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

    Château Montrose, 2ème Cru Classé, St Estèphe, 2018

    96/100
    Inside Bordeaux
    99/100
    The Wine Independent
    96/100
    Vinous
    Available Vintages
    portfolio
    1. Last Few

      2018

      3x1.5L

      DP

      £971.12

    2. Last Few

      2018

      1x3L

      DP

      £995.81

    Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

    There have been so many exceptional wines produced at Montrose over the last decade. Even after Nicolas Glumineau left the team, they have continued on an upward trajectory. For us the reference point is the sublime 2016. This is a wine that had it all: power, depth and something quite ethereal, a detail and fine boned structure that we hadn't detected before. The attention to detail and meticulous approach to every aspect of production is clearly paying dividends. The team has successfully harnessed the power of this terroir and expressed it in a more refined and elegant fashion. The grand vin is exactly that. Produced from 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, this is one of the most profound and concentrated wines of the vintage. When we met with Hervé Berland earlier in the year he was clearly delighted with the quality but explained that yields were a paltry 21 hl/ha, which in part explains the concentration. Berries were 20% smaller than average with thick skins and little juice inside. 'Concentrated juices of exceptional richness'. The bouquet is a seductive mix of black fruit, Asian spices, black tea, nori, griotte liqueur, cut flowers and deep graphite. Sumptuous, but taut fruit flows over the palate; this has huge concentration and length, possibly the most profound wine we tasted all week. There is real gravitas and sophistication here. A multidimensional, layered palate of creamy dark fruit, decadent raspberry and complex minerals leads to a hugely impressive, starry finish that goes on and on. These tannins are epic. They grip the mouth with authority painting a nuanced and lingering image. This captures the detail and precision of the 2016 Montrose with a more massive and concentrated style of 2018. An astonishing Montrose.

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    Critic Reviews

    99/100
    Lisa Perrotti-Brown,
    The Wine Independent
    Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Montrose comes bounding out with powerful notes of blackcurrant cordial, chocolate-covered cherries, blueberry compote, and red roses, followed by scents of Indian spices, graphite, and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is full-on concentrated and decadent, yet has a beautifully crafted structure of firm, fine-grained tannins and balancing freshness, finishing long and spicy.
    drinking window 2027 - 2062
    date of review 09/2023
    96/100
    Jane Anson,
    Inside Bordeaux
    Silky, young, clear spice notes, more so than in any other vintage in the lineup except for the 2003. Plenty of stuffing through the palate, with blueberry, cassis, hawthorn, tumeric, saffron but also caramel and black chocolate flavours. It's beautiful, well balanced, with intent and poise, and very clearly a wine that will go the distance. Having said that, it's the only wine in the lineup when I even think about the alcohol, suggesting there is a trace of heat, and certainly you feel the sunshine of the year in a way that you rarely do in Montrose - this takes it down for me from my initial En Primeur score. Harvest September 17 to October 5.
    drinking window 2028 - 2060
    date of review 09/2021
    96/100
    Neal Martin,
    Vinous
    The 2018 Montrose delivers on the promise that it showed from barrel. I gave this a three-hour decant before broaching, since Montrose is always backward, albeit far less ferociously than even just a decade ago. It offers copious blackberry and blueberry scents on the nose, plus pressed violets and a light estuarine scent that becomes accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky-smooth texture. Finely chiseled tannins frame multilayered black fruit infused with crushed stone, and it has retained that subtle graphite element that lends it a Pauillac-like personality, though less so than out of barrel. This is a beautifully defined Montrose with entrancing symmetry, and it should drink earlier than other recent vintages thanks to a little more pliancy.
    drinking window 2025 - 2060
    date of review 03/2021

    product details

    Specifications

    Country:
    France
    Region:
    Bordeaux
    Appellation:
    St Estèphe
    style:
    Red Wine
    Grape Variety:
    Cab Sauvignon Merlot
    abv:
    14%

    allergen information

    This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.