Château Montrose, 2ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2009
When Montrose is good, it really is very good indeed and the 2009 Montrose is an absolute stunner. Montrose had the dubious honour of being our first tasting on Monday morning, but our team left lifted and enthused to taste more. The terroir here always benefits from the hotter, drier vintages and in 2009 Jean Delmas has crafted a wine of exquisite beauty, charm and power. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and just 1% Petit Verdot. Notes of cassis, violets, spices, graphite, truffles, crushed rocks, liquorice and brambles are demurely released from the glass. This is a dense offering, packed with sensual blackberries and dark brooding fruit; however, there is an austerity and strictness, which makes this wine complete. Despite the enormous concentration, there is sleekness to the fruit and a satin texture that makes this wine handsome and true. Splendid!
critic reviews
Cuts right to the heart of great St Estèphe, dark fleshy fruits, ambitious, just a touch of exuberance, but held back by bitter black chocolate, espresso, olive tapenade, eucalyptus, mint leaf, blackberry and damson fruits. Right up there showcasing what 2009 can offer Jean Bernard Delmas was director at the time, and he is bringing some First Growth magic. Can be opened now with a long carafe, but is built to last.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2009 Montrose prances out with showy notes of blackcurrant preserves, blackberry pie, dark chocolate, anise, and violets with touches of menthol and fallen leaves. The medium to full-bodied is jam packed with impactful black fruit preserves, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with epic length and wonderfully fragrant.
A brilliant wine that stands out as one of the high points of the vintage, the 2009 Montrose unwinds in the glass with a rich and incipiently complex bouquet of dark berries, cigar wrapper and loamy soil, framed by a deftly judged touch of new oak. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it's a velvety, layered and impressively dynamic wine that's deep and concentrated, exhibiting terrific balance and a long, resonant finish. While it is still five or six years away from showing all its cards, I have drunk this benchmark for contemporary Montrose with immense pleasure three times this year. In style, it's hard to find an obvious comparison (and I have drunk Montrose back to 1895), but I would be inclined to invoke a fresher, more complete and more powerful version of the estate's very successful 2003.
The 2009 Montrose is a brilliant wine from the estate. It has a detailed and intense bouquet with blackberry, cedar, crushed stone and light floral scents, tightly wound and clearly preparing for long term ageing. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, perfectly judged acidity. Almost symmetric in style with a finish so precise that beggars belief that this is a 2009. Wonderful. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits Ten Year On tasting.