Wine Advisor
Tronquoy Lalande 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A cru bourgeois under the same ownership as Chateau Montrose, and sharing the same administrator, Herve Berland, Tronquoy Lalande made sensational wines in 2009 and 2010 that represented great value. The 2011 possesses a dense ruby/plum color, a richer, more textured mouthfeel than many of its peers, medium body, silky tannin, and fleshy black currant and black cherry fruit. It is an excellent effort as well as a potential sleeper of the vintage. Consume it now or cellar it for ten years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Tronquoy-Lalande is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot. In 2011, I find there is a large difference between the Grand Vin and Deuxieme Vin, perhaps terroir playing a great influence than in 2010. The Grand Vin displays fine delineation on the conservative nose with notes of blackberry leaf, earth, granite and a touch of cassis: more purity than power. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, dusky tannins that are suppler upon re-tasting two weeks later on 5th April. Crisp acidity cuts through its masculine structure, foursquare but precise, tapering away towards the finish but demonstrating admirable precision and focus. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2011 Tronquoy Lalande, a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and a whopping 11% Petit Verdot (although there is nothing herbal or green about the wine), it offers loads of cassis fruit, medium body, silky tannins, and impressive ripeness and length for the vintage. Drink it over the next decade. This property, which is under the control of the Bouygue family who owns Chateau Montrose, has made enormous leaps in quality over the last 3-4 years. About 56% of the crop made it into the top wine.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Tronquoy-Lalande has a more vivacious and outgoing bouquet, high-toned blueberry and blackberry, wild mint and black pepper all emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine delineation, good grip with quite a saline, liquorice-tinged finish. Not complex, but there is presence here. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Blueberry and spice character. Medium body, with fine tannins. Clean but a little short.
About the Producer
Château Tronquoy-Lalande is a 30-hectare estate in St Estèphe on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. The property is owned by the Bouygues family, proprietors of nearby Ch. Montrose. In her book Inside Bordeaux, Jane Anson calls Tronquoy-Lalande “one of the most reliable buys of the appellation.” The Bouygues family bought Tronquoy-Lalande in 2006. Their portfolio also includes near-neighbour Montrose, Clos Rougeard in Saumur-Champigny and a majority stake in Domaine Henri Rebourseau in Gevrey-Chambertin. Hervé Berland, formerly Managing Director at Ch. Mouton Rothschild, oversees all the estates. Tronquoy-Lalande’s Operations Manager, Yves Delsol, has been here for decades. The 30-hectare vineyard surrounds the château. Soils here are deep gravel and clay. Plantings are a majority of Merlot (52%), with 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance split between Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. A new winery was completed here in 2010.
