texture which puts on weight as it progresses, then comes to a focused point. As usual, there is no shortage of tannin but a dash of sensuality keeps it beautifully in check.

Exclusive to Corney & Barrow in the UK

Corney & Barrow Score 18 - 18.5

Recommended drinking from 2035 - 2050

£640/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

£430/Case of 1 magnum, in bond UK

Vineyard size:

7.2 hectares

Soil types:

Gravel on clay & black clay on iron pan

2023 vintage blend:

100% Merlot

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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