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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.9 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 46 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by The Wine Monkeys on 12/26/2022: Light, watery, lacking in all areas. I knew it was an iffy vintage but I was surprised at how flabby and watered down this wine was. (1504 views) | | | Tasted by Rezy13 on 11/23/2021: Tuesday Night Double Blind $50+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Cloudy, aged, brick rim; spicy, brick dust, clay, spicy, leather, mushroom, green pepper, black tea, truffle, drying out a bit, horse, mature, red currant, off year, tastes old. (2029 views) | | | Tasted by Matt 56 on 8/6/2021 & rated 86 points: Small bottle … green ,bitter … no flavor apart from bitter tobacco …. Normally Montrose is excellent ,but this was nothing ! (1885 views) | | | Tasted by dnnk88 on 6/17/2020 & rated 93 points: CB Wine Night #17 (turned out to be the last CB Wine Night) - WT Last Day!: Classic Montrose - in a very good place now. WOTN! Notes to come (2604 views) | | | Tasted by rloy on 11/19/2019 & rated 92 points: Cork in good condition. No bricking. Full bodied. Tannins fully resolved. Aromas of graphite and cedar. Flavors of dark fruit, tobacco, and gunpowder. Long finish. Fully mature, drink now. A characteristic Bordeaux from a less than stellar vintage. (2973 views) | | | Tasted by Nels+ on 5/12/2019 & rated 92 points: 1997 Bordeaux wine was another in the series (1957, 1967, 1977, 1987) of rather poor vintages ending with the scary number 7. But this well aged bottle of Montrose is another example that great châteaus often bring something very juicy, classic and elegant into the bottle even in those years! Ripe blackberries, cassis, cigar, graphite and gunpowder in the nose and on the (medium intense and long) palate.
BoW 18/20 (2597 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 2/3/2017 & rated 90 points: A very pleasant surprise, a mere -97 turned out be very good, coffee flavors, nice fruit and acidity, would buy more. (2582 views) | | | Tasted by Indybond on 7/15/2016 & rated 84 points: PnP. Nice nose initially, but fell apart completely after 90 minutes. IMO, Montrose is one of the most overrated Bordeaux along with Pontet Canet and Leoville Poyferre. Those wines are for investors who blindly follow Parker (which makes perfect sense actually), not for drinkers like me. (6001 views) | | | Tasted by chefdilletante on 11/11/2015: Mess of a year, hell of a wine. This is as good as it's going to get. Bouquet meets you as soon as the cork is pulled, and maintains after decanting. Fully resolved tannins. It's elegant, svelte and lithe; and a complete delight. (6343 views) | | | Tasted by phil the agony on 7/5/2015 & rated 93 points: Une petite bouteille à déguster tranquillement avec les gnocchis maison à la roquette/ricotta et zeste de citron avec mozz di buffala,tomate cerise et huile de basilic.
Un nez superbe qui annonce un Bordeaux avec une belle fraicheur.
J'aime de plus en plus les vieux Bordeaux avec une teneur en alcool moindre que maintenant.
Plus accessible à mon avis..
Beaucoup de fruits compotés rouge, tabac blond, un petit boisé à peine goûté.
Côté 89.9 sur CT ?? Nann...beaucoup mieux que ça à mon avis.
93 et il est sur son plateau...pente à peine descendante..
Ne pas se priver de le boire maintenant plus frais que chaud !!! (6432 views) | | | Tasted by Benj on 12/21/2014 & rated 89 points: Last tasted 6 years ago. Looking back on my note it looks pretty consistent with my new note. Major changes: (1) the nose now has much more lacquered wood, some noticeable graphite and also - sadly - some alcohol coming through; (2) my comment back then about muted tannins seems strange because there's plenty of tannin to keep this going. Unfortunately I'm not sure the depth of fruit will keep going for much longer. Still very pleasurable, but I have to agree with other reviewers that the palate is on the light and short side (and on the decline). Despite still having a delightful nose, this wine's best years are behind it. 13%, $55 back in the day at Trader Joe's. (6623 views) | | | Tasted by yofog on 11/7/2014: A great maturing Bdx nose on this, old school with currant, tobacco, pepper, soil, cedar. On the palate it still has plenty of life and round fruit, and it holds up well over the course of the night. More about the nose than the palate, I suppose, but it gives a lot of pleasure and was actually one of the best wines of the night. Holds its ground. (6633 views) | | | Tasted by andrewdl on 12/30/2012: Fairly flat. Good start but tough finish. (6459 views) | | | Tasted by monahanchris on 12/16/2011 & rated 91 points: Stood two days, decanted off the sediment for an hour. Slight bricking. The nose was powerful even before pouring from the bottle. Cedar, tobacco, and earth. Delicious and layered flavors, more cedar, earth, and some dark fruits. Nice tannin for its age and supposed drinking window. Probably has life yet. Finish was medium length. Very enjoyable wine. (7205 views) | | | Tasted by Andice on 10/9/2011 & rated 90 points: A supposedly diluted vintage in Bordeaux, but boy did the oenologist overcome the odds w great winemaking. Light orange brick colour indicative of age. Silky entry that builds up into a surprisingly powerful mid-palate. Substantial, assertive and weighty, but all in a classy sort of way. Traditional style w touch of austerity. Still v tannic w lots of life left in it. V fine tannins, almost powdery sendiments. Even after more than a decade of bottle age, still v forceful and impressive. Indeed the 'Latour of St Estephe' (9.0/10). http://sgbordeaux.blogspot.com/2011/08/montrose-1997.html (6847 views) | | | Tasted by Svinvan on 8/25/2011 & rated 93 points: Gedronken met Papa en Mama thuis. Super lekker! (6846 views) | | | Tasted by Alex H on 10/14/2009 & rated 85 points: Canadian Tbone meets montrose; 10/13/2009-10/15/2009: Immediately , the nose showed nice aged claret aromas . Barnyardish, slighlty peppery, some capsicums and lots of leather with hot minerality and hot stones topped up with good exotic fruits. Lovely ready palate with rainy day berries and hints of cigarette ash. Very consistent wine that has quite a lasting finish . (8004 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 4/19/2009 & rated 89 points: Nose: Wet hay that blew off, cassis, licorice, smoky, yeasty, pencil shaving
Mouth: bit subdued after the nose, blackcurrant, wonderful rich coffee mid, long mouth filling finish. Nicely balanced.
Had this with roast rib of beef and it went just fine. Not the best Bordeaux I've had but okay none the less. (5793 views) | | | Tasted by ThMeyer on 2/22/2009 & rated 90 points: nose that has concentrated fruit but also some tobacco leaves and sweaty socks. Concentrated palate with still strong but fine tannins - we all liked it. (5715 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 1/8/2009 & rated 87 points: White pepper and smoky bouquet with toasted oak. So far so good. But this was about it. The wine is juicy alright and certainly interesting, but there is too much acidity and a drying finish. This will never be great. The bouquet saved the score. (5839 views) | | | Tasted by Benj on 12/23/2008 & rated 90 points: This wine was better than I was expecting it to be. It's definitely ready to drink now; I can't say how much longer it'll last but I think the drinking window given here on CT is probably pretty good. Loads of cassis on the nose, with blackberries and spice, a little wood (actual wood smells) and grape-flavoured sweets. The palate is significantly lighter than the nose and is a little disappointing in comparison, but is still decent, with fruit and spice, particularly sour cherry and cinnamon. Fruit comes through more on the front, spice on the back giving a nice warm medium-length finish. Tannins are very muted now, definitely ready to drink. The mid-palate is pretty empty and overall the wine is a little thin / lacks density but it smells and tastes great so you've gotta give it credit for that! . For the price, however, this has got to be a pass. (5553 views) | | | Tasted by Alex H on 11/2/2008 & rated 83 points: Crystal French Wine Sale (Bordeaux) (Crystal Wines): The most green capsicums I have smelt among the wines of the tasting. Also has cat's pee and smoky cherries. Lightish palate that is with decent fruit and length but not all that impressionable. (6343 views) | | | Tasted by the godfather on 6/22/2008 & rated 90 points: big complex nose but short finish, filled out a bit with air, good but not great (5590 views) | | | Tasted by David J Cooper on 3/26/2008: Deep red. Lots of cassis and mint with some smoked meat notes. Really tasy. I lost my focus while tasting this one but must have loved it because it disapeared real fast. (5671 views) | | | Tasted by Vino Me on 11/27/2002 & rated 89 points: Reddish/Purple color. The fruit was on the bitter side. Notes of cassis and licorice and not as deep as many of the other wines. Medium bodied. 88-89 points. (6219 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Montrose Producer website – Read more about Chateau Montrose
This was acquired In 1778 as part of the Calon estate, by Etienne Théodore Dumoulin. After his death, his son, (also Etienne Théodore Dumoulin) cleared the vegetation and discovered the soil beneath was gravelly and suitable for the vine. Planting was completed by 1815 with good results. By 1820, Dumoulin had expanded the vineyard and built a small chateau. This vineyard has changed hands many times over the years. New equipment in 1975, and again in 1985, and a new barrel cellar helped sow the seeds for Montrose's renovation, which reached a peak in about 2000 with some excellent wines. The estate and the wines were enjoying a great reputation when, in 2006, it changed hands once more when Martin & Oliver Bouygues bought the vineyard. The vineyard is currently 65 hectares with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The wines go into oak, 70% new for eighteen months for the Grand Vin Chateau Montrose (typically 19,000 cases per annum). Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Estèphe Read more about St. Estephe and its wines Whereas the first activity recorded in Saint-Estèphe goes back as far as the Middle Bronze Age, the first vines date from the Roman Occupation. But it was the Bordeaux merchants who by aging and selling Saint-Estèphe wines themselves were largely responsible for this appellation's fame. And in the nineteenth century, noted for its prosperity, the great estates of today were created. The movement continues today with the merging of small estates.
A land of great wines, Saint-Estèphe is situated almost in the centre of the Médoc, close to the Gironde Estuary. The appellation is equidistant from Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave.
The beds of soil are characterized by their remarkable diversity, the result of their undulating relief and excellent drainage. Quartz and well-rounded pebbles mingled with light, sandy surface soil are found everywhere, giving the wines a distinctive finesse. And the subsoil is made up of the famous Saint-Estèphe limestone, which outcrops on the west of the commune.
Tasting
Thanks to ideal conditions of climate and geology, Saint-Estèphe wines are characterized by their sturdy qualities and robust constitution. Accordingly, they can be laid down for a very long time while yet preserving their youth and freshness. Distinguished by a subsoil which is more clayey than that in the other communal appellations which lie by the river, the wine here attains a distinctive individuality : a very rich tannic structure, a fine deep red colour and an exceptional backbone with aromas of great finesse.
Production conditions (Decree dated September 11, 1936):
In order to have the right to the Saint-Estèphe appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Saint-Estèphe, "excluding any parcels in that area which are situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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