Château de Tracy, 2020 Update
Château de Tracy is perhaps one of the best-known names in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. Although my memory is certainly far from infallible, I have an inkling that this domaine was the source of the first Pouilly-Fumé I ever drank, during a visit to the Loire Valley many years ago. That this is so should perhaps not be a surprise; with a history stretching back many centuries (albeit with no sign of viticulture for much of that time, a fact we shall gloss over), and a vineyard accounting for over 30 hectares, the domaine is today a significant player in the appellation in terms of volume. And with the two super-cuvées, the Haute Densité and 101 Rangs, the domaine is also of interest to wine geeks as well.
I was glad to be able to revisit the wines of this domaine this year, taking a look principally at the 2019 and 2018 vintages, including a new venture for the domaine in Menetou-Salon.
The Wines
Looking to that new project first, the current proprietor Juliette d’Estutt d’Assay, who took over from her brother Comte Henry d’Estutt d’Assay back in 2014, has begun working with a grower in Menetou-Salon to produce a succinct range of wines in white, rosé and red. The first vintage for this new négociant business, named Tracy & Cie, was 2018, which on first glance seems like a good year to start any new oenological venture in the Loire Valley, although the potential that exists in the vintage does not seem to have filtered through to these wines. Released under the name Madame des Fontaynes, the 2018 Les Marnes Blanc has classically styled and promising aromas, but a rather solid and foursquare feel. The 2018 Les Marnes Rosé felt tired, while the 2018 Les Marnes Rouge, while rather warm and loose, was the best of the three. This is obviously a work in progress though, and I look forward to seeing more interesting results here in the future.
