| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The second wine of Chateau Montrose. With new owners, a new wine-making team and new cellars at Montrose, this label has benefitted greatly from a more rigorous selection process at this famous Chateau.
Extremely perfumed and beautiful with bright, violet and plum aromas. Full to medium body, very fine and firm tannins and transparent fruit. Linear and refined with a very long finish. Second wine of Château Montrose. Try in 2022.
With 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 La Dame de Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes galloping out of the glass with powerful notes of baked black cherries, blackberry preserves, and warm cassis, plus suggestions of wood smoke, underbrush, and pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate is tightly wound with the black fruit and earthy layers well-framed by ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and minerally.
A little subdued right now but the fresh, floral edging of the grand vin is also clear here, balanced by juicy black fruit flavours and a similar sense of restraint. The blend of 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc represents 42% of the estate's production.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2035
52% Merlot.
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Appetising freshness but a little hint of wood shavings (Cabernet Franc?) on the nose. Bone dry and pretty vital but relatively early maturing. Lovely drink with St-Estèphe minerality. Everything in the right place but not a long-distance runner. Very pure though.
Drink 2023 – 2030
Starting with the second wine and more exuberant and sexy than its 2015 counterpart, the 2016 La Dame de Montrose is a seriously impressive wine in its own right and gives a hint of the incredible quality found in the grand vin. Black raspberries, cassis, spring flowers and incense notes all emerge from this ripe, rounded, mouth-filling Saint-Estèphe. It should be a terrific wine and keep for 15-20 years. 2023 - 2043
Depth richness the nose has a lot of powerful black fruits the palate has concentrated black cherry and cassis. The tannins are firm but well integrated the back palate has depth a brooding richness the finish fresher peppery cassis and cherry. 2025-40
As you’d expect from the second wine of Montrose in a top year like 2016, this is a muscular, sinewy, densely constructed wine with lots of smoky, aromatic oak, damson and blueberry fruit and layered, compact tannins. Needs time. 2025-36
The 2016 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 11% Petit Verdot. It is often a difficult Deuxième Vin to taste en primeur, and it often meliorates considerably during its élevage. Here, the aromatics took some time to coalesce in the glass: blackberry, graphite and a noticeable oyster shell aroma. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth, grainy in texture with very fine balance towards the finish where the quality of the vintage showed through. Doubtless those aromatics will improve and gain harmony by the time it is in bottle, and indeed, when I returned for a second visit I discerned a little more finesse and prettiness on the finish. This is a delightful La Dame. Tasted twice.
Drink Date 2021 - 2035
A linear and fine rendition of Montrose’s second wine with blueberry and blackberry character. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a juicy finish. Structured. Racy.
Exceptionally deep blackish crimson. Not especially expressive on the nose but really deep and intense on the palate Very dense for a second wine but with a good raciness and energy. Rather elegant and flattering without resorting to sweetness. Quite cool on the end. Lighter and less dense than the grand vin.
Drink 2024-2039
