Château Montrose is released today. This is a day we had been waiting for in this campaign. We tasted at the Château in April and the Grand Vin showcased, once again, the brilliance of this terroir in a wine that was silky and seamless, mouth-filling and complete, showing a cushioned power and an underlying, all-pervading freshness and energy underpinned by very fine irony tannins; long, pure, focused.
Its situation right next to the Gironde estuary in a single vineyard around the Château and its clay-rich subsoil were harnessed during a long history under the Charmolue family for more than a hundred years to produce one of the most consistently fine wines of Bordeaux.
More recent substantial investment has been made since the Bouygues brothers acquired the property in 2006 and there are probably very few who would now counter William Kelley’s assertion on tasting the 2022 that ‘this only confirms Montrose's status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemporary Médoc's very greatest estates’. This is an undeniably brilliant Montrose.
Please see below for notes from William Kelley, Neal Martin, Antonio Galloni and Jane Anson:
2022 Château Montrose, Saint-Estèphe
£873 per 6 bottle case in bond
99-100 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
The 2022 Montrose is such a compelling wine that assigning it a bracketed score seems a mere formality. A brilliant terroir, impeccable viticulture, perfectly timed harvest dates and judicious extraction have aligned to deliver a monument in the making, reminiscent of a far purer, more precise, modern-day version of the 1990 vintage at this address. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, violets, iris, pencil lead and cigar wrapper, it's full-bodied, deep and authoritative, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, elegantly muscular core that's framed by supple, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this only confirms Montrose's status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemporary Médoc's very greatest estates.
97-99 points, Neal Martin, Vinous
The 2022 Montrose was picked 2 to 22 September comprising all four grape varieties and all the Cabernet Franc, with 13% pressed wine, matured in 60% new oak. There is 14.5% alcohol this year, which is less than 2018. It has an extremely pure nose with black cherries and blueberry. Quite floral in style with hints of blood orange percolating through with time. The palate is very precise with exceptional mineralité and tension. Very focused, superb concentration, with what is becoming Montrose's trademark sense of symmetry and sustained aftertaste, this could be the finest Saint-Estèphe in 2022. Drink 2027-2052
96-98 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2022 Montrose is a brooding, powerful wine, as it so often is. Huge tannins wrap around a core of dark black fruit, chocolate, leather, spice, menthol and licorice. The new oak (60%) is not yet fully integrated, but then again, the 2022 is a baby. A bit of time in the glass helps the elements come together nicely. Readers will have to be exceptionally patient, as the 2022 is not likely to start drinking well until it is at least 15-20 years old. Drink 2032-2062
97 points, Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
The intensity and the depth of expression is clear from the start, with ripe damson and fig fruits, incense and espresso given balance and tension by pomegrante, slate, lemongrass and mandarin rind. Unrolls to show the depth and class of Montrose, has density without shouting, keeping the estate signature and character. The first full vintage for Pierre Grafeuille as estate director, working alongside long time technical director Vincent Decup. 12% press wine, pretty much exactly the same as ever, this really is a vineyard that delivers consistency.
Please let us know of your interest.
Take care,
Richard