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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.
Vintage 1964
Pour beaucoup, le millésime 1964 évoque des images d’une année vraiment unique. C’était cela en Bourgogne, mais pas à Bordeaux, même si le ministre français de l’Agriculture a déclaré que c’était le millésime du siècle à Bordeaux. Il a fait sa déclaration avant que les pluies d’automne ne commencent à tomber. Le millésime a été, en tout cas, très bon, rappelant assez celui de 1962, dont les grandes récoltes produisaient d’excellents vins.
L’hiver doux et humide a été suivi d’un printemps chaud. Les conditions idéales pendant la période de germination sont restées sèches et chaudes tout au long de l’été. Les raisins ont mûri magnifiquement jusqu’au 8 octobre, date à laquelle trois semaines de pluies extrêmement fortes ont pénétré dans Bordeaux, causant les plus grands dégâts dans le Médoc, principalement à Pauillac et Saint-Estèphe. Certains producteurs de la région avaient réussi à ramener toute leur récolte avant les pluies. L’un de ces chanceux était Château Latour. L’un des moins chanceux fut le Château Lynch-Bages, qui finit par récolter le 24 octobre. Ce millésime privilégie cependant les vins de Merlot de la rive droite, qui mûrissent bien avant les pluies. Il y a très peu de vins buvables à l’heure actuelle. Une fois de plus, le Cheval Blanc et le Pétrus s’élèvent au-dessus de l’autre, également en prix. Un développement intéressant en 1964 a été l’acquisition par Mouiex des actions de Pétrus.