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  • Country ranking ?

    138
  • Producer ranking ?

    2
  • Decanting time

    6h
  • When to drink

    now to 2050
  • Food Pairing

    Seared Elk Chops Au Poivre

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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 98p / Tasted at the château, the 2009 Montrose is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot picked between 17 September and 5 October. It has a very powerful and opulent bouquet that is irresistible, blackcurrant pastilles, cedar, violets and a hint of vanilla pod. The palate is full-bodied, powerful, grippy in the mouth with layers of black fruit laced with tar and white pepper. It is a dense Montrose, heady unlike any other vintage with a spicy and purposeful finish that lingers long in the mouth. Almost knocks you sideways! This is immense. Tasted September 2016.

 

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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 2009 / Episodes of regular rain and warm temperature characterize the first six months of the year 2009. Nevertheless, the key-phases of the vine’s growing cycle (blossoming and setting of the vine) developed in excellent conditions. This year again, the unique soil of Montrose helped us fight against the parasitic disease, gratefully to the draining gravelly soil along with the oceanic air that sweeps and dries away the vineyard.


The summer settled a hot and dry weather until the early fall, allowing the berry to gain volume and change colour. That authorized us to be patient with confidence and serenity for the grape to reach optimal maturity.


Our obsession was to find the balance so fragile between the perfect maturity of the berries (sugar, tannin) and the freshness of the juice extended by an acidity that we controlled daily. All these factors foreshadowed an exceptional vintage of grand quality.
The tasting of the juice, then of the wine, rapidly convinced us of the extraordinary quality the vintage 2009 was reserving us. It is also important to stress on the homogeneous and valuable soil of Montrose.
Period of harvest: September 17th – October 5th

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Vintage 2009

Much like 1947, 1961 and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost overly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant and opulent wines with high maturity and low acidity. The tannins are exceptionally ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more hours of sunshine than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and the grapes had higher sugar concentrations than in 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature variations that allowed the grapes to withstand hot daytime temperatures. An exceptional vintage on all levels.

 

 

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

2009 Montrose - Full-bodied, powerful and concentrated, the wine clearly takes up a lot room on your palate. Opulent, as well as refined, now, you find an oceanic influence with its saltiness in the tannins. The wine has depth, freshness and perfectly ripe, soft tannins. If you are lucky enough to have a bottle of this gem in your cellar, try to wait another 10 years for it top really start opening up and displaying all of its incredible charms. 100 Pts

  • 100p

Deep and dense, dark colour with dark ruby tints.
The nose is complex with morello, core of cherry and blackberry. It delivers notes of citron and spices (saffron).
Aromas of redcurrant, cassis, morello, cocoa and liquorice develop on the palate.
Supple and long-lasting finish on neat, coated and very precise tannins.
Complex, balanced and harmonious wine. The tasting reveals very homogeneous, soft and silky.
Incredibly long finish.

Deep ruby. Intense, fruity, ripe, rich, layered, cassis, vanilla, plums, chocolate, coffee and some cedar notes. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, structured, layered, deep, nuanced, more showy structure than earlier bottle, very long indeed. 98
  • 98p
Tasted on 16th June 2016. Thick, fat and dense, incredibly intense nose of blueberries, black cherries and blackcurrants, stunning intensity on the palate, extremely powerful, stunning balance and length. Force of the winemaking. This wine is fully on the level with 1. Growths.
  • 100p
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Information

Origin

St. Estephe, Bordeaux

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

3h

Inside Information

Established as a Second Growth in the 1855 classification, Château Montrose enjoys an exceptional geographical situation in Saint-Estèphe, facing the Gironde estuary. Its 95-hectare (235-acre) vineyard thus benefits from the moderating influence of the vast water mass nearby during very hot summers and harsh winters. The vineyard is in a single sweep, a rare and priceless advantage in the region. The soil, consisting of deep gravel over clay, favours natural drainage and ensures that the vines benefit from a slow and regular water supply from the water reserves in the subsoil. 

An extensive renovation program with very strict environmental objectives has been carried out at the estate since it was acquired by Martin and Olivier Bouygues in 2006, reflecting the new owners’ determination to perpetuate the quality of the wine and make Château Montrose a model of skilled winemaking and sustainable development. 

Under the direction of Hervé Berland since 2012, the estate has 68 employees in the vineyard and winery, all of whom share the same philosophy: respect for the terroir and a constant quest for excellence. That philosophy is manifested in meticulous vineyard practices, very precise parcel selection and use of only the best grapes to make the premium wine, Château Montrose. 

The other qualities are used to make the second wine, La Dame de Montrose, and the third wine, Le Saint-Estèphe de Montrose.

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