2021 Ch. Tronquoy

A blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, the 2021 Château Tronquoy is a more elegant, pretty wine, which is certainly what the vintage delivered. Ripe cherries, mulberries, violets, and some tobacco and earthy notes all flow to a pretty, seamless, graceful, and medium-bodied Saint-Estèphe with supple tannins and an outstanding finish. It's not massive but certainly shines for its overall balance, purity, and length. Give bottles just 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 15. It's an outstanding wine.

The 2021 Tronquoy sees two changes: a redesigned label, and a new name—lopping off the “Lalande." I appreciate the fruit concentration on the nose, mainly black fruit, with touches of brine and dried iris flowers, all well-defined. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins on the entry, very saline in style and quite peppery. There’s plenty of character here and a classically styled finish. This is very satisfying.

The 2021 Tronquoy is a super-expressive, savory wine. Tobacco, cedar, licorice, dried herbs and menthol confer tons of intensity to this refined, deep Saint-Estèphe. There's more Cabernet Sauvignon in this year's blend, and it shows.