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| | Vintage | 2005 |  Label 1 of 827 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Château Montrose (web) | | Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Médoc | | Appellation | St. Estèphe | | UPC Code(s) | 000004081043, 031259043678, 3176480263970, 3258691277783, 3277035054354, 3277035054453, 3284396002696, 3364420028530, 3364420050364, 3419466154917, 3448821104069, 3450301061977, 3453521143362, 3550871217023, 3700266202961, 400000987569, 400005043321, 550871217023, 616773413604, 714153161319 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.9 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 330 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by essenceofreal on 3/28/2024: Decided to crack into my case and check on this.
Wow was it young! This has soooo much more in store. If drinking now I'd decant on a frying pan for a week before consuming.
Clearly a great wine, or it will be in about 10 years when it starts to calm down and integrate. I won't be touching these for about a decade. (2951 views) | | | Tasted by RayOB on 3/21/2024 & rated 95 points: Drank in London
A real beauty (3189 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 2/27/2024: Chateau Montrose Tasting (Bentley Bar & Restaurant, Sydney): Polished, rich and generous nose shows good quality oak, sweet spice, bacon fat, blackcurrant, plums a little violet, smells younger than the 2011, touch of clay. Juicy and generous here on the palate as well, a little savoury, almost salted liquorice notes joins the black hued fruits, tannins are woody, talc textured and super persistent, a little sous bois joins on the finish with the liquorice slightly more pronounced. Pretty clever (559 views) | | | Tasted by finediningnyc on 2/16/2024 & rated 94 points: A 3 hour decant has 05 Montrose showing beautifully, wafting layers of cassis, cedar, saddle leather and mocha with a silky and vibrant palate and fine grained tannins. Still so young but in a real nice spot. (4909 views) | | | Tasted by WineTraveler42 on 1/20/2024 & rated 95 points: A delightful wine! Opened the bottle at noon, decanted at 5pm. Started drinking at 8pm. Stunning. Brick color. Tannins are smooth and well integrated. Musk, leather, saffron, smoke, subtle vanilla and licorice. Cedar well in the background. Still some floral notes of violet that intoxicate and leave you wanting one more sip! After an hour, forest floor, mushroom, umami and moss. Wow! A delightful experience. But this wine has a long runway in front of it. Will be interesting to follow over time. (6087 views) | | | Tasted by dsimmons on 1/14/2024 & rated 93 points: My first of three and I believe it needs more time to really show its best. Double decanted for 7 hours. Still a beast, but wit complexity and potential showing through. (6521 views) | | | Tasted by Hugo Hilde on 1/1/2024 & rated 95 points: Bordeaux + Napa pirates (Tøyen, Oslo): Slow oxed 7 hours, followed 5 hours
Noble, understated nose with dark berries, bacon fat, baked tomato and a bevy of peppery spices.
Uniform palate, archetypical Medoc, cherry pits, so much minerality. Dark and serious, though never heavy, with a very long finish. So much class.
Surpise, surpise, this needs more cellar time, Montrose is truly a long term proposition.
95 for now, should be even better in fullness of time. (5856 views) | | | Tasted by Darbus123 on 12/25/2023 & rated 95 points: Totally agree with other comments below, this is absolutely brilliant but really only starting to inch into its drinking window, which will surely be long. I hope I can hold back for 5 years! (5355 views) | | | Tasted by zimmy07 on 12/10/2023 & rated 96 points: This is so damn good!!! needs many more years, but decanted for 6 hours (needed 10 hours, for real). a bit sweet, big sappy red fruits, massive volume to this wine, very primary still but this wine will be insane in 15 years. For the price point tough to find a better wine (5637 views) | | | Tasted by JRavn on 11/24/2023 & rated 97 points: A wine in complete balance still with freshness. Amazing with dark berries, minerality, cedar. (5351 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 10/19/2023 & rated 97 points: Fathers' Gathering (Q by Peter Chang - Bethesda, Maryland): Youthful expressive nose displaying intense black and blue fruit, crème de cassis, crushed blueberry, latte, a hint of mint, lead pencil, cedar, cabernet floral dust, sweet spices and crushed rocks. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of intense black and blue fruit, silky and fluid, beautiful balance and detail, perfect amount of acidity, strong mineral, very fine tannins and a long intense black and blue fruit driven mineral finish with a hint of rose at the end. Although it can easily improve for another decade or two, this is starting to drink beautifully. If you find sub $175 at auction, perhaps the wine to buy. Highly recommend. (6758 views) | | | Tasted by MariusA on 9/28/2023 & rated 93 points: Had this bottle at Bouchon in Vegas. Delicious but still a bit harsh and angular. Unfortunately, it didn't get a lot of time to open up. I suspect my score would have been higher had it had 3-4 hours in the decanter as opposed to the 30 mins it received. Give it some time. (5414 views) | | | Tasted by WineTraveler42 on 9/24/2023 & rated 95 points: This 2005 was elegant and complex. I do love Montrose, and we tasted this as part of a 2005 horizontal with Cos D’estournel and Cantanec Brown. The wine was double decanted three hours before serving. This beautiful wine continued to open up in the glass. Secondary aromatics were deep and pleasing - leather, cigar, cedar. But bright fruit also still present. I loved this wine - but I will wait another two years before opening another bottle. This big year still has time to evolve. (5474 views) | | | Tasted by Ohlawuly on 9/10/2023 & rated 94 points: Slow oxidation for 5 hours. It kept evolving for 5+ hours, until we finished it.
Deep garnet. Nose of red fruit, wet stones, coffee, and spices. This wine still had tight tannin and vivid acidity, but on the palate, it was pure and clean. The finish is long and juicy, with ignorable sweetness.
It is still young but will definitely go places. At least another 5-10 years are needed. (5356 views) | | | Tasted by hkbob on 9/3/2023 & rated 96 points: PnP is not the best way to get the most from this beautiful wine at such an early stage of its evolution, but sometimes circumstances dictate the need for speed. Having said that, the nose was immediately open for business with glorious red and dark fruit, burning embers, fresh tobacco and flowers. Lovely crystalline palate with wonderful fruit, silky, expressive tannins and fabulous length. This will be even better in about 5 years so will hopefully be able to keep my remaining bottles under lock and key until then... if not, a 2 hour decant will be in order. (5286 views) | | | Tasted by hoservin on 8/19/2023 & rated 96 points: Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, currant, cedar, graphite, fig and anise. Ripe black and red fruit, graphite, cedar, anise and fine tannins on the palate. Extremely well balanced. Very long, layered finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with reverse seared picanha and blue cheese, black truffle butter. (4425 views) | | | Tasted by Plabella on 8/15/2023 & rated 98 points: This is a beautiful expression of a St Estephe wine. The fruit is red and the body is fabulous. (4974 views) | | | Tasted by landonemory@gmail.com on 5/29/2023 & rated 96 points: I gave this a 9 hour slow ox. Then served it at a friend's house in which we drank it over a 3 hour window of time.
The bouquet immediately compelled my intrigue with glorious
aromas of violets , sage , basalmic , ripe figs. One of the most attractive gathering of smells I've ever experienced in a Bordeaux.
We couldn't stop whiffing it. My friend said this was the 5th time he has had the '05 Montrose and every one of them smelled just as amazing.
On the palate it was just as spectacular with such precision and purity of all elements coming together with no one component dominating. Blackberries, blueberries, and mission fig melded with savory thyme as a necessary graphite frame pulsed through the mid-palate and beyond .
Tannin , acidity , fruit and secondary flavors were all in harmony to create a fantastic wine experience. I give it 96 pts and ponder if it will get WAY better than this in the next decade. For me and my friend Nick it definitely doesn't need to wait any longer but the key to that conclusion is giving it lots of patience by slow ox as stated earlier. Maybe the only thing lacking is the finish could be even longer. It was a 15 second length.
On an extra note , we started our tasting by drinking a 2000 Leoville Las Cases followed by a 2002 Chateu Musar from Lebanon and then the 2005 Montrose. We left some of the first two bottles to revisit. The Musar was absolutely delightful and had an almost brandy like quality on the nose. The Las Cases was good but for some reason Las Cases has never performed as well as expected given the cost.
I would describe the '05 Montose as a girl next door kind of beauty that does seduce you but not in a slutty way. This was pure class and that's the way I prefer it to be. (6947 views) | | | Tasted by KVM on 5/7/2023: Very dark red. Graphite, cassis nose. Very large scaled and wrapped in a stern structure. See you in a decade! (6301 views) | | | Tasted by mchern02 on 4/5/2023 & rated 93 points: 4 hour decant. Very nice nose, a bit buttoned up but definitely graphie forward with excellent darker qualities and a hint of anise. This wine has a fairly broad structure, with nice dark fruit and good length. Young and still ageing slowly and gracefully, there is no rush on this wine and will almost certainly improve with more time. (6902 views) | | | Tasted by HeavyPourWine on 3/25/2023 & rated 94 points: From my cellar, drank and shared with friends at the High Museum Wine Auction. Decanted 30 mins and drank over the next hour. Surprisingly open after that short decant! Well integrated tannins, lovely nose. PLENTY of new world wines being poured at this event so brought something different for myself! Everyone I shared it with loved it! Randomly, the '03 Angelus was also being poured at the reception (by the winemaker!) amongst the sea of new world wines and I thought both of these old world wines showed similarly and were some of the best of the day. (6741 views) | | | Tasted by George246 on 2/27/2023 & rated 92 points: Tannins obscure secondary flavors (6866 views) | | | Tasted by zimmy07 on 2/5/2023 & rated 92 points: Like the Rochioli SV I had same night, this was maybe the worst showing of the 2005 Montrose I have had. This wine is insanely great. great! This lacked the finesse and structure. This was muted, sappy red fruits, and needed time. This wine is a 97+pt wine, not tonight.... Risk of buying these on secondary markets which is where I got these (5928 views) | | | Tasted by fcxj on 2/2/2023 & rated 92 points: Quite firm, needs more time. (5425 views) | | | Tasted by charleshg on 1/2/2023: Wonderful Wine that we had with a lovely Garlic Risotto with Lobster Cream, with the Gadaleta clan. (6017 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2005 Bordeaux: Here and Now (Apr 2021) (4/1/2021)
(Montrose Montrose Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Elin McCoy
Decanter, Château Montrose: producer profile (5/20/2019)
(Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From The Cellar #4 & Misc New Releases (12/13/2018)
(Chateau Montrose Red) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Cellar Journal – Bordeaux to Start… (Jul 2018) (7/18/2018)
(Montrose Montrose Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Up From the Cellar and Misc. New Releases (12/12/2017)
(Montrose) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jane Anson
Decanter, Montrose Vertical (3/29/2017)
(Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/23/2017)
(Ch Montrose St-Estèphe Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/29/2015)
(Ch Montrose St-Estèphe Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, January 2015 (1/1/2015)
(Château Montrose St Estèphe Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Mike Bennie
The WINEFRONT (7/1/2011)
(Chateau Montrose) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, October 2010
(Chateau Montrose (St Estèphe)) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Bordeaux Horizontals (5/11/2009)
(Montrose) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/18/2009)
(Ch Montrose St-Estèphe Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2006, IWC Issue #126
(Chateau Montrose Saint Estephe) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/13/2006)
(Ch Montrose St-Estèphe Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Steven Spurrier
Decanter, Keystone Reviews Migration 1
(Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and Decanter and JebDunnuck.com and JancisRobinson.com and Winedoctor and The WINEFRONT and Vintage Tastings. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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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