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  • Country ranking ?

    1 821
  • Producer ranking ?

    84
  • Decanting time

    1h
  • When to drink

    Now
  • Food Pairing

    Grilled Steak and Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread

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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.

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Wine Information

Main characteristics of the vintage
From early March, the weather was fine with rather high temperatures above the seasonal average causing the vine to grow around March 10th, which was really very early. At the end of this month, despite the sunny weather, it was rather cold (on March 31st, the temperature went down below 2° C). The merlots and cabernet francs were first concerned by the frost, as their growth was earlier than the cabernets sauvignons’. Montrose’s vineyard, well ventilated by its nearby location to the estuary of the Gironde, was never subject to the spring frosts, before 1977. Then, May and June were too mild for the season with rainfalls. The early vegetation lagged and the blossoming was late (mid-blossoming June 21st). If July’s temperatures were normal, August and September lacked sun and heat, causing an insufficient maturity of the grapes. The first days of harvest were characterized by an alternation of rain and sun, followed by a fresh fine weather. During this period, the temperature did not exceed 20°C;
We had to face a crop of average quality lacking maturity; nevertheless, the wine revealed to be fine and elegant.

Period of harvest
October 1st -October 15th

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Vintage 1977

Bordeaux / The 1977 vintage ended up being one of the poorest of the 1970s. Early budburst faced a damaging spring frost, reducing crop size from small to minimal. The forming crop was poorly treated by the cool and constantly wet summer. Then came the driest September in 125 years, followed by a dry October saving the vintage from total disaster. The epitome of the vintage was the poorest Mouton-Rothschild ever made. The only pleasure it can give is the beautiful label. On the other hand, there are surprises. Lafite with a ridiculous price of 150 euros per bottle turned out to be very pleasant. The best experience this year is still the Yquem produced in very small quantities. Overall, all dry wines were ready to drink upon release and are not

 

Main characteristics of the vintage
From the beginning of March, the weather was good with temperatures quite high above the seasonal average causing the vines to grow around March 10, which was really very early. At the end of the month, despite the sunny weather, it was rather cold (on March 31, the temperature dropped below 2°C). Merlots and Cabernet Francs were first affected by the frost, because their growth predated that of Cabernet Sauvignons. The Montrose vineyard, well ventilated by its proximity to the Gironde estuary, was never subject to spring frosts before 1977. Then, May and June were too mild for the season with precipitation. Early vegetation was delayed and flowering was late (mid-flowering on June 21). If July temperatures were normal, August and September lacked sun and heat, leading to insufficient maturity of the grapes. The first days of harvest were characterized by alternating rain and sun, followed by nice cool weather. During this period, the temperature did not exceed 20°C;

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Information

Origin

St. Estephe, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Below Average

Fake factory

None
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