2023 Château Tronquoy, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot. Formerly Tronquoy-Lalande until 2019. Cask sample.

Purple-violet hue. Less rich than 2022 but verve and tension. Juicy, spicy and perfumed with decent length on the finish. Very refreshing. GV?

Drink 2028 - 2038

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Tronquoy comes bounding out with eager-to-please notes of juicy blackberries, Morello cherries, and fresh plums giving way to hints of cloves, forest floor, and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate is light on its feet, with a lively backbone and lightly chewy, approachable tannins, finishing on a minerally note. The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 11% Petit Verdot.

Drink 2028 - 2042

The 2023 Tronquoy is quite elegant in this vintage. Crushed flowers, mint, dried herbs, tobacco and cedar lend lovely aromatic complexity. There's more Petit Verdot in this year's blend, which comes through in the wine's aromatic presence, and also less Merlot, which is noticeable in the mouthfeel. It's a style I like a lot—more Saint-Estèphe and less of the rusticity that marked some years. This is a very pretty and promising Tronquoy, not to mention one of the most finessed vintages of this wine I can remember tasting.

Drink 2027 - 2038

Containing an unusually high 51% Cabernet Sauvignon this year complemented by 38% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot), the 2023 Tronquoy offers up aromas of dark berries, cherries, burning embers and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and refined palate with good depth at the core, lively acids and a persistent finish. Foudres are now complemented barriques for élevage.

The 2023 Château Tronquoy is based on 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that will see 12 months in one-third new barrels, with a touch in foudre. Ripe red plums, blueberries, spring flowers, espresso, and liquid violets all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and outstanding length.

A crunchy and velvety Tronquoy with blackberry, blackcurrant and chocolate aromas. Lots of blackcurrant, berry and cherry character on the medium-bodied palate, with solid tannins that have a powdery texture. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 38% merlot and 11% petit verdot.

The 2023 Tronquoy-Lalande was picked September 6 to 26 and contains more Petit Verdot in the blend this year. It matured in one-third new oak plus some newly-introduced foudres and amphorae. Blackberry and bilberry fruit surface the nose, plus a fresh punnet of strawberries. This is quite delightful and full of character. The palate is underpinned by fine acidity. Fresh and quite marine-influenced, this has a silky texture on the finish that lingers in the mouth, representing another superb Tronquoy from a rejuvenated estate.

Drink 2030 - 2055

Quite aromatic and perfumed on the nose, smells fresh and lively. Vivid purple colour to the rim. Smooth and silky, really tart and highly acidic, brightness and acidity is completely at the fore here, straight and well defined. Not lean in the sense that there’s too much minerality or any greenness - it’s not rustic at all, just the acidity is so high and it does keep quite a straight profile from start to finish. I like its punchy taste, upfront and confident, accessible and still with some finesse on the finish. Tannins are very well integrated and the Petit Verdot and oak is well incorporated too.

Drink 2027 - 2036

Medium to full intensity ruby plum colour, higher Petit Verdot than usual in the blend, and it comes through in sappy, lively black pepper spice and dark fruit character, good quality, a little austere. In organic conversion, to be certified 2024. Harvest September 6 to 26.

Drink 2026 - 2036