2022 Château Tronquoy, St-Estèphe

Black cherry and damson fruit, intense, concentrated sweet red liquorice and creamy cappuccino, balanced by bitter chocolate and dried herbs on the finish. This is clearly built to last, and excellent quality, in the character of the vintage. Tasted twice. 30% new oak. Harvest September 7 to 23. 37hl/h yield. First vintage without the 'Lalande' part of the name.

Lots of plums, blue and black fruits, earth, chocolate, and hints of earth all emerge from the 2022 Château Tronquoy-Lalande, a full-bodied, pure, powerful Saint-Estèphe with impressive tannins and a great finish. It shows more floral and red-fruited nuances with time in the glass, and this is clearly a beautiful wine in the making. It shows the ripeness of the vintage while staying pure, balanced, and seamless.

The 2022 Tronquoy (formerly Tronquoy-Lalande) is an especially rich and powerful wine, offering up aromas of dark berries and cherries framed by creamy new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate structured around lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the vanillin-inflected finish. A blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot (which is an atypically high percentage of Cabernet from this estate, especially in a vintage where Merlot delivered better yields), it would appear to be intended to make an impression en primeur, as Tronquoy is now being sold on the place. That's a pity, as this estate's considerable intrinsic qualities would surely have made enough of an impression on their own.

A fresh and solid TL with currants and cherries. Hints of chocolate and spice. Medium to full body. Juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Lovely richness and depth. A blend of 59% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot and 6% petit verdot.

The 2022 Tronquoy is a gorgeous wine, one of the best in recent memory. The size and burliness typical of Saint-Estèphe are present, and yet what impresses most is how well integrated the tannins are at this stage. A blast of super-ripe dark fruit, chocolate, leather, licorice and dried herbs makes a strong opening statement. This is a very strong showing.