Reviews & Scores
The 1970 Trotanoy is a wine that I have encountered several times and – caveat emptor – it is variable and prone to TCA issues. This bottle initially sports a metallic note on the nose, although it dissipates to reveal engaging scents of dark berry fruit, undergrowth and the hint of traditional Japanese green tea that I have noted before. Perhaps it does not quite deliver the precision of the best bottles I have come across. The palate is structured and tannic – a “serious” Trotanoy that is determined to impress despite a touch of rusticity. This is a broad-shouldered, rather stocky Trotanoy with impressive depth and just a hint of black olive on the long finish. It will not improve with cellaring but it remains a great Pomerol that has tasted so well for almost half a century. Tasted at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong. (Drink between 2019-2035) - VM
VM94December 2019
While I have long shared Edouard Moueix’s enthusiasm for the 1971 Pomerol vintage, I have to give the nod today to the 1970 Trotanoy over its counterpart from the succeeding vintage. The bouquet on the 1970 is lovely, offering up a wide open blend of black plums, black cherries, Cuban cigars, bitter chocolate, dark soil tones, gamebird and a fine topnote of black truffles. On the palate the wine is deep, full and complex, with a superb core, fine focus and grip and a very long, poised and still gently tannic finish. The 1970 Trotanoy was long bound up in its structural elements and was one of the slowest wines of this vintage to finally blossom fully, but it has done so now and is an outstanding wine. - JG
JG94January 2018
One immediately discerns a deep garnet core, while the first sniff is like hearing the thundering of horses in the distance, presaging a spellbinding bouquet of iodine, macerated dark cherries, a hint of eucalyptus and with time, Japanese green tea (the traditional, 'stand your spoon it type'). The palate is full-bodied with a velvety smooth texture, powerful and, I think, with more substance than the impressive 1971. The 1970 Trotanoy has broader shoulders, perhaps not quite the same level of elegance but an enormous length on the opulent, almost marmalade-like finish. There is a faint tang of black olives lingering on the aftertaste. This is a stunning Trotanoy…with still some way to go. (NM) - WA
WA96June 2017