Château Trottevieille
Buy wines of Château Trottevieille
Château Trottevieille was mentioned as early as the 15th century. The vineyard, which belongs to the Castéjas family, still has 140-year-old vines and produces a wine with an unusually high Cabernet Franc content.
The Trottevieille vineyard is mentioned in a parchment dating back to the 15th century. This lease agreement from that time is still in the Gascon language. As far as we know today, the name "Trottevieille" goes back to an old lady ("Vieille" in French) who regularly trotted from there to the nearby post office to enquire about the latest gossip.
The vineyard is also exceptional in another sense. The 33 hectares are located entirely on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion and are planted with 50% Cabernet Franc. The oldest Cabernet Franc vines are around 140 years old and date back to the time before the phylloxera catastrophe. In addition to Cabernet Franc, there is 46% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. Marcel Borie, wine merchant and château owner of the Borie-Manoux Group, acquired the vineyard on a whim in 1947. It was still possible back then! in 1955, Trottevieille was named 1er Grand Cru Classé B in the newly created Saint-Émilion classification. The estate still has this status today. It is still owned by the Borie-Manoux family and the Castéja family.
The Grand Vin is one of the best that Saint-Émilion has to offer. However, this is not always directly reflected in the critics' ratings at the „En Primeur“ tastings. The reason for this is simple. Most Saint-Émilions are primarily characterised by Merlot, which is much more charming when young than Cabernet Franc. Trottevieille can be quite rough in the first few years, but as it matures it becomes an absolutely fascinating wine that can age for decades. If anything is „old school“ in Saint-Émilion, then it is Trottevieille - in the best sense of the word.
© Images: Château Trottevieille
