1989 Trotanoy
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Tasting notes
The 1989 Trotanoy can be variable from bottle to bottle. This one is similar to the one I tasted a couple of years ago. It has a slightly diffuse, quintessential nose of black truffle and hot gravel on a summer day. (The 1990 has a little more oomph.) The palate is mellow and well balanced but lacks the grip of succeeding vintages. It does build with that trait of black pepper toward the finish, although in this vintage it is dwarfed by its peers in Pomerol. Ready to drink now, but I suspect it will last another decade. Tasted at a private dinner in Bordeaux.
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More reviews and scores
Tasted at the Trotanoy vertical in Hong Kong, the 1989 Trotanoy has long been a variable wine. Now at 27 years of age, the bouquet is clearly fully mature with attractive, if not powerful scents of warm gravel, truffle and clove. You would describe it as a "mellow" nose, although it does not possess the fruit intensity of the 1990. The palate is, again, fully mature with grainy tannin. It is not a deep Trotanoy, although it is nicely balanced with a pinch of black pepper towards the masculine finish. It is a pleasurable Pomerol, however, given the benevolent growing season and the heights of Petrus or Lafleur, it falls well short of what could have been achieved. Tasted November 2016.
All in elegance and finesse. Medium-ruby color at the center. a brick-red edge. Aromas of berries, raisins and sliced mushrooms. Full-bodied and chewy, with lots of round tannins and a tobacco, berry aftertaste.--1989 Bordeaux horizontal. Best after 2001. – James Suckling , Wine Spectator 1999
About the producer
Château Trotanoy was one of the first recognised Premier Cru sites on the Pomerol plateau, with records dating back to the late 1700s. Even back in the nineteenth century it was seen as the best site in Pomerol second only to Vieux Château Certan.