2020 Trothe Limited Bordeaux
Cabernet Franc makes up two-thirds of this wine, with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It was vinified in concrete with extended skin contact and then aged 23 months in 100% new French oak. The aromas are brooding, with notes of dark cherry, plum, barrel spice, cinnamon stick, and anise. Full-feeling, rich, penetrating flavors follow, bringing layers of intensity and richness, mixing fruit and barrel. Firm tannins back it all up. The finish sails – the intensity, knee-buckling. It needs significant time for the tannins to further resolve and show its best but will be more than worth the wait.
95 points – Sean Sullivan’s Northwest Wine Report
- 14.8%
- 5.9 G/L
- 5.85
- August 2022
- September 2023
Growing Season
The 2020 growing season was bookended by unseasonably cool weather. A late start to the vintage saw good fruit set, followed by an intensely hot summer that sped up phenolic and fruit ripening. Overall, an intriguing year for the vine—culminating in a cool close to the season with grapes yielding luxuriously elegant tannins, ripe flavors, and vibrant acidity.
Vineyard Details
In order to capture a balance of ripe fruit and fresh acidity, Trothe fruit was the first picked in most blocks.
- 67% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon
- CF96 (67%), CS98 (33%)
- Clone 1 / Clone 8
- 2 Barrels
Block CF96
Clone 1, planted 1996, 9x6 spacing, slight southern slope, moderate to cool site, 1040 ft. elevation, Warden silt loam soil
Block CS98
Planted 1998, 9x6 spacing, southern slope (20-25%), warm site, 990-1090 ft. elevation, Mikkalo and Warden silt loam soil
Cellaring
Vibrant, accessible, and drinks well now, but it will continue to develop over the next 10 years or more. The care we put into crafting and bottling our wines creates a fresh approachable experience when consumed young, while simultaneously containing the components necessary to develop deep complexity and integration with age.
Vinification
The 2020 Trothe Limited was fermented in Italian concrete pyramids to preserve varietal intensity, then aged over 23 months in 100% new French Fontainebleau forest oak, followed by 13 months in bottle.
