2014 Chateau Tronquoy-Lalande Saint-Estephe 750 ml

Beneath the peaked stone towers of Bordeaux icon Château Montrose’s shining white stone facade, beneath its arched barrel caves, we found a diamond in the rough. It’s one that comes in at less than 1/5th the price of the standard-bearer’s $225 flagship, yet radiates the same complexity, class, and understated elegance of Saint-Estèphe.

That’s because it’s made by the exact same team, in the fashion that has made Saint-Estèphe legendary for muscular, multifaceted reds that reward patience above all else. The 2014 Château Tronquoy-Lalande is a Bordeaux value par excellence, a rare chance to acquire a top winemaking team’s cellar-worthy bottle—one you can afford to stock up on and drink today, as well.

It was immediately apparent when we tasted the wine that it boasted some serious DNA. The nose pops with bright aromas of sumac and dried violets gilding a powerful base-layer of dark plum and mulberry aromas. On the palate, it’s clearly built for the long haul, but the muscular personality doesn’t get in the way of the rich flavors of red currants, cassis, and Italian plums wrapped in exotic spices, and hints of vanilla and dried thyme. It expresses the power of Saint-Estèphe in a suave, graceful package.

When we last visited Bordeaux, those adjectives and more raced through our minds deep beneath Château Montrose, where we first convinced our host Lorraine to pop open a vertical of Tronquoy-Lalande’s wines. A direct neighbor to Château Montrose, Tronquoy-Lalande is one of the appellation’s oldest estates, but had fallen into obscurity and disrepair until the lauded Super-Second Growth acquired it in 2006. Ever since, the estate’s Merlot-dominant reds have been steadily on the rise.

The 2014 was the standout of the tasting—a beautifully classic bottle of wine from a year that delivers superb value across the board. It reminded us of old school Bordeaux from the 80’s, with rich fruit and a snappy personality. While it may not be built for a 30-year long haul, it’s delicious today and will be at home for at least a decade in your cellar.

Antonio Galloni described the 2014 as “superb” and “deeply textured,” while declaring it to be “just as expressive from bottle as it was from barrel,” and praising the wine’s “considerable appeal” and “stellar showing.” Jeb Dunnuck called it “a beautifully ripe, pure, nicely concentrated, and classic wine” that “literally screams ‘Saint-Estèphe’.” The critics’ praise confirms what we already knew—this is a serious bottle of Bordeaux at a much lower price than its pedigree and profile would suggest.

Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost commune of the Médoc, and a favorite site for top-quality high-value bottlings. On this gravel terroir, Cabernet Sauvignon—which makes up 37% of this blend—thrives, yielding muscular wines of depth, tension, and a distinct power, while Merlot (just over 56%) helps to keep the wine approachable and textured, even when young. Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc lend color and aromatics in their small percentages.

Lorraine explained that Tronquoy-Lalande’s terroir is dominated by a rare mix of clay and gravel that lends the wine its signature understated elegance. Handcrafted by the same winemaking team as Château Montrose, this red is exquisitely balanced and marvelously complex—everything we look for in Bordeaux. Five years after bottling, it's delicious now but still youthful, foreshadowing a strong potential to improve over the midterm in the cellar. 

Unmatched expertise and a top vintage harmonize in this bottle—one we recommend hoarding before the price of Château Tronquoy-Lalande gains on that of its famed neighbors.