A brilliant effort from this château, the 2023 Château Tronquoy sports a deep purple hue as well as classic cassis and darker, almost blue fruits intermixed with leafy herbs, tobacco, damp earth, and floral nuances. Based on 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 11% Petit Verdot from the estate's Terrace No. 03 with gravelly sands over a clay-gravel matrix and aged 12 months in 30% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, round, supple, and layered, with a beautiful core of sweet fruit and a rare opulence for the 2023 vintage. It's going to shine for 30 years if well stored and is a brilliant buy in the vintage. Drink 2027-2055.
93-95 Barrel Sample. Black fruits and tobacco aromas give this wine an opulent character emphasized by 11% Petit Verdot. With layers of juicy acidity and a core of firm tannins, the wine has a fine structure and texture. The aftertaste is juicy and fragrant.
Pure and racy aromas of dark cherries, fine spices and minerals. Medium-bodied with tight, tense tannins, juicy fruit and a long, crunchy finish. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 38% merlot and 11% petit verdot. Give it one or two more years to let the tannins soften.
91-93 Containing an unusually high 51% Cabernet Sauvignon this year (complemented by 38% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot), the 2023 Tronquoy offers up aromas of dark berries, cherries, burning embers and violets, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and refined palate with good depth at the core, lively acids and a persistent finish. Foudres are now complemented barriques for élevage.
Quite aromatic and perfumed on the nose, smells fresh and lively. Vivid purple colour to the rim. Smooth and silky, really tart and highly acidic, brightness and acidity is completely at the fore here, straight and well defined. Not lean in the sense that there’s too much minerality or any greenness - it’s not rustic at all, just the acidity is so high and it does keep quite a straight profile from start to finish. I like its punchy taste, upfront and confident, accessible and still with some finesse on the finish. Tannins are very well integrated and the Petit Verdot and oak is well incorporated too.
With simmering energy to its mix of lilac, violet, damson plum and bitter cherry fruit flavors, this red is sleek throughout thanks to well-embedded chalk threads that provide subtle, underlying tension. Fresh from start to finish. Almost approachable already, but give this a little time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2027 through 2038. 6,500 cases made, 430 cases imported.
The 2023 Tronquoy is terrific. Bold, rich and explosive, the 2023 offers up an exciting mélange of black cherry, chocolate, new leather, licorice and incense. This virile Saint-Estèphe packs a pretty serious punch. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot that make up most of the blend speak in somewhat brash tones. I would give the 2023 a few years to soften.
TWI
92pts
The Wine Independent
90-92 Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Tronquoy comes bounding out with eager-to-please notes of juicy blackberries, Morello cherries, and fresh plums giving way to hints of cloves, forest floor, and damp soil. The medium-bodied palate is light on its feet, with a lively backbone and lightly chewy, approachable tannins, finishing on a minerally note. The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 11% Petit Verdot.
Winery Notes
Before the 2022 vintage, this wine was labelled 'Tronquoy-Lalande'