Chateau Montlandrie, Cotes de Castillon, 2023
"The finesse and architecture of the 2019 with the fruit and flesh of 2018" is how Noémie Durantou explains 2023. This was our first appointment of the week and it certainly raised our expectations. The entire range is exceptional. Montlandrie 2023 is a blend of 55% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlots in Castillon were less abundant (35hl/ha) and new Cabernet plots were incorporated. After the generosity and charm of the Cruzelles, this initially feels strict, but it's just a different profile, mainly because of the Cabernet Sauvignon. It's actually less dark and blocky than in the past, with a more refined and elongated and expressive character. Floral and dark fruited with a rocky Cabernet firmness to the fruit, hints of white pepper, then a grip and stoniness to the tannins.
critic reviews
A plot of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in 2021 came on line this year, so there is more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend of the 2023 Montlandrie than usual. The blend is 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 55% Merlot and it is deep garnet-purple in color. It charges out of the glass with powerful notes of baked plums, black cherry preserves, and black raspberries, followed by hints of mint tea, clove oil, Indian spices, and fragrant soil. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with expressive black fruit layers, framed by velvety tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and opulent.
This is a serious Montlandrie, has far more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, and shows a gorgeously savoury ethereal quality, with slow burn release of black fruits, oyster shell salinity, raspberry leaf and peony aromatics, precise, a slow burn, enjoyable. 36hl/h yield. Noëmie Durantou winemaker.
The 2023 Montlandrie sees a change in composition, as a plot of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that Noëmie Durantou planted in 2021 enters the blend for the first time. She found the first-pressed wine for the Cabernet Sauvignon impressive, so she also added that to the blend. The result is 55% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between September 18 and 30 and matured in 50% new oak. This new makeup certainly gives it a different aromatic profile than previous vintages: black cherries, cedar and pencil shavings, very focused, more Left-Bank-meets-Right-Bank in style. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It’s beautifully structured and judiciously spiced with gentle grip on the finish. Together with Les Cruzelles, these wines represent outstanding value for money. This will certainly age well in bottle.
A blend of 55% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon matured 50% in new oak, the 2023 Montlandrie offers up aromas of flowers, wild dark berries and mulberries with a touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, dense and rich with a concentrated core of fruit, its enrobing and charming with structuring tannins and a long, licorice and smoke-inflected finish. It will offer a broad drinking window.
product details
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