Château Trotte Vielle 1er Grand Cru Classé (B), Saint-Émilion

The name literally translates to ‘trotting old lady’ and origin of this name somewhat contested. Some say it is a reference to an 18th-century lady who ‘trotted’ about the village in search of gossip while the winery says they can produce written evidence of the name some few hundred years before that. We can concern ourselves less with the origins of the name and more on what to expect from the wine.

The Left Bank winery has been owned by the négociant house Borie-Manoux (who also own Château Batailley in Pauillac and Château Beau Site in Saint-Estèphe) since 1949. Located east of Saint-Émilion, the walled vineyard is planted to (almost) half and half 95% Merlot and cabernet franc, with the former slight edging in the number of vines. The balance of the vineyard is planted to cabernet sauvignon. Form the 10-hectare walled vineyard, the grapes are harvested by hand, fermented in concrete vats before the wine is wine is matured in majority new oak, French of course.