A very pure nose that exudes poise and precision, in every aspect of this wine’s composition. Aromas of violets, blueberries, cedar, fresh truffle, wet earth and plums lead to a palate that offers a very full, plush and intense core of pristinely ripened red-plum fruit and mouthwatering freshness, as well as tannins that imbue the long, balanced finish with great clarity. Incredible triumph for the vintage. Try from 2023.

(96-98) A star of the vintage, this is a stunner. If you are a Pomerol lover and you are not intimately familiar with Trotanoy, put it on your priority list. They have been on a hot streak for over two decades! And this one is pure decadence. Velveteen rabbit

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Trotanoy is 100% Merlot and begins quite stubborn and broody on the nose at this youthful stage, needing a lot of coaxing to reveal a core of plum preserves, blackberry pie and licorice with suggestions of cast-iron pan, underbrush, tilled soil and charcoal. Medium-bodied, the palate is not at all weighty, but it is built like a brick house, with bags of restrained, muscular fruit and a solid line of firm, grainy tannins, finishing with epic length and fantastic tension. A very impressive wine that should by incredibly long-lived!

A lush, velvety Pomerol, dripping with raspberry, plum and cassis fruit aromas and flavors, infused with rooibos tea, sandalwood, mineral and bergamot notes. The finish is very long and finely beaded. Best from 2022 through 2040. — JM

This has lashings of liquorice and black chocolate standing head and shoulders above many in the vintage, full of grace and build and body. A welcome respite in a difficult year because here you don't feel the need to say 'a great wine given the circumstances...'. It's not as powerful or ripped as the 2016 or 2018 for certain, but it can stand its ground and would be better than many vintages of lesser wines. Austere, still with plenty of bite to the tannins, but excellent. (Drink between 2025-2040)

The 2017 Trotanoy has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It needs a lot of swirling to unlock notes of baked black plums, blueberry pie, and juicy black cherries, plus wafts of licorice, tilled soil, oolong tea, and Sichuan pepper in the background. Full-bodied, the palate has a solid frame of fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness to match the concentrated black fruits, finishing long and layered.

The 2017 Trotanoy has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It needs a lot of swirling to unlock notes of baked black plums, blueberry pie, and juicy black cherries, plus wafts of licorice, tilled soil, oolong tea, and Sichuan pepper in the background. Full-bodied, the palate has a solid frame of fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness to match the concentrated black fruits, finishing long and layered. -Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2017 Chateau Trotanoy checks in as 100% Merlot and comes from 7.2 hectares of gravelly, clay, and iron-laced soils on the plateau of Pomerol. Revealing a medium ruby/purple hue as well as powerful notes of creme de cassis, scorched earth, chocolate, graphite, and unsmoked tobacco, this beauty is full-bodied, has a stacked mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. Very much in the classic, elegant, focused style of the vintage, it has more fruit and texture than most, is flawlessly balanced, and will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and drink brilliantly for two decades or more. This showed much better from bottle than barrel and is well worth seeking out and cellaring.