2005 Chateau Trotanoy, Pomerol, Case of 6 btls

Château Trotanoy earned its name honestly. Early on it was nicknamed "Trop Ennuie," roughly "too annoying," for iron-rich clay soil that hardens like concrete when wet and gravel at its higher elevations that's just as tough to farm.

Jean-Pierre Moueix bought the estate from the Giraud family in the early 1950s, and decades of patient work have turned that difficult ground into some of Pomerol's most prized terroir, home to vines averaging 35 years old, some of the region's oldest, since Trotanoy was one of the few estates spared by the devastating 1956 frost.

The 2005 arrived during what Decanter has called the start of a new era at the property, when the Moueix team introduced smaller cellar tanks and small-basket harvesting for more precision between vineyard and winery.

Critics have singled this vintage out as a turning point, dense and concentrated with sweet black cherry, cassis and earth, and a mineral-driven power that reviewers describe as tasting like the very essence of Pomerol Merlot.

Now twenty years from harvest, it sits right at the crossover between tight, youthful fruit and real secondary complexity, drinking beautifully today while still carrying decades of life ahead.

Jane Anson | 99 Points

"A wine that famously takes its time to come around, and the colour remains robust ruby at 17 years old, with pale sunrise red around the edges. Still plenty of ripe and young berry fruit on the nose, followed by melted tannins and gently-smoked caramel - showcasing the generosity of Pomerol in a way that Trotanoy sometimes hides when young. Cigar box, Christmas spice, liqourice, edges of bitter black chocolate, tapenade, mocha and menthol, still building in power over the palate, on the precipe of tertiary truffle and rose petal flavours. Just so engaging. Last tasted a few years ago, and it has noticeably stepped into its tasting window. A wine that makes you smile, and immediately reach for another glass - and a friend to share it with. Owned by the Moueix family, and a moment at the property when they had introduced smaller tanks in the cellar, and more precision in harvesting with small baskets. 50% new oak."

Wine Advocate | 98+ Points

"This blockbuster 2005 is dense ruby/purple, with sweet black cherries, cassis, earth and white chocolate in both aromas and flavors. A strong, mineral-dominated, powerful wine (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc), it is extremely backward, super-concentrated, and tasting more like blood of Merlot than any other Pomerol. Dense purple, super-rich, and stunning. An absolutely spectacular effort from this great terroir, it can be drunk now, but patience will be rewarded."