Tasting and Pairing Notes for Château Trotanoy 2025

Château Trotanoy

Tasting

Color

Château Trotanoy 2025 displays a deep, saturated purple hue with dark crimson reflections, hinting at the density and youthful intensity of the wine.

Nose

The nose of this Château Trotanoy opens with ripe black fruit aromas—blackberry, blueberry, plum, and black cherry—layered with notes of cassis, pomegranate, and dark floral tones reminiscent of violet. Subtle hints of sweet spice and light smoky nuances complete this complex aromatic profile.

Palate

On the palate, Château Trotanoy 2025 reveals a massive, firmly structured frame, with a striking mid-palate and a backbone of remarkable firmness. Despite its power, the wine maintains real poise, carried by ripe, silky tannins and an underlying freshness that keeps the structure lifted rather than heavy. The texture leans creamy and opulent, and the finish lingers with persistent notes of spice, black fruit, and a faint ferrous touch, stretching to an almost endless length.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs beautifully with full-flavored red meats, such as grilled or roasted aged beef, where the tannins find a natural counterpoint in the richness of the meat. It also shines alongside braised game dishes like venison or wild boar in rich sauce, where earthy, peppery notes echo the wine's deep character. For a more refined pairing, roasted or pan-seared poultry such as pigeon or duck, served with root vegetables or a reduced jus, allows the wine's floral and spiced nuances to come forward.

Serving and cellaring

Château Trotanoy 2025 benefits from being opened well in advance or decanted, allowing its dense structure to soften and its aromatic layers to unfold fully. A serving temperature of around 57 to 61°F is recommended to preserve its freshness while letting the richness express itself.

The Estate

Château Trotanoy is a Pomerol estate purchased in 1953 by Jean-Pierre Moueix, marking the beginning of its contemporary era. Spanning 7.2 hectares on the Pomerol plateau, the property is today run by the Moueix family, with Christian and Édouard Moueix overseeing operations alongside the Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix. Known for its clay and gravel soils over an iron-rich subsoil, Château Trotanoy has built a reputation for producing wines of remarkable depth and aging potential within the Bordeaux right bank.

The Vineyard

The vineyard supplying this cuvée lies on the Pomerol plateau, on gentle west-facing slopes that favor steady drainage while allowing the clay-rich soils to retain moisture. The 7.2-hectare plot is split between gravelly clay and deep black clay resting on a hard, iron-rich subsoil known locally as "crasse de fer." Vine age averages around 35 to 40 years, with some older vines having survived the 1956 frosts, adding further depth to the fruit.

The Vintage

The 2025 growing season began with a cool, rainy spring that delayed the vegetative cycle, followed by a notably hot and dry summer. This shift tested the vines' ability to draw on water reserves, and the clay-based soils of Pomerol played a key role in sustaining steady ripening through the warmer months.

Winemaking and aging

Château Trotanoy 2025 was vinified in small concrete tanks, allowing for precise control over fermentation and extraction. The wine was then aged for 16 to 18 months in oak barrels, with 50 percent new wood, chosen to support the wine's structure without overpowering the expression of fruit and terroir. Harvesting took place by hand between September 1 and September 19, with both manual and optical sorting ensuring the selection of perfectly ripe fruit.

Grape Varieties

This vintage is composed of 96 % merlot and 4 % cabernet franc.