Château Trotte Vieille: Vineyards
As noted in my introduction, Château Trotte Vieille lies to the east of St Emilion, on the limestone plateau. It has some prestigious and well-known neighbours, with Château Pavie-Macquin, Château Troplong-Mondot, La Mondotte and L’If just to the south, Château Barde-Haut to the east, Château Sansonnet to the north and Château Villemaurine to the west.
The vineyard has expanded a little during the time I have been following the estate, principally because 4 hectares of vines from Château Bergat were incorporated in 2012. This property is located very close by, sandwiched between Château La Serre and Château Le Prieuré; the vineyard is now part of the Trotte Vieille estate, while the château has been thoroughly refurbished and rechristened as the Orangerie de Trotte Vieille, which can be rented by well-heeled visitors to the region.
Speaking to Philippe Castéja about the vineyard today, he tells me the Trotte Vieille estate covers 13 hectares all told, with the area available for vines between 12 and 12.5 hectares (I am not convinced that this figure includes the Bergat vines). Of course this is not always fully planted, as there is from time to time a need to uproot some vines and replant; for example the 2023 vintage was sourced from just 9.5 hectares of actively cultivated vines. The heart of the vineyard is the block of vines in the walled clos which surround the new Trotte Vieille cellars pictured on prior pages, these being the classified vines which are the source of the grand vin. The vines at Bergat, meanwhile, are only used for the second wine.
