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  • Country ranking ?

    668
  • Producer ranking ?

    16
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035
  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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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

Vintage 2003

Main characteristics of the vintage
2003 will remain in our memories as the year of the heat wave. The vintage was mainly due to an exceptionally hot and dry summer. Montrose’s soils released the freshness useful for the vines to endure the heat and to lessen the consequences of the heat wave.
Period of harvest: September 11th – September 26th
Once again, Montrose’s terroir was capable of producing great wines despite the hot and dry weather. The wines were extremely fat and rich, with no over maturity; the tannins were very powerful, yet very melted and elegant, with impressive ageing potential. 2003 will be a vintage worth being waited for. A vintage categorized to be a historical success for Montrose.

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Vintage 2003

2003 was the hottest vintage ever seen in Bordeaux. The most successful châteaux have passed their exceptional 2000s and some claim to have made their greatest wines in living memory.

Very dry and extremely hot summer days and nights (16 days > 95°F compared to 2 in 2000, 6 in 2005, 4 in 2009). Need to eliminate the superscript here. I can't figure out how to do it.) The deeply colored reds, low acidities and high tannins are a departure from the classic Left Bank profile. St.-Estèphe and Pauillac are the most successful. The reds have largely reached their peak. It remains a controversial vintage, with opinions sharply divided as to its intrinsic quality. The white grape harvest began in mid-August. Rich, fatty whites, some acidified, not for long storage.

The extreme summer heat presented winemakers with a significant challenge. Sugar levels increased dramatically in late summer as some growers took the plunge and harvested early to preserve acidity. However, winemakers who waited until their grapes were fully ripe were rewarded with rich, concentrated, dark-colored wines displaying astonishing depth of fruit and plenty of complexity.

Generally speaking, the great wines of 2003 come from the northernmost communes of the Médoc: and in particular from Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe. Highlights include Lafite, Latour, Pichon Baron, Montrose and Cos d’Estournel. Quality was more uneven in the south of the Médoc although Château Margaux, true to form, produced one of the wines of the vintage.

The right bank properties of St Emilion and Pomerol, where temperatures were even warmer, produced inconsistent wines and volumes were massively reduced. Vieux Château Certan, which usually produces 4,000 cases per year, only produced 800 last year. Estates that have resisted this model and produced exceptional wines include Figeac, Ausone, Fetyit Clinet and Angelus.

Graves and Pessac-Lèognan fared better, but many châteaux produced wines that were alcoholic and expansive, but lacked the fresh, linear fruit core that distinguished the best of 2003. The exceptions are Haut-Bailly, the powerful and concentrated Domaine de Chevalier, and of course the thoroughbred stable of wines from Haut-Brion and La Misson Haut-Brion.

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

This had a very ripe and rich nose with remarkable sweetness yet noticeable terroir; it was very complex with its nut, mineral and earth components with some piercing (more like pinching) alcohol and acidity aromas underneath its massive fruit. Chocolate, coconut and good wood rounded out its exotic and meaty nose. Secondary aromas of freshly baked bread developed later on. The palate was rich and oily with lots of nut, chocolate, plum and oil flavors. The finish was a touch dry, the acidity solid, and the wine was overall rich and sexy, always a good combination in my book. Clive muttered how everyone should drink it now while we could because it won't get any better, and that there was 'too much Chateauneuf du Pape here,' referring to its overripe quality, adding that all 2003 Burgundies taste like they were 'made by Helen Turley.' Clearly, 2003 was a hot year everywhere in France. Steven Spurrier was quick to defend the 2003 when the topic arose. The only negative thing I can say about the 2003 is that after three hours in the glass, while the 2000 was still going strong, the 2003 seemed to be losing its focus, although I did only have a half of a swallow left by that time, so perhaps that was a factor. How wines expand and hold over time in the glass is always a sign of greatness in a young wine. Despite sitting next to Clive and the enormous influence he was trying to wield, I still found the wine outstanding

  • 93p

Dense, deep, purple colour with a ruby reflection.
Very complex nose offering aromas of ripe red berries, currants, mocha, liquorice, and peony. Complex and very fresh palate loaded with black fruit, chocolate (cocoa with silky tannins).
Fabulous wine, full-bodied and very structured.
Fresh .Beautiful length with neat, velvety tannins.
Splendid aromatic complexity.

Deepish ruby. Intense, dark fruits, sweet and ripe, plums, "full" nose, big. Freshish acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, intense, ripe, juicy, detailed, easy to enjoy but a bit boring, long. 92
  • 92p
Tasted on 16th June 2016. This wine had a distinguished nose of leather, graphite and roasted bacon. Very intense nose of blackcurrants, rich and sophisticated on palate, very strong backbone, exquisite balance, complexity and staggering richness. No sign at all of cooked/heated flavors, fresh and with incredibly long finish. This is fantastic tribute to the vintage! Kudos to the winemaker!
  • 100p
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Origin

St. Estephe, Bordeaux
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