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Château Trotanoy is one of the greatest estates of Pomerol – for some the most complete Pomerol of all, in an appellation with no official classification at all. On 7.2 hectares of black clay and gravel, the Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix produce a dense, structured yet silky-seductive wine. Secure the Grand Vin or the second wine Espérance de Trotanoy – great Pomerol from the house of Moueix.
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Château Trotanoy ranks among the greatest estates of Pomerol on the Right Bank of the Gironde – for some, the most complete Pomerol of all. Pomerol is the only major Bordeaux appellation with no official classification. On 7.2 hectares of black clay and gravel, it produces a dense, structured yet silkily seductive wine. The estate is owned by the Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix under Christian and Edouard Moueix; the technical director is Eric Murisasco. The Grand Vin is complemented by the second wine Espérance de Trotanoy.
The estate dates back to the 18th century, when it belonged to the Guiraud family, brokers from Libourne. Jean-Pierre Moueix acquired Trotanoy in 1953 – shortly after La Fleur-Pétrus. Today Christian and his son Edouard Moueix are the owners and directors, with Jean-Antoine Moueix as a co-owner resident on the estate. Since Jean-Claude Berrouet’s departure in 2007, the technical director has been Eric Murisasco, who joined the company in 1985, trained under Berrouet, and served as cellar master for many years.
Pomerol is the only major Bordeaux appellation without an official classification system. Trotanoy is unquestionably counted among the greatest estates of the appellation – the late oenologist Denis Dubourdieu recommended it as the archetype of Pomerol, advising that anyone seeking the true essence of the appellation should follow Trotanoy rather than Petrus.
The terroir is composed in equal parts of black clay and gravel over clay, which makes Trotanoy exceptionally consistent from vintage to vintage. The vines stand on the plateau, at an elevation of 30 to 40 metres, across four parcels that are contiguous except for one (opposite the château, across the road) – a small square made up of four very different sections: pure gravel over a clay subsoil, fine gravel with sand, pure clay, and a gravel-clay parcel.
The blend comprises 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc (as of 2022), after a Cabernet Franc parcel was replaced with Merlot from a massale selection. The wine’s power has been further reinforced by the rescue of an old, nearly exhausted parcel, which today yields some of the estate’s finest grapes.
Vinification takes place in concrete and stainless-steel tanks ranging from 15 to 146 hectolitres; ageing is carried out in 50 per cent new oak, with the blending assemblage – as with all Moueix wines – taking place at the mid-point of maturation. Thanks to its clay soils, Trotanoy has always been powerful and tannin-rich (Edouard calls these “loving soils, because they never let go”); since the family’s full focus turned to Trotanoy and La Fleur-Pétrus, these characteristics have become even more pronounced.
The Grand Vin Château Trotanoy accounts for around 90 per cent of production, with the second wine Espérance de Trotanoy (from younger vines) making up around 10 per cent. The family’s holdings also include La Fleur-Pétrus, La Grave, Hosanna and Lagrange (Pomerol) as well as Bélair-Monange (St-Émilion); Lafleur-Gazin and Latour à Pomerol are managed under lease.
Trotanoy is, in many ways, the Léoville Las Cases of Pomerol – dense, structured, tightly woven – yet it never sacrifices silky, seductive fruit for power. Unlike Las Cases, which needs 25 years, Trotanoy opens considerably earlier: graphite, liquorice, plum, slate, cassis, black cherry. A wine that sings for decades yet gives pleasure early.
Outstanding recent vintages include 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Among more mature vintages, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2010 are especially rewarding – the 2005, for instance, is already delicious yet will continue to carry for decades.
In great vintages, the Grand Vin ages for thirty years or more and typically needs eight to twelve years to open up. Espérance de Trotanoy reaches its peak after five to eight years.
European Wine-Searcher quotations for current vintages (consumer prices including VAT, indicative):
Trotanoy offers grand, classic Pomerol from the House of Moueix with excellent ageing potential.
The second wine Espérance de Trotanoy offers an accessible entry point. For the cellar, the Grand Vin in great vintages is the most strategically compelling choice – a dense, long-lived Pomerol that is more approachable early on than its structure would suggest.
The estate belongs to the Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix (since 1953); the owners and directors are Christian and Edouard Moueix, and the technical director is Eric Murisasco.
Pomerol has no official classification. Trotanoy is nonetheless counted among the greatest estates of the appellation.
The blend comprises 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc (as of 2022).
The second wine is Espérance de Trotanoy (from younger vines).
It consists in equal parts of black clay and gravel over clay – this makes Trotanoy exceptionally consistent from vintage to vintage and gives it its power.
Current vintages of the Grand Vin sell for around 150 to 350 euros on the European market, with mature top vintages priced higher. Espérance de Trotanoy starts at around 60 euros.
Trotanoy combines an exceptionally consistent terroir of black clay and gravel with the precision of the House of Moueix. As a dense, structured yet seductive Pomerol – for some, the most complete of the appellation – it ranks among the very finest of the Right Bank.
