| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This great second growth vineyard is majestically situated overlooking the Gironde in the southern section of St Estèphe. Recently purchased and re-invigorated by the Bouygues family, Montrose is on top form. Hervé Berland, formerly of Mouton Rothschild, is now in charge here and large amounts of money have been spent on stunning new facilities. Outstanding wines were produced here in 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2018 as well as a potential wine of the vintage in 2014. However the 2019, 2020 and 2022 vintages could be even greater. This is the place for first growth quality wines without the first growth price tag.
Surpassing the 2019 and rivaling the 2016 as this estate's finest vintage of the last few decades, the 2020 Montrose is a monument in the making. Wafting from the glass with aromas of violets, dark berries, licorice, loamy soil, black truffle and subtle spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, elegantly muscular profile, terrific purity and energy, beautifully powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. It checks in at 13.7% alcohol, the same as the superb 2009, but it is even deeper, more vibrant and more complex than the 2009. Drink 2030-2100.
I have been lucky enough to taste Montrose 2020 three times in the last month. A powerhouse of a wine that defines the pinnacle of modern left bank Bordeaux, it matches and in some cases surpasses the first growths this year. Saturated inky purple in the glass, the nose has superb vibrancy and intensity for such a youthful wine laden with ripe black fruit. Notes of graphite, cedar, violets and cleverly judged wood spice jump from the glass, each element dazzling in its precision and clarity. This continues on the palate; to have such weight of fruit and structure carried without excess in perfect balance is a remarkable feat. Penetrating cassis, hedgerow fruit, cedar and charcoal embers all come through with just a hint of espresso. A wine defined by purity and depth, the tannins are chalky, mouthcoating and powerful yet always matched by fruit. This is just the start for one of Bordeaux’s benchmark wines of the modern era. As impressive as it is now it is worth cellaring it as long as you can bear, this is a wine that will live for decades. The finish is minutes long. Outstanding.
The 2020 Montrose was bottled in July 2022. The alcohol is 13.4%, a whole degree less than the previous year but with the same concentration (IPT is 80). It has a fabulous bouquet that delivers on all that promise from when I finally tasted the wine around a year earlier from barrel, a cornucopia of blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone, Indian ink and loamy/undergrowth scents. Very mercurial in the glass, it seems to shapeshift with every minute. The palate is medium-bodied with such a precise entry. This is far more detailed than either the 2019 or 2018, a symmetrical Montrose with unerring detail and mineralité, its silky texture belying the power underneath. This is unequivocally a brilliant wine and a benchmark in recent years. Contender for wine of the vintage. Drink 2025-2065.
The nose is really fantastic with lead pencil shavings, iron shavings, blackcurrants and lavender. Full- to medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Wonderful persistence and personality. Juicy and savory finish. Always classy and sophisticated at the end. Organically grown grapes. 71% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Best after 2028.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Montrose strides confidently out of the glass with classic scents of cassis, pencil shavings, and plum preserves followed by wafts of violets, tilled soil, and tapenade with a touch of wood smoke. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with loads of black fruit and savory layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with epic length and a refreshing lift. Drink 2028-2065.
This is up there with the best wines that I have tasted in the vintage. Beautifully balanced, classically refined but profound, delivering nuanced waves of cassis, blackberry puree, peony, pomegrante, mandarin peel, graphite, smoked sandalwood, incense. There is exceptional softness yet density to the tannins, such a confident structure overall and the build up on the tannins through the palate is so slow and careful that it is only at the end of play that you become aware of just how big a vintage it is. Clear ageing potential, easy to love, very easy to recommend. 12% press wine. Vincent Decup technical director. 40% of production in the 1st wine. Drink 2029-2050.
64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Cask sample.
Deep colour. Dark, intense and very pure but with an energy that makes it vibrant. Big tannic frame but tannins really finely honed. Long and persistent with plenty of drive on the finish. Long ageing potential. (JL) 13.4%
Drink 2030 – 2050
(71% CS, 23% M, 5% CF, 1% PV; 40% harvest; 13.4% ABV)
Closed, tight, mineral, blackcurrant, subtle, and persistent; full, fresh, fairly (rather than notably) concentrated, typically fine in its tannin; richly ripe, elegant, contained wine, crisp, sweet, long, and linear, juicy and restrained at once, with excellent length. A lovely, accessible, complete classicism, a crisply blackcurrant beauty, which will most likely be a pleasure in the glass before its ’16, ’18, and ’19 vintages. 2028–45+.
Surpassing the 2019 and rivaling the 2016 as this estate's finest vintage of the last few decades, the 2020 Montrose is a monument in the making. Wafting from the glass with aromas of violets, dark berries, licorice, loamy soil, black truffle and subtle spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, elegantly muscular profile, terrific purity and energy, beautifully powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. It checks in at 13.7% alcohol, the same as the superb 2009, but it is even deeper, more vibrant and more complex than the 2009. This will be worth a special effort to seek out and only confirms Montrose's status as one of the contemporary Médoc's leading estates and a de facto first growth. Drink 2030 - 2065.
The 2020 Montrose was picked September 10-29; the clusters between 10% and 20% smaller than normal. It has an intense nose that is even more powerful than the 2019, revealing layers of blackberry, briar, cedar, pencil shavings and smoke that evolve wonderfully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, precise and poised, with unerring symmetry and perfect salinity. Very harmonious, almost pixelated on the finish. This is simply brilliant. Drink 2030-2080.
Tasted blind at the Southwold Group 2020 tasting. Another stellar showing for a wine shaping up as contender for wine of the vintage. Deep, glistening purple in the glass, the nose is just fantastic for such a young wine. Pure and intense cassis fruit is layered with sophisticated, integrated wood spice, graphite, cedar and hedgerow. The palate is bursting with fruit and has real energy, everything is beautifully in sync. Bright acids and rich, mouthcoating tannins come together and persist throughout. These offset the ripe, pure blackcurrant fruit that dominates the fruit core. Together with this come layers of savoury spice, soy, black truffle, more graphite and cedar. This is a powerhouse, unerring in intensity yet incredibly precise and sophisticated. Outstanding, and built to age for decades.
Deep, shiny purple in the glass, the 2020 is a supremely focused, tightly coiled powerhouse. Fresh blackcurrant, soy, pencil shavings and black cherry form an alluring bouquet on the nose. The palate is vertical, with incisive black fruit deep and intense, contained by chiselled tannins that, while firm, are ripe and perfectly formed. Often wines this precise can lack flair, but the layers of smoke, streaks of fine acid and fantastic array of fruit on show make this as exciting as it is elegant. There is no doubt this wine has the potential for a perfect score in the future. Be patient; this very long, uncompromising Montrose warrants 15+ years before opening. It is undoubtedly a contender for wine of the vintage.
A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly emerges from the glass with profound notions of creme de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, licorice, and roses, followed by suggestions of cast-iron pan and fragrant soil. The medium-bodied palate delivers many tightly knit layers of mineral, black berries, and floral notes with a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and lively acidity, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.
A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly emerges from the glass with profound notions of creme de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, licorice, and roses, followed by suggestions of cast-iron pan and fragrant soil. The medium-bodied palate delivers many tightly knit layers of mineral, black berries, and floral notes with a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and lively acidity, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.
A serious wall of blueberry and blackberry compote, and a ton of savoury Cabernet sinew and freshness. This is a great Montrose, inky, broad-shouldered and structured. It needs time to aerate and open in the glass, then you see the precision, the heft, the chiselling of the fruits with a ton of graphite, cigar box and campfire smoke - huge persistency. This will need a long time and will reward patience. One of the few where a 1986, 2016 and 2010 comparison makes sense. A yield around 30hl/ha. 1% Petit Verdot, 3.86pH, IPT 80. 45% of the overall production.
Drinking Window 2029 - 2050
