(SYP) Decanted for 2.5 hours, small glass. Loads of blackcurrants on the nose, with also notes of vanilla, tobacco and spice. It's smooth and concentrated, though there is some warmth through the mid-palate. It will take many years to absorb all the oak. 90+
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Early Mar 2024, Rheingau Gourmet Festival, rarity diner “25 vintages of Chateau Montrose”: according to the sommelier double decanted for up to 6 hours!; deep purple color; intense sour cherry juice and cassis like aromas in nose and mouth; noble, slightly restrained texture; light/medium body. 92-93+?/100
Definitely the vintage of flight IV which currently mostly resembles the classic claret style.
Blackberries, violets, roses and cedar on the aroma and palate. Body is medium-plus. Acidity is medium-plus and well integrated into the wine. The tannins are high with a powdery quality that coats and drys the whole mouth. Overall, this a great, well structured wine.
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Pulled the cork after two tastings by Coravin access.
Drank over a long afternoon. Air allowed the wine to reveal its finest qualities and highest potential.
Elegant and precise fruit and terroir, which in this delicate vintage, the oak treatment overpowers.
In a previous tasting, my preference ran to the similarly styled yet more judiciously oaked Prieuré-Lichine, which can be had for one third, or less, the Montrose's tariff.
This bottle had no less than a decade of evolution ahead of it, likely followed by a several year drinking window. Improvement, however, seems unlikely. 92-93.
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Coravin access. Tasted alongside the same vintage Cantemerle and Prieuré-Lichine.
Consistent with previous note. Oaky, too much, more than the other two wines. Pretty and polished, behind all the oak. Medium body and structure. Lacking the substance to stand up to the oak over the long haul. My preference ran toward the Prieuré-Lichine. Disappointing purchase. 91-92.
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As the first drops hit the glass, one smell superseded all else. Lumber...way too much of it for such a delicate vintage. Apparently 60/40 new/2nd use...for 18 months. Great day in the mornin! After two+ hours in the glass...oak became even more prominent. YUCK! Why waste Montrose fruit by suspending it in a veritable oak ocean!?
Make no mistake, the oak is of excellent quality, yet I do not appreciate a little Montrose with my high-quality oak.
As for substance, it is present, in moderation...but you probably guessed it...insufficient to stand up to all the timber.
Likely to evolve over the next seven to ten years, perhaps twelve. When the wine peaks, the wood will still be overwhelming.
Only the 2016 vintage proved more disappointing than this. The '14 and '15 featured much better balance of substance and oak. The '05 ranks among the best Bordeaux I have tasted.
I drunk conseillante and montrose @ the same time , again, If i have to choice on the moment , conseillante is th better wine to drink now, but in the long term montrose has more acidity to be the better wine and is a touch longer then conseillante ! I did eat it with some perfect very tender meat ( cote à l'os) and it blended so well with the conseillante , the both of them ( meat + wine) give a very nice vanilla taste in the mouth , very sweet, delicious , really great moment, both are to young to drink and I had them decanted for more the 3 hours , and still to young, they had very red fruit in the mouth and also blackberry's ( typical for great young Bordeaux) and the conseillante went a little bit more on leather ! both great bordeaux style , 17 has power , if I had to say something negative , the conseillante was in the mouth after 5/7 sec lactic, little flat @ the end ! but still nice njami
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Consensus with other reviews. For a young bdx this is really showing quality and depth. Bottle consumed over 5 hours. Initial opening is really bright and lively with fresh berry fruit, black and blue, with air classic cedar, graphite, pencil and clay come into play. Palate is still smooth velvety to start, fresh berry transitioning to forest and gravelly clay, hints of forest ending with some nettles and tannin over time. Depth and quality is there for aging. Only criticism is mid palate is a bit watery.
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Tighter and denser aromas, but with underlying wonderful bouquet of perfumed fruit core that really creates joy with fruits of blackberries, blackcurrants, clear graphite, deep gravel, espresso and slightly exotic spices. Pretty full-bodied and surprisingly early charming Montrose with this wonderful perfume that lies over plum peel, clear blackcurrant character, youthful blackberry, blueberry peel, espresso, tobacco, leather, licorice and salts. Long and really fresh finish that creates ultimate joy. Lovely acidity and tannin structure. This is a wine for the next 25 years. Brilliant wine. 95 points.
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Very austere on the nose, some Brett and VA; quite expansive on the palate though the tannins are pretty clunky. Shame about the faults on the nose. Long but not what you’d call enjoyable.
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Decanted for 1.5hr. It possesses complex aroma of crushed flowers, boysenberries, sage, tar, liquorice, new oak. On the palate it has salivating acids, bright red berries, sour cherry, mineral and smoky. Soft tannin. Densely packed and polished. With its high Merlot content and structure it will be ready to drink in shorter term.
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Barrel sample at BB&R 2017 en primeur tasting. Served cold. Dark colour, good weight, some bitterness on the long finish. One of the best 17's - was blown away by the 05 served alongside.
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Tasted after 2017 La Dame de Montrose. Dark fruit, herbs, minerality, mocha, earth, spices, even some floral notes on the nose. Lots of depth, brooding and layered. On the palate very intense, tannic, grippy. Dark fruit is lurking underneath those tannins, the acidity is very well integrated, the balance overall excellent. Vibrant finish - very long and lingering. A classic, powerful St Estephe, this will need considerable time to reach its peak. 95-96+
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Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Montrose, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.
3/15/2024 - LTTC wrote:
(SYP) Decanted for 2.5 hours, small glass.
Loads of blackcurrants on the nose, with also notes of vanilla, tobacco and spice. It's smooth and concentrated, though there is some warmth through the mid-palate. It will take many years to absorb all the oak. 90+
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3/2/2024 - Fatty Cat wrote: 93 Points
Early Mar 2024, Rheingau Gourmet Festival, rarity diner “25 vintages of Chateau Montrose”: according to the sommelier double decanted for up to 6 hours!; deep purple color; intense sour cherry juice and cassis like aromas in nose and mouth; noble, slightly restrained texture; light/medium body. 92-93+?/100
Definitely the vintage of flight IV which currently mostly resembles the classic claret style.
Vintages of flight IV:
2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2017 - 2018
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9/11/2023 - jmoon Likes this wine: 94 Points
glad I bought a case of this. medium body, good grip, quite fresh, nice deep fruit. lovely now, will improve of course. drank over 2 hours, no decant.
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6/15/2023 - sboyle Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blackberries, violets, roses and cedar on the aroma and palate. Body is medium-plus. Acidity is medium-plus and well integrated into the wine. The tannins are high with a powdery quality that coats and drys the whole mouth. Overall, this a great, well structured wine.
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5/13/2023 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Pulled the cork after two tastings by Coravin access.
Drank over a long afternoon. Air allowed the wine to reveal its finest qualities and highest potential.
Elegant and precise fruit and terroir, which in this delicate vintage, the oak treatment overpowers.
In a previous tasting, my preference ran to the similarly styled yet more judiciously oaked Prieuré-Lichine, which can be had for one third, or less, the Montrose's tariff.
This bottle had no less than a decade of evolution ahead of it, likely followed by a several year drinking window. Improvement, however, seems unlikely. 92-93.
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2/16/2023 - Motz wrote: 92 Points
Coravin access. Tasted alongside the same vintage Cantemerle and Prieuré-Lichine.
Consistent with previous note. Oaky, too much, more than the other two wines. Pretty and polished, behind all the oak. Medium body and structure. Lacking the substance to stand up to the oak over the long haul. My preference ran toward the Prieuré-Lichine. Disappointing purchase. 91-92.
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1/16/2023 - Motz wrote: 92 Points
Coravin access.
Montrose for under $130? Why not?
As the first drops hit the glass, one smell superseded all else. Lumber...way too much of it for such a delicate vintage. Apparently 60/40 new/2nd use...for 18 months. Great day in the mornin! After two+ hours in the glass...oak became even more prominent. YUCK! Why waste Montrose fruit by suspending it in a veritable oak ocean!?
Make no mistake, the oak is of excellent quality, yet I do not appreciate a little Montrose with my high-quality oak.
As for substance, it is present, in moderation...but you probably guessed it...insufficient to stand up to all the timber.
Likely to evolve over the next seven to ten years, perhaps twelve. When the wine peaks, the wood will still be overwhelming.
Only the 2016 vintage proved more disappointing than this. The '14 and '15 featured much better balance of substance and oak. The '05 ranks among the best Bordeaux I have tasted.
Massively disappointing.
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6/1/2022 - Beeck10 wrote: 95 Points
I drunk conseillante and montrose @ the same time , again, If i have to choice on the moment , conseillante is th better wine to drink now, but in the long term montrose has more acidity to be the better wine and is a touch longer then conseillante !
I did eat it with some perfect very tender meat ( cote à l'os) and it blended so well with the conseillante , the both of them ( meat + wine) give a very nice vanilla taste in the mouth , very sweet, delicious , really great moment, both are to young to drink and I had them decanted for more the 3 hours , and still to young,
they had very red fruit in the mouth and also blackberry's ( typical for great young Bordeaux) and the conseillante went a little bit more on leather !
both great bordeaux style , 17 has power , if I had to say something negative , the conseillante was in the mouth after 5/7 sec lactic, little flat @ the end ! but still nice njami
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6/25/2021 - AJCM Likes this wine: 93 Points
2025
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2/5/2021 - T.E.D. wrote: 95 Points
Consensus with other reviews. For a young bdx this is really showing quality and depth. Bottle consumed over 5 hours. Initial opening is really bright and lively with fresh berry fruit, black and blue, with air classic cedar, graphite, pencil and clay come into play. Palate is still smooth velvety to start, fresh berry transitioning to forest and gravelly clay, hints of forest ending with some nettles and tannin over time. Depth and quality is there for aging. Only criticism is mid palate is a bit watery.
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11/23/2020 - Andre Brattland wrote: 95 Points
Tighter and denser aromas, but with underlying wonderful bouquet of perfumed fruit core that really creates joy with fruits of blackberries, blackcurrants, clear graphite, deep gravel, espresso and slightly exotic spices. Pretty full-bodied and surprisingly early charming Montrose with this wonderful perfume that lies over plum peel, clear blackcurrant character, youthful blackberry, blueberry peel, espresso, tobacco, leather, licorice and salts. Long and really fresh finish that creates ultimate joy. Lovely acidity and tannin structure. This is a wine for the next 25 years. Brilliant wine. 95 points.
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9/16/2020 - vespasian wrote:
Very austere on the nose, some Brett and VA; quite expansive on the palate though the tannins are pretty clunky. Shame about the faults on the nose. Long but not what you’d call enjoyable.
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5/15/2020 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 1.5hr. It possesses complex aroma of crushed flowers, boysenberries, sage, tar, liquorice, new oak. On the palate it has salivating acids, bright red berries, sour cherry, mineral and smoky. Soft tannin. Densely packed and polished. With its high Merlot content and structure it will be ready to drink in shorter term.
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7/14/2018 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Barrel sample at BB&R 2017 en primeur tasting. Served cold. Dark colour, good weight, some bitterness on the long finish. One of the best 17's - was blown away by the 05 served alongside.
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7/4/2018 - rossi.wine wrote: 96 Points
Tasted after 2017 La Dame de Montrose. Dark fruit, herbs, minerality, mocha, earth, spices, even some floral notes on the nose. Lots of depth, brooding and layered. On the palate very intense, tannic, grippy. Dark fruit is lurking underneath those tannins, the acidity is very well integrated, the balance overall excellent. Vibrant finish - very long and lingering. A classic, powerful St Estephe, this will need considerable time to reach its peak. 95-96+
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4/26/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Montrose, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.
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