Ajewel in St-Emilion’s crown, this family-owned property has one of the oldest histories in the region, and Cabernet vines more than a century old. But it 昀氀iessurprisingly under the radar for apremier grand cru classé Bestate, quietly producing wines of understated purity
They’re beautiful, aren’t they?’ I was asked while ambling through Château TrotteVieille’s St-Emilion vineyard on a beautifully sunny day in September – grapes still on the vine, full of juice and awaiting the final picking that would come in a few days. ‘Indeed, they are,’ I replied as I bent down for a closer look, wellington boots mulching the recently rainfilled soil. The objects in question were prephylloxera vines dating back to the 19th century. Gnarled, thickly set and brimming with green leaves and plentiful berries, a marker of this year’s excellent fruit set and bumper crop to come. I knew TrotteVieille had some impressive vines – said to be the oldest on the Right Bank, and likely in all of Bordeaux – but there’s something uniquely moving about seeing these majestic living creatures that have been firmly rooted for more than 140 years.
About 3,000 of these ancient Cabernet Franc vines are nestled in the middle of two plots, within an eight-hectare (7ha planted) enclosed vineyard, or clos, of which 40 disease-proof vines have been selected and are being used for the estate’s new massal selection plantings (propagation using cuttings taken from the best-quality existing vines on a plot). The vineyard, farmed organically but not certified, is roughly split equally to Merlot and Cabernet Franc with 5% of Cabernet Sauvignon, of which 80% is high-density plantings.
Differing from those of neighbouring vineyards, soils here are shallow clay over a mineral-rich, limestone shelf – a rare phenomenon in the region. ‘It’s the most beautiful terroir that can exist for vines,’ says long-time estate manager Christophe Dussutour, who also oversees the Castéja family’s Pomerol estates Château du Domaine de l’Eglise and Château La Croix du Casse. The family also owns several other Bordeaux estates, including fifth growths Châteaux Batailley and Lynch Moussas in Pauillac. ‘The vineyard copes extremely well [both] in drought and when it rains,’ Dussutour adds.
INSPIRING SITE
This advantage was unknown to Marcel Borie, co-founder of négociant company Borie-Manoux, when he purchased the estate in 1947 – then unclassified, TrotteVieille was ranked as a premier grand cru classé B estate in 1955, retaining that status up to today. ‘It was a gamble on my grandfather’s part,’ recounts Philippe Castéja (son of Emile Castéja and Denise Borie, Marcel’s daughter). ‘The estate was in poor shape,
