ANCIENT HISTORY IN THE HEART OF SAINT EMILION
« Already in 1867, Château TrotteVieille was awarded a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition. »
A record of the estate lease contract drawn up in the Gascon language on parchment of the 15th century can be seen. The origin of the TrotteVieille name, according to legend, is that a curious old lady living at the place at the time used to trot down regularly to the post stop nearby in order to get the latest news!
In 1947, after falling in love with the estate, Marcel Borie, the Managing Director of the Bordeaux wine merchant house Borie-Manoux, purchased Château TrotteVieille from Charles Jean’s two grandsons.
After Marcel Borie passed away, Émile Castéja, his son-in-law, took over the estate. During the 1990s, Philippe Castéja, the son of Émile Castéja and Denise Borie, took over the management of Château TrotteVieille.
During the 2000s, Émile Castéja and Philippe Castéja launched Vieille Dame de TrotteVieille, the Second Wine of Château TrotteVieille. As from the 2010 vintage, the Second Wine’s name changed to Dame de TrotteVieille.
CHÂTEAU TROTTEVIEILLE, CLASSIFIED PREMIER GRAND CRU IN 1955
« In 1955, the estate was classified Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru, a rank which it has maintained to the present-day. »
In 1954, in order to incentivise wine estates to strive for excellence, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation classification was established considering specific criteria such as soil characteristics, quality of wine produced and assessments after tasting. This classification comes under the authority of the National Institute of Appellations (INAO). The 1st ranking was in 1955.
From the first classification of the wines of Saint-Émilion, Château TrotteVieille was ranked Premier Grand Cru, thanks to its wine and particularly due to its unique terroir, which in those days was already an important factor in the classification process.
TROTTEVIEILLE, AN EXCEPTIONAL TERROIR AND VINEYARD
« Saint Emilion, nectar of the Gods” thanks to its amazing terroir.
Located on the high part of Saint-Émilion close to Château Troplong-Mondot and Château Le Prieuré, Château TrotteVieille’s 12-hectare vineyard is situated on a south-west facing slope made up of a layer of clay over limestone rock –an outstanding soil feature in Saint-Émilion.
The vineyard grape varietal composition is Merlot (49%), Cabernet Franc (46%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%). The vines have an average age of 60 years, and the vineyard contains a rare gem: a plot of Cabernet Franc planted in 1868, thus dating back to before the phylloxera crisis.
