Château Montrose, 2ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2010

This is up there with the best of the tastings, just nods past the 2009. Less generous perhaps but here you see the beauty and precision of the construction, and the ability to just knock the fruit and tannins out of the park - I love both, but this has the edge in terms of juice, and the Left Bank classicism of bilberry, cassis, olive, mint leaf, graphite, scraping texture and vertical lift on the finish. Jean-Bernard Delmas director.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2050

date of review 10/2024

The 2010 Montrose is one of the highlights of the Icons of Bordeaux dinner. It has a show-stopper nose with powerful, intense, mineral-rich black fruit, becoming quite floral with aeration. Potpourri hints complement tobacco notes. The palate is fresh, vibrant and weighty, yet paradoxically, it has wonderful finesse. There is a symmetry about this Montrose, coupled with a tremendous length that leaves you wanting more. Brilliant. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the Icons of Bordeaux dinner at Legacy Records in New York.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2065

date of review 05/2024

One of the most youthful and powerful wines in this tasting is the 2010 Montrose, a year when only 52% of the estate's production went into the grand vin. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of creme de cassis, cigar wrapper, black truffle and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a rich core of concentrated fruit that's framed by a muscular tannic chassis. Some 2010s are beginning to show their cards, but this Montrose will still require patience.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2100

date of review 12/2023