Vinous - Score: 98 (Jan. 2019)

The 2016 Trotanoy is one of my favorite Pomerols. I have now tasted in excess of 40 vintages, and it’s becoming clearer to me which ones belong in the top drawer. The 2016 is nearly there. It has a disarming bouquet of blackberry, wild hedgerow, black truffle and crushed stone, plus a trace of pencil box in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with immense density and grip. It coats the mouth in Merlot and borrows the backbone of Lafleur. I adore the mineralité and tension flowing through the persistent finish. Does it have the profundity of the greatest vintages? I need to be convinced about that. But for certain, it is a brilliant follow-up to the 2015.