Château Tronquoy-Lalande 2012

'This fabulous, opaque ruby/purple-colored 2012 comes from an up-and-coming, overachieving estate in St.-Estèphe, owned by the proprietors of Montrose. There’s a good chunk of Merlot (57%) in the blend of this excellent wine (the balance is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot), which delivers sweet cassis and blueberry fruit that hits the palate with serious authority, admirable purity, impressive texture and a medium-bodied, long finish. This is an undeniable success and major sleeper of the vintage.' 89+ points, James Suckling, JS Wine Ratings, April 2015.

'I wrote earlier this year, Tronquoy-Lalande is an estate that deserves to be much better known. This was the second vineyard planted in Saint-Estèphe, after the Clos of Calon-Ségur, but its Royalist owner didn't participate in the 1855 classification due to his disapproval of Napoléon III. The vineyard itself consists of a single 30-hectare block on an eight-meter-deep gravel ridge directly behind châteaux Meyney and Montrose. Certified organic with the 2021 vintage, Tronquoy-Lalande has never seen herbicides; and after its acquisition by Olivier and Martin Bouygues in 2006, the winery was redesigned with input from the late Jean-Philippe Delmas, equipped with two-tiered stainless steel tanks after the model used at Château Haut-Brion. Ably overseen by Yves Delsol, who has worked at the estate for 30 years and thus knows its every detail, the style is seamless, complex and concentrated, with structural elegance that reflects the quality of these gravel soils more than it does any stereotypes of Saint-Estèphe rusticity. Indeed, in any revision of the 1855 classification, this estate will clearly win classified growth status. Tronquoy-Lalande isn't sold en primeur.' William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, November 2022.

Château Tronquoy-Lalande, situated in the heart of the appellation, is one of the oldest Saint-Estèphe wines. It takes its name from François Tronquoy, the estate’s first owner, and the place-name La Lande, meaning the heath, on which the Château’s historic vineyard is planted.

The winegrowing estate was formed in the 18th century around the remarkable château built for the Tronquoy family on a design by Victor Louis, the architect of the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux. An elegant, white-stone country house typical of the region, its two side towers with their pointed roofs peep above the highest trees in the surrounding park. The estate went through several different owners until 1968, when it was bought by Jean Texier and his wife Arlette Castéja-Texier. She would run the estate for 40 years.

In 2006, Martin and Olivier Bouygues discovered this little vineyard, historically reputed for having one of the finest terroirs in Saint-Estèphe. On specialist advice, they decided to buy the property, marking the start of a new era in its history. They then embarked on a large-scale modernisation programme which culminated in 2010 with the construction of a vast barrel hall and a new vat house equipped with a vertical press and 22 temperature-controlled stainless steel vats.

Château Tronquoy-Lalande’s terroir, generally known as one of the finest, stretches seamlessly over 30 hectares (74 acres) of historic outcrops in the heart of the famous Saint-Estèphe appellation.

The Merlot grape flourishes on the soil of the Tronquoy-Lalande terroir, making up 42 % of total plantings. It’s a feature that distinguishes Tronquoy-Lalande from its neighbours, where Cabernet Sauvignon is more predominant. At Tronquoy, Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 49 %, just followed by Merlot then Petit Verdot (7 %) and Cabernet Franc (2 %). There is also a small planting of 1.8 ha of whites, split 60/40 between Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. The planting density is 9000 vines per hectare. The vineyard benefits from an ideal exposure, perfectly adapted to optimum grape maturity.

The soil comprises an 8-metre-deep layer of gravel and clay. The gravel ensures good drainage, while the clay retains water at depth which the vines can tap into as necessary. The vineyard is situated 23 metres above sea-level. The outcrops that have formed naturally over the centuries encourage rainwater to run off. The nearby Gironde estuary also acts as a temperature regulator.

The vineyard is farmed meticulously in the traditional way. It is ploughed using the “four ways” method, which involves repeated earthing-up and earthing-down. Ploughing loosens and aerates the soil, making it easier for rainwater to penetrate. It is also a natural way of eliminating weeds and increasing microbial life in the soil.