72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
The 2018 Montrose is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Very deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a good amount of air to unlock the vibrant scents of crushed blackberries, preserved plums and cassis with suggestions of star anise, cedar chest, underbrush, Indian spices and iron ore, plus an emerging waft of violets. The full-bodied palate features the most exquisitely ripe tannins, offering a rock-solid backbone with tons of freshness lifting the taut, muscular fruit, finishing long and mineral laced. Going back to this wine over a period of hours and then days further reveals a Montrose of great opulence, richness and depth. Incidentally, the IPT level this year is 82, which indicates a very high level of tannins, and yet they are so, so ripe. The alcohol is around 14.5%. But sit back, close your eyes and forget the numbers—this is pure hedonism in its youth with a fantastic 40+ years of cellaring ahead of it, during the course of which do not be at all surprised if you are blown away by a three-digit experience. - Robert Parker
This is wonderfully rich, with the precision of 2016 but the seductive quality of 2009. It feels architectural in the way that truly great vintages do in the Médoc, and it seems to have consumed its alcohol rather effortlessly. There´s plenty of liquorice and exuberant but well buttoned-down brushed damson and cassis pit notes that maintain the signature of Montrose. You can see the concentration in the legs and in the depth of the colour. 20% press wine was added, which is typical here, but the vintage yielded an extremely low 25hl/ha, due partly to drought, partly to mildew and partly to coulure - with drought accounting for most of that/ The Cabernets were affected more than the Merlots because of the later harvesting (which ran from 17 September to 5 October), which meant careful sorting was essential. A good 3.7pH has definitely helped it maintain its balance and sense of minerality, but for me the 2016 remains the one to beat. 2% Petit Verdot makes up the blend. Phenolic count of 81IPT. - Decanter
"A full-bodied powerhouse as well as a perfect wine, the 2018 Château Montrose is a final blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that was raised in 60% new French oak. Boasting a deep purple hue as well as awesome levels of crème de cassis and smoky blackberry fruits and notes of tobacco, lead pencil, scorched earth, and chocolate, it's deep, opulent, and incredibly concentrated on the palate, with no shortage of mid-palate depth, tannins, or length. It reminds me a little of a fresher version of the 2003, although there's more Cabernet Sauvignon in 2018 as well as less Merlot. It has that classic Montrose minerality and backward, mineral-laced style, yet I suspect this will be drinkable in just 5-6 years and should evolve into a modern-day legend from this Terroir." - Jeb Dunnuck
"72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 25 hl/ha, 14.5% vol. Alkohol, 52% der Produktion ist im Grand Vin. Konzentriertes, samtenes, kra¨ftiges, komplexes, frisches Bouquet, Cassiscreme, schwarze Beeren, Lakritze, dunkler Tabak, Mahagoni, Kaffeebohnen, Black Currant, Graphit. Hoch konzentrierter, vielschichtiger, cremiger, fruchtiger, fein opulenter Gaumen mit konzentrierter, su¨sser, dunkler Frucht, sehr viel feinem Tannin, cremiger, dichter Struktur, sensationeller Aromatik, sehr langer, kraftvoller, aromatischer Abgang mit vielen Ru¨ckaromen." - Gabriel
"Tiefes Purpur mit opaker Mitte. Sehr vielschichtiges Bouquet mit Wildkirsche, edler Marokkominze und Nougatpralinen. Im zweiten Ansatz Holundersaft, dunkles Edelholz und tasmanischer Bergpfeffer. Am dichten und trotzdem sublimen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur und betörender Extraktfülle, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im gebündelten nicht enden wollenden Finale ein Donnerhall von kleinen schwarzen Beeren, tiefschürfender Terroirwürze und kakaoartiger Adstringenz. Der Gigant hat sein Ziel erreicht und die Höchstnote zu Recht errungen – Chapeau!" - Weinwisser
"Couleur sombre, intense, pourpre et belle. Nez intense, fin, fruité, pur, mûr, suave et crémeux. Minutieux en entrée de bouche, moelleux et en même temps dense au développement, très, très aromatique, plein, gras et pourtant fondant, le vin évolue juteux, puissant, vers une finale complexe. C'est délicieux et un tantinet plus viril que 2016." - Jean-Marc Quarin
Sehr dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktive Nuancen von Edelholz und Nougat, dunkles Waldbeerkonfit, Lakritze, ein Hauch von kandierten Orangenzesten, ein Hauch von Schwarzwälder-Kirschtorte. Kompakt, straffe Textur, reife Herzkirschen, angenehme Extraktsüße, tragende, noch präsente Tannine, feinwürziger Abgang, ein Hauch von Ingwer und weißem Pfeffer im Nachhall, sehr gute Länge, frisch und anhaftend, noch von einer ersten Trinkreife entfernt. (2025 - 2060) - Falstaff
Ungemein saftiger, knackiger Wein mit robustem, herbem Tannin, wuchtig, grosszügig, mit Charakter und Stil, hervorragend gemacht. - Vinum
Black core with narrow purple rim. More obvious oak than on La Dame de Montrose but still with hints of violets alongside pure cassis intensity. Almost a mintiness in the ripe (but not in the least overripe) black fruit. Oak spice and fruit spice. Amazingly juicy even with the density and concentration of both fruit and tannins. Needs lots of time but has great harmony and length. Powerful without being aggressive. Very oaky at the moment but has the stuffing and the wonderful fruit to hold its own. (JH) - Jancis Robinson
Purity and beauty on the nose with blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, crushed-stone and violet character. A full-bodied red with masses of polished tannins and intense flavors of currants and blackberries. Juicy finish. Super depth to this. Goes on for minutes. Try after 2027. - James Suckling
The 2018 Montrose balances finesse and power to a degree I don't think I have seen in a recent young Montrose. The 2018 has plenty of depth, intensity and thrust - all signatures of Montrose - but it also has a striking sense of elegance. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice meld together in the glass. Although it is naturally very young, the 2018 Montrose appears to have a tremendous future. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, which is to say more Cabernet and less Merlot than is the norm. Readers will have to be patient with the 2018, but it is a stellar wine in the making. Montrose presents an en primeur sample aged 100% in new oak (while the final wine is aging in 60% new barrels) to show a wine that is more ready to taste young. - Antonio Galloni
This superb wine offers intense, spicy tannins and rich black fruits that yield an impressive, ageworthy bottling. Its black plum flavor and juicy acidity are enhanced by the firm tannins, with a touch of nutmeg on the finish. - Wine Enthusiast
Das Chateau Montrose
In einer der besten Lagen der Appellation, mit wunderbarem Blick auf die Gironde liegt Château Montrose. 2006 fand ein Besitzerwechsel statt. Martin Bouygues, einer der erfolgreichsten Unternehmer Frankreichs, erwarb dieses legendäre Weingut für eine unbekannte Summe.
Die Weine von Château Montrose sind eine Verewigung von Tradition, Fülle und Dichte und sind ein Beispiel des "klassischen" Stils der großen Saint-Estèphe, intensiv, massiv und komplex, hinzu entwickeln die Weine konzentrierte Aromen von reifen Früchten, Gewürzen und Tabak.
Nach der Klassifikation von 1855 gehört das weitläufige Weingut zu den Grand Cru Classé und ist als Deuxièmes Crus klassifiziert. Nahezu jedes Jahr brillieren die Montrose-Weine mit ihrer exzellenten Qualität. Unter den berühmtesten Jahrgängen ist der von Parker mit 100 Punkten bewertete 1990er Jahrgang. Auf knapp 70 Hektar stehen mit Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc und Petit Verdot die klassischen Bordeaux-Rebsorten in den Weinbergen. Aus diesen Sorten werden nur drei Weine hergestellt: Château Montrose, La Dame de Montrose und Tertio de Montrose. Der Rotwein Château Montrose zeichnet sich durch sein exzellentes Lagerpotenzial aus – einige Vintage-Jahrgänge sind schon legendär.
