Château Tronquoy Lalande 1989

Château Tronquoy-Lalande has an admirably well-situated vineyard on gravelly hilltops facing the Gironde estuary. Located near Montrose in Saint-Estèphe, it was bought by Olivier and Martin Bouygues a few months after the second growth. The story goes that Melissa Bouygues fell under the spell of the Château's architecture, and that's why the family bought it. Tronquoy-Lalande could have been swallowed up by Montrose, but that didn't happen. It continues to develop its own style, and proves itself from year to year as one of the Médoc's finest crus bourgeois. Since 2012, the château has been run by Hervé Berland from Mouton-Rothschild.

Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon play an equal role (45% each) in this blend, giving this Saint-Estèphe wine a rounded character. While its older Montrose brother is one of the Médoc's more powerful, concentrated wines, Tronquoy is instead more rounded, delicate and indulgent. It can be drunk young and fruity, but also ages gracefully.