The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.
Wine Description
The Story
The result of rigorous selection at each stage of production, in both the vineyard and the winery, this great, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon wine is typical of the Saint-Estèphe appellation. Structured and tannic but with all the elegance and refinement of a Grand Cru Classé, with time it develops a delicate and complex bouquet.
The wines have considerable ageing potential and are exceptionally long-lived. Certain vintages (1921, 1929, 1982, 1990, 2009, 2016) are considered legendary.
Matured for 18 months in 60% new oak barrels, the premium wine accounts on average for 55% of the estate’s total production.
The 95-hectare vineyard in one single block, extremely unusual in the Medoc, is located on a very well exposed gravelly land, by the Gironde. The vineyard hence overlooks the estuary. The proximity to this vast body of water locally called “river” has a very smoothing climatic impact on the vineyard. The river and its tide mitigate and moderate the climate’s rigor: by mollifying the frost and refreshing blazing summer heat.
60 % of new french oak barrels, supplied by several carefully- selected coopers are used in Montrose, and 40 % in one year old barrels. The average ageing period is 16 to 18 months.
For our second wine, DAME DE MONTROSE, the proportion of new french oak barrels reaches about 15 to 20 %. The average ageing is 12 months; so begins a long process of racking rhythm.
This is a very natural process of slow wine decanting, to isolate the fine particles still present in the wine. All the wines are finely racked every 3 months, a very traditional method.
The wine is moved from one barrel to the other by gravity. Once the barrel’s bottom is reached, the workers carefully view, with a candle, the lees coming off the clear part of the wine. The fining is made traditionally, in barrels, with fresh egg whites, in order to refine the wine and to soften the tannins.
Wine Information
Main characteristics of the vintage
April and May were fresh and rainy causing a delay in the vegetation. Then, June was on the whole, very sunny. The mid-blossoming took place in June 23rd and naturally, we predicted a late harvest.
After a hot and sunny July, the weather changed during August: a cloudy sky with fresh temperatures for the season settled till September 10th. Then the sunny weather came back nonstop till the harvest, allowing the grapes to ripen in good conditions.
During harvest, except for one cloudy day, the weather was continuously hot and sunny with high temperatures for the late season: 18-19°C in the morning, 24-25°C in the afternoon.
Period of harvest
October 3rd -October 17th
Blending
Information non communicated
Tasting notes
Light colour with brick-red hue.
Fresh nose with slightly sour fruits (plum) and leather.
Light palate, delivering aromas of prune, tobacco, and clove. Light tannic texture.
The wine is fine, light with a slight acidity. The attack is neat and balanced. The finish is a little short with a little bitterness.
Vintage 1978
Bordeaux Vintage Report / 1978 turned out to be a very good vintage particularly in Pauillac and St Julien.
“The miracle vintage”. Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong until mid-August. But thanks to the beautiful sun and the heat from that moment on, the vintage was saved. The best wines come from Médoc and Graves. Château La Mission Haut Brion produces the wine of the vintage. I had very good bottles of Châteaux Margaux, Léoville Las Cases, Latour, Haut Brion, Cheval Blanc, Pichon Lalande and Palmer. Most wines should be drunk soon.
It would be wise to choose the best chateaux of this vintage just because some of the lesser estates are on the hill. The best will continue to drink until 2010-2012. Lafite Rothschild is the wine of the vintage.
