Chateau Trotte Vieille 2017

JAMES SUCKLING: "Wonderfully perfumed with decadence and richness, showing crushed berries, fresh flowers, wet earth, orange peel and peaches. Mushrooms, too. Full-bodied, yet very tight and reserved with ultra-fine yet strong tannins. It goes on for minutes on the palate, giving a balanced and beautiful feel all along the way. A blend of 56% cabernet franc, 43% merlot and 1% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2023 and onward."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This spicy wine with hints of wood aging and a direct line of black fruits is in a classic style. It is about balance, fruitiness and acidity combining in an harmonious whole. The wine will age well; drink from 2024."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Trotte Vieille gives up notes of baked plums, stewed black cherries and dried mulberries with touches of spice cake, chocolate box and new leather with a waft of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has great density and weight with a firm level of rounded tannins and lovely freshness, finishing on a compelling mineral note."

DECANTER: "This is definitely an impressive 2017 with white pepper spice showcasing its own character that diverts sharply from St Emilion's fruitbombs. It's good quality, grown up and not trying to please. Cassis and again Cabernet dominant, something that I have found very much to be the case in 2017 across the board. This one deepens in the glass - it will take its time to come around."

WEINWISSER: "Granatrubin. Intensive Mokkanote, dahinter Brazil-Tabak und schwarzbeerige Konturen. Am festen Gaumen mit engmaschigem Tanningerüst und fleischigem Extrakt, ein fordernder Wein, der Lagerpotenzial andeutet. Im gebündelten Finale Sandelholz und Schlehen. Wirkt verkapselt und man bekommt das Gefühl nicht los, dass man hier schlichtweg zu viel wollte. Schade!"

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, reife Kirschen, zarte Edelholzwürze, etwas Nougat, attraktives Bukett. Mittlerer Körper, zart kräuterwürzig, zart nach Cassis, präsente Tannine, rotbeeriger Touch im Abgang, mineralisch-zitroniger Rückgeschmack."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2017 Trotte Vieille has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It is wearing quite a lot of oak to begin, giving way to notions of juicy plums and blackberry preserves, plus wafts of sage and mossy tree bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is densely packed with muscular black fruits, framed by firm, chewy tannins and bold freshness, finishing savory."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Elegant, soft, fresh and refined, there is an energy to the medium/full bodied layers of black cherries that stands out. Made from a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine offers a distinctive note of flowers, red berries, espresso and forest notes. The slightly higher percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend is due to the damage from the frost."