The name is derived from the fact that there lived a lady in this chartreuse in the 14th century. This little lady was very interested in what was going on in the town of Bordeaux and used thus to walk down to the close-by crossing where the stagecoaches stopped on their way coming from Bordeaux. As the lady seemingly often hasted to the coaches, the people of Saint-Emilion called her “la trotte vieille”, the “old trot”. This unusual name was used for the chateau already in the 15th century. In honor of the name-giving lady, Trotte Vieille’s second wine is called ""La Vieille Dame de Trotte Vieille
Trotte Vieille is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Emilion and has some of the oldest vines of Bordeaux as some of these are pre-Phylloxera and thus more than 140 years old.

Saint-Emilion is a charming medieval village located in the heart of the famous Bordeaux wine area. It is a unique site where world-famous wineries, beautiful architecture and great monuments can be found. The legend tells a story about a monk, Emilion, from Brittany who fled from his hometown in Vannes to seek refuge in the eighth century. Living the life of a hermit, he accomplished a few miracles and rapidly became famous in the region and even far beyond its border. Even after his death his followers carried on his legacy and even named the town after his name. From the ninth century to the 19th century, men had the will to mine the soil in order to standardise the whole architectural looking of not only the city of Saint-Emilion but also a few ones in the region (such as Right Banc Bordeaux).