| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Castillon - Côtes de Bordeaux |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The Côtes de Castillon vineyard was very much a "labour of love" of famous Pomerol winemaker Denis Durantou of Eglise Clinet. His first vintage here was 2009. Sadly, the 2019 was the last vintage harvested by Denis (and the best) but the rise and rise of Montlandrie continues under the care of his daughters and wine-maker Olivier Gautrat. This 11 hectare vineyard has 25 year old vines - 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% of a new clone of Cabernet Sauvignon that Denis planted in 2009. Always modestly priced, this is a wine that gives brilliant value for money and is a star of this emerging appellation.
A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Montlandrie has a deep garnet-purple color. It is slightly closed to start, needing some patient swirling to bring out notes of black and red cherries, juicy plums, and licorice, followed by hints of Sichuan pepper, tar, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate has a fine-grained texture and alluring tension to frame the tightly wound black and red fruit, finishing long and minerally.
Intense and concentrated, blueberry and blackberry fruits lifted by strands of saffron and oyster shell, austere on the finish, good stuff. 40% new oak, harvest September 18 to 25, 45hl/ha yield, 3.6ph. Noemie Durantou winemaker alongside Olivier Gautrat.
The 2020 Montlandrie is one of the more showy wines from the Durantou's this vintage. It is quite plush and sensual with scents of crème de cassis, crushed violet and a hint of star anis. Nicely defined, though their Lalande-de-Pomerols demonstrate a little more class. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fleshy and generous, a little sweeter than the Les Cruzelles with a pure, quite intense finish. Fine - it just needs a couple of years in bottle. Drink: 2024-2035
The 2020 Montlandrie is a promising wine for aficionados who can keep it for a few years in the cellar. It has aromas of blackberries, iris, spring flowers, blackcurrant and blueberry, followed by a medium-bodied, concentrated and layered texture on the palate with a denser character than previous vintages. It’s harmonious with a clean and precise finish.
Tasted at the Chateau. Deeper in colour and in fruit profile than the 2019, the nose here has real integrity of ripe, dark fruit that just edges into blackcurrant and sweet dark cherry. Chiselled, muscular tannins are carved around a dense, intense core of fruit on the palate. Very focused, with more precision and a cooler balance than the 2018, this is a wine full of promise. Very long finish. Give it a couple of years before approaching.
Very salty and tangy with some white pepper, too, as well as lots of blackberries and blueberries. Medium body with delicate yet firm tannins that show intensity. Firm finish.
Harvested between 18th and 25th September, the 2020 is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine will be aged in 40% new oak. Deep ruby in the glass with a rich nose of ripe black cherry and iron. The palate is chewy with a rich tannic structure that frames a powerful core of red fruit. Long and smoky on the finish with a real drive of dark cherry and plum. A worthy successor to the excellent 2019.
75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cask sample.
Ripe and full with notes of dark fruits, damsons and spice. Gourmand and generous on the palate but with a freshness that runs all the way through. Tannins chalky and firm but fine-edged providing plenty of length on the finish. Energy and balance as well. Clearly a success this year. Should be GV. (JL) 14.5%
Drink 2025 – 2034
The 2020 Montlandrie is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it features powerful notes of crushed red and black currants, boysenberries, and garrigue, plus suggestions of fallen leaves, Sichuan pepper, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with mouth-coating black fruit, supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a refreshing lift.
The 2020 Montlandrie was picked September 18–25 and matured in 40% new oak. It has an exuberant, ripe bouquet, a mixture of red and blueberry fruit, crushed violets and potpourri aromas surfacing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, sweet and sensual, although I find less complexity on the finish compared directly with its siblings, La Chenade and Les Cruzelles. Still, this will give several years of drinking pleasure. Drink: 2025-2035
The 2020 Montlandrie is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot was picked between the 18th and the 22nd of September, and the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon were picked from the 23rd to the 25th of September. It has an alcohol of 14.5% and is aging in French oak barrels, 40% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with vibrant notes of crushed blackberries, fresh, juicy black plums and mulberries, plus hints of bay leaves, cardamom, ground black pepper and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate possesses impressive freshness with a solid backbone of soft, rounded tannins and bags of ripe black fruits, finishing long with a peppery kick. 53,000 bottles are expected to be made. 2025 - 2039
Denis Durantou estate up on the limestone plateau of Castillon, now vinified by his daughter Noémie Durantou. Deeply coloured, ruby in colour with fleshy fruit, not giving a whole lot away right now, but this is a fairly discreet vintage in many ways. The dominant impression is of a rough linen and wet stone texture that reflects its limestone soils. Width and depth as it opens in the palate, serious for now but with plenty to give. A yield of 45hl/ha. 3.6pH.
Drinking Window 2023 - 2035
