Decanted for an hour and then drank over a period of 3 hours. I was surprised that it still felt like a young wine and could have been aged more (I shouldn't have been). It felt muted in the beginning, but opened up by hour 2. Started off a little barnyard and earthy, changed to more leather and mushrooms with the night. Had fun with it. But I will probably wait a few more years before opening another '96
From Mag, double decanted in the afternoon like last week, still needs quite some air to open up! Cork not fully soaked this time, not as much singing as the bottle last week but still a great showing…
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From Mag, double decanted in the afternoon, cork fully soaked, nice nose but muted taste at opening, fantastic showing at dinner with lamb racks, fully marure but with reserves for a few years left, great balance, old school and only 12,5% alcohol. Exceeded expectations!
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This was quite tight and closed initially, but opened well give blackberry, black plum, mineral and leather. Cedar, moss and soil note and a bit of brett that left this bottle a slightly smudged.
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Fantastic aroma of sweet, earthy, complex mineral fruits! Very dark colour. Rich, earthy fruits on the palate, dense and a clean, lengthy finish! A long way to go!
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Chateau Montrose Tasting (Bentley Bar & Restaurant, Sydney): Leather, earth, sous bois, black and red fruit shows currants, berries, sweet spice with time, very slight farmyard, a little mushroom and leather. Juicy tends to medium pls intensity acidity, fleshy silky, tannins persist super long, wild blackcurrant, earth, sous bois, all travel very long with those tannins. Nice.
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This was a beautiful example of classic claret. Cool restrained fruit. Elegant and classic. None of the harshness one might expect with 95. The palate was smooth and resolved, harmonious. No rush to drink. Wish I had more (93)
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Blind. Dense, elegant, cedar, some cassis but more about its mineral line. So harmonious and elegant. So not Montrose and 95. So approachable and harmonious whilst keeping its classical spine. Carrera marble. A huge step up in finesse and elegance from a bottle a couple of years ago. ****1/2
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Loved this. Just needed an hour of bottle breathing and very ready to drink. Well integrated and velvety tannins. Still fresh acidity and plenty of dried fruit and classic claret notes
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Thanks to birthday boy Romz for sharing this lovely aged Montrose with us, at Tang Room for the trio's birthday celebration.
Nose of red fruit, that sings a classical bouquet of Bordeaux and Cabernet. Creamy vanilla mid-palate, which is so rich and silky. Yet, the medium acidity lends liveliness to the palate, and I could only guess LB. Perhaps 10-15 years. Complex!!
Turns out.. wow! Its the legendary Montrose. And nearly 30 years too!
Medium to full-bodied, wonderful concentration of fruit, the tannins are so well integrated, and yet that acidity.. Lively! Med-long length finish.
Only coming into its drinking window now, enjoy this over the next 10 years or more.
63% Cab, Merlot 31%, Cab Franc 5%, and PV 1%. This is a relatively higher proportion of Merlot for a Montrose, lending this a plusher and better balanced Saint Estèphe. I am a huge fan of opulent styles of wine, so this is a change from the more familiar austere style I guess?
Robert Parker describes that 1996 has the class and sophistication, but the greatest virtue of the 1995 is the most fundamental.. Enjoyment!
Vintage: 1995 was an early year. A mild winter and a hot-dry spring caused an early and homogeneous bud burst and blossoming.
June July and August were hot and very dry. Mid-veraison occurred on August 4th. The series of rainfall between April and August reached only 150 mm!
All these factors are in favour to the sugar’s increment and the maturity of tannins. Volume of berries was weak, showing a depletion of about 10% compared with the previous years.
Grapes are ripe and healthy and the yield shows an upswing compared to 1994. Merlots were fruity, fully bodied, and round on the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon features good balance acid-tannins, and shows good length on the palate, without bitterness.
Tang Room, Damansara, Malaysia 27th Dec 2023
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Dinner with Nick: Guessed an ‘86 as ‘95 last week but swapped the vintages around this time, they really have the same tannin structure. Thought it might have been a ‘86 Las Cases. Some greenness, tobacco; deep, dark blackcurrant fruit. Structured with thick viscosity, think the fruit will not outlast the tannins here. Thought the ‘96 tasted a couple of years ago was a much better wine.
Decanted for two hours. Red berries and black plums, herbs and a minor amount of tobacco. Fair amount of acid. Very good but not quite the complete experience I'd hoped for.
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Tasted blind next to the 1995 Cos. Cedar, dried herbs, blackcurrant. Very fine, velvety texture, opened up nicely in the glass after an hour on a decanter. Good length, very nice now.
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Richter Pre-Gaming Night (w/ some new world icons): One of the best 1995s I had to date (not a big fan of the vintage). Not overly complex but fairly fine frame - something not many 1995s have. 93+pts.
TN: Beautiful mature notes of tobacco, herbs, dark fruit, earthy notes on the nose. On the palate more red fruit mixed with dark fruit. Very fresh fruit, tobacco, herbs. Fine, round, herbs, fresh. Very balanced. A bit malty even.
Decanting: A short decant should do the job.
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Prelude to the annual Magnum Rarities Tasting in Zurich. A marginally lactic touch, but nice mix of aging notes completed by fresh herbs, mineral notes and coffee. Not perfectly clean, but nicely aged. Still grippy tannin and maybe not ideal balance. The herbal notes leave you with the impression of un-ripeness.
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The left bank 1995s are starting finally to hit their prime drinking window after many frustrating years, and this is a perfect example. Still benefitting from a couple of hours in the decanter, this has lost the teeth stripping tannin, and is a very interesting wine. The nose is delicately perfumed with blackcurrant and plum with pleasant floral wafts of violet, and some subtle menthol hints. The palate is well structured with the tannin typical of the year, giving a good balanced backbone to it. The finish is a little light, and on the shorter side, and does not match the rest of the experience. However, that said, it is a very good wine, and would have meritted another point if not for the finish.
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Gorgeous dark ruby color. Decanted and drank over 90 minutes. Nose of perfumed dark red fruits with hints of black currants. Lots of leather, cassis great backbone and structure despite some thinning mid palate so perhaps a longer decant would have solved this. Finishes long with perfumed cassis.
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I am really starting to like the 1995 Montrose, this example very 1989-like in its intense, black and blue fruit, its iodine edge, and a big but really precise frame. Pretty invigorating now. 94-95 (+?)
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The 1995 vintage of Château Montrose, was a testament to the great work Jean-Louis Charmolüe achieved during his time at the château. An extremely structured bottle of wine, the blackcurrant only begun fading during the second glass, but in doing so allowed the cassis, leather and tobacco to truly capture the tertiary qualities of this mature wine. With hints of graphite coming in on the finish, this was a stellar example of a vintage we’ve been diving more and more into this year. Truly a great example of the lower ABV (12.5%) Bordeaux winemaking Charmolüe was able to innovate within during his time at the Château Montrose.
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Flawed. Not good right after decant. Some good flavors for 10-30 minutes after decant, then dark with no pleasant flavors. Have three bottles left - we shall see.
Don't typically write notes for flawed wines but there was something odd going on here...a kind of high-noted weirdness to it - acetone perhaps? Combined with muted fruit. Wondering if there was some comorbidity here perhaps...some sort of bacterial issue, combined with low level TCA?
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Gareth's "best of the 80s and 90s" (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Some thought this flawed, and while I agree the bottle wasn't completely correct (swimming pool isn't a desired part of the nose of second growth Claret) I did find something to enjoy: it was soft and truffley, with good acidity and some pine needle, and I happily finished my glass.
Ibid below, save for the fact that this didn’t close down nearly as hard and was actually quite lovely for the duration. Amazingly, there was such drought in 95 that the vegetative cycle stopped per Hervé
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Nose: Cascading black currant, red currant, cassis, graphite, mint, cedar and tobacco in the nose. Perfumed and beautiful bottle. Palate: Silky tannin and few blocky edges at this point the feel was incredible. Delivers black fruit, slate, mineral, florals and cigar in spades, yet the structure makes its presence known in the back palate. Finish: Penetrating dark fruit that is showing the serious nature of Montrose right now. More florals and leather in the back end. Tannin is apparent in the finish.
I kept my paws off of this after a bottle back in 2017 was quite hard, tannic and blocky, but a recent note from Englishman's Claret gave me confidence to give this another go in a side-by-side with a California producer that has some similarly well structured and dark traits. So glad I opened this. It was stunning tonight. It does shut down after a bit, so if you are opening I do not recommend an extended decant.
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Firm, crisp, structured, tannic, reserved, full-bodied, youthful wine with a crunchy edge to its layers of herbs, spice, cedar, tobacco leaf, and red currants. Drink from 2022-2045.
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The 1995 Montrose has electric energy about it, the nose quickly opening to show well-delineated black and redcurrant with a slightly horsey, unsmoked cigar nose. The clarity and depth of the raspberry and strawberry fruit on the palate are simply superb and the supporting unsmoked cigar, mineral, and wildflower accents add beautiful detail. Amazingly, the tannins are powdery. This is certainly more open than last night’s Lafite, which it rivals in terms of depth and precision.
And yet, 45 minutes after decanting this closed down - hard. Profoundly. And it didn’t reopen in the 4 additional hours we followed it. I leaned toward 95 at the outset but ended at 94.
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Classic top end Bordeaux. Rich creamy mouthfeel. Fades a little, which prevents a higher score. Lovely cassis and BlackBerry, still plenty of primary fruit. Great elegant restrained balance of fruit and structure - plenty of freshness, refined smooth tanins. Long and complex. Drink now, will evolve over the next 20 years.
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Superb wine. Elegant in every aspect. The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like coffee, light toast, medium toast, lead pencil, meaty and ripe black currant (cassis). The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium plus acidity.
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As mentioned a year ago this has finally hit its drinking window, and has become an excellent wine if not a blockbuster. It is very much old school in its profile with blackcurrant, plum, old leather and violet prominent. The nose is mature and deeply aromatic and is possibly its best feature. The palate and finish have good balance with a decent length, but the tannic profile of 1995 is ever present, but now tamed.
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Classic, dark fruit nose, blackberry and cassis, mint leaf, violet; certainly not austere but not overly expressive at this stage; weighty and concentrated on the palate, highly structured with a firm backbone; no great aromatic development yet, still tightly wound and rather reticent, even on day two, with every sign this will continue to develop over the next 5-10 years.
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vibrant color. nose with complexity similar to high level pinot noir. lots of fruit . medium to full body. well balanced on acidity and tanines. very long finish. still developping in class, could use 3 hrs decanting. very nice wine.
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Cool, leafy, piney, ferrous, dark and earthy. Still sports a dark color, even at the rim. Mint-meets-leather bouquet with a touch of pyrazines. Structurally, this is ready to go at first, but after enough air some leafy, drying tannins show up. A bright, semi-austere, rustic wine that reminds me a lot of Sociando Mallet. Overall, a wonderful pairing with dinner. 92+ pts.
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My last bottle from a half case bought shortly after release, two of which were corked. This bottle the best. Its funny how many of the notes here mention completely different flavours and yet most of them I recognise. Complex, modest yet lovely nose that just keeps on evolving from blackcurrant to coffee, violets and cedar. Still plenty of fruit kept in place by a fully mature tannic structure. A touch of traditional St. Estephe leanness. Long finish. At its peak now and will continue to drink well for decades if well kept. P.s. day 2 also a meaty flavour. p.p.s. still going strong and true on day 3 (using ZOS). Added a point.
First bottle of a case. This has a very pretty nose, laced with cassis, black cherry, strawberry and baking spice. Rather Burgundian, quite elegant and a bit lean, savory, with a medium-long, very clean finish, almost devoid of tannins. Knowing Montrose, this could probably benefit from more age, but I'm guessing it may be peaking now. I did not decant, but saved a glass for night two, and it did not improve with additional air. A bit disappointing to be honest. In fairness, travel shock could be at play, as this bottle spent a month on a boat before it hit the UPS truck and landed at my door last week.
Christmas Claret: Coffee and beef tea on the nose. Quite evolved. Beef and soy in fact. A little flat, not blowsy but lacking focus. Again, not helped by the company, but on its own I suspect a very decent showing. ****
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Getting the gang together @ Wus (plus birthdays!) (Wu's Wonton King): From memory and my takeaway from the wine event the week before (96 Left Bank Bordeaux) is that the differences among these sometimes aren't as pronounced as you'd think. This was fun because got to try next to some other '95s and also an older brother (the '75). I thought it was a good solid Bordeaux. Montrose pretty much always shows well. Perhaps a touch on the young side and certainly with lots of life left.
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Decanted immediately prior to serving by the guy who brought it, so it took a little while before that angry, hard shell of Montrose finally cracked. When it did there was still the austerity of 1995, but also the cedary, earthy development of “older” Bordeaux. Admittedly it’s hard for me to think of 1995 as getting towards that older phase, as it was the first vintage of Bordeaux I bought on release. Oh well, I guess I am getting older too. The wine kept developing and improving for the couple of hours we spent with it, the fruit deepening, and the savory tones increasing. Ideally I might wait three or four more years, but a three hour advance decant might do the trick as well.
It took a long time and a lot of patience and faith, but it was worth it as this has finally arrived after 26 years. To be honest I had started to doubt the year as a whole, but recently the vintage has started to match the plaudits at the time of release. The wine has started to show bricking and has an excellent nose of plum, blackcurrant and tobacco with violet wafts. The tannin has now resolved and the palate is sweet but steely without the paint stripping grip exhibited to date. Likewise the finish is no longer distracted by harsh tannin and, while sharp, is well balanced and gently pushes past 30 seconds. This does need to be decanted for a few hours and should easily stay here for at least a couple of decades.
Sample generously shared by nutty08. A correct bottle with quite a bit of bricking. This 95 is showing a pinpoint focused nose With cedar, warm cigar wrapper, redcurrant, macerated strawberry. You have all that and some sun dried tomato. The tannins are still fairly gripping, so in that sense the wine has a long way to go, but there’s quite a bit of tertiary material here., and likely a fair amount of Brett, but in a lovely way. For me it’s near apogee
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Winebid purchase in 2009. Seems correct. Mild bricking on the edges. Lovely aromatics with a distinct eucalyptus note mixed with hint of barnyard and tobacco. Palate was integrated, some austerity to the tannins but I didn't find them obtrusive. Has a lovely mature cedar, tobacco, and tea note on the palate. Not as concentrated or deep as the '00/
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Not the best vintage but a very nice example of 1995 typical left banker medium bodied elegant tannins lots of black berries a bit of leather and fresh mushroom long elegant finish.
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Graphite and smoke here, black berries, chalky notes, a very 1995 sort of wine, vertical, still quite strict, but slowly coming around - with air, more or less open for business. #Ib
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A evening of 20+ year old Bordeaux (Wilmette Harbor Club, Wilmette IL): There is an understated power and balance to the nose with cedar, black cherries, raspberries, cranberries, tobacco notes, licorice, spice tones, pepper, leather, herbs, and currants. There is good depth while showing itself to be a bit tamed and reigned in. The Full bodied feel is balanced and with a restrained power while showing medium acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The structure has peeled back a bit, but it still makes itself known. This has really slid into maturity well with it still showing off its raw, powerful side.
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Opened at 4:30 PM, decanted at 6:30, tasted at 7 PM. Clear deep dark garnet red. Classic bouquet of fresh black and red fruits and their liqueurs; violets, lilacs, undertones of baking spices, wood, cigar humidor, and stony soil. Similar on the palate, full body without seeming heavy, beautiful balance, lingering finish. At prime now, with many great years remaining.
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Dinner at Bar-a-Thym (Bar-a-Thym): This showed superbly well on the night - certainly better than the last bottle I had just over 6 years ago. The nose on this actually seemed a little tight at first - a world away from the ultra-expressive 1980 Haut-Brion that we had alongside, with subtler tones of earth and spice, some cassis, and then a light sprinkle of anise, tobacco and dried earth. The palate was wonderful though. Beautifully clear and pure, with lovely nose of cassis and black cherries swirling through the mouth on a bed of earth, tobacco and spice, all these framed in against a backdrop of fine, firm tannins and beautifully-judged acidity. Noble, sinewy and muscular, with a long tobacco and mineral-inflected finish too. A superb Montrose, and a wine that seems to be very much starting to come into its own.
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This is in line with my note from last year, and is still showing some evolvement. It's taken over 25 years, but most of the left bank wines from 1995 are finally living up to their initial hype on release. Aeration is key to enjoying this wine at its best, and in addition to decanting it needs some time in the glass to really come alive. The nose is beautifully perfumed with ripe blackcurrant, blackberry, and plum with graphite and floral wafts, primarily of violet. The palate is displaying secondary notes and the tannin has sweetened and perfectly balanced in the mouth. It has developed a depth on the palate during the last year which was previously missing. Likewise the finish is now showing great balance and depth, and gently nudges past 30 seconds. This will probably still improve as tertiary notes start to tame the harsher elements of the vintage, and I reckon this will be drinking for another couple of decades. 94+
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Fine Montrose, but not a great one. I actually expected this to be less ready to drink than it was, but it turns out the tannins are largely resolved and melted away, giving the (age-appropriate) crimson-toned fruit a friendly gloss. It has an enticing black truffly scent out of the gate but gets less expressive with airtime. The palate is straightforward but it gets more interesting on the back end, leaving a waft of earthiness evoking maitake mushroom and driftwood.
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Beautiful dark berries nose with lots of tertiary notes. On the palate mushrooms, dark cherries, blueberries, truffle, wet forest floor, leather and coffee notes. Medium bodied with a medium acidity. Very smooth tannins. Lovely classic and elegant Bordeaux style. Great complexity and structure, very balanced. Long savory finish. After 25 years this vintage seems to be on its climate if you like aged Bordeaux wines. Definitely a great way to start the year. Drink now or within the next 4-6 years. (IG)
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Mature Bordeaux, ready to drink. Resolved tannins, still showing dark fruit. Some in the group who prefer younger wines weren’t too sure about it, but I thought it was quite enjoyable.
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A case purchase from 20 years ago. Worth the wait. A wine that invites you back for another taste. Evolving throughout the first night. Perfect with prime rib, mashed potatos, creamed spinach Yorkshire pudding. Gives a lot of pleasure with a long and complex finish. Tannins fully integrated and the fruit still sweet. I am impressed by this Montrose.
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wine buddies monthly meeting at Adina's (at Adina's): mature, ripe, ready to enjoy, lot of secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors, although not an outstanding vintage - but very enjoyable. drink now - or age further.
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An expressive vintage of Montrose with deep black fruits and notes of charcoal minerals and tobacco spice. Finishes fairly complex with big but supple tannins. Fairly rustic like many '95's but also full and charming and it's best days are still ahead. 92+
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Probably the most evolved bottle I have drunk is a long while. Dark ruby red color, nose of graphite, cassis, currants, black pepper and leather. Very precise wine on the palate, dark red fruit explosion mid palate, pencil lead and graphite with excellent acidity and structure, and a slightly dry yet ripe finish and tannins coated by the fruit. Medium bodied and extremely enjoyable.
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Chateau Montrose, 1995 • 1995 as a very sought after vintage since ‘88 and ‘90, we were lucky to open this bottle last! . I personally think 1996 trumps ‘95 as ‘96 is more balanced between the ripeness of fruits and the earthiness, as well as the tannins maturity but let’s go back to this wine. . I lovvvve the light garnet colour and the nose of red roses mixed with blakcurrant leaves; cigar leaves and farmyard. It’s very earthy with good minerals that make your mouth water. . On the palate, it’s slightly lacking finesse and elegance or the boldness like ‘96, and the tannin was still too thick to my taste. It’s rather spicy - cumins, nutmeg, old cedar wood, it took an hour bottle breathing to release the black fruits and to drink best. It then went downhill but still enjoyable through dinner. . Definitely drink now.
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See previous notes. Deep crimson color, nose of cassis, currants, gravel, leather, spice. Needs at least two hours of aeration in the decanter. Very precise cassis. Balance and acidity give this wine great backbone. Nice peppery finish with tannins present but very round. Good finish.
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See previous note. Needs at least 2 to 3 hours aeration in decanter. Evolved crimson color but no browning yet. Nose of leather, graphite, some cassis, pepper and pencil lead. On the palate medium bodied with the fruit showing mid palate after significant aeration. Decent finish with tannins still quite present in then persistent finish. Quite a nice wine but needs time to achieve better balance and power much like the Pichon Baron a few years ago.
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Just the same upon opening as after three hours in the decanter - austere, rock solid and, in its uncompromising fashion, actually rather delicious. Feels completely ready with unobtrusive tannins from the off, but I think my other bottles might be even better as further tertiary notes develop.
Dark, ferrous and somewhat meaty on the nose. Coffee appears from time to time on the palate, along with leather and wood (more old church pew than fragrant cedar). It's not obvious that fruit was involved in the creation of this drink, but there's the merest whisper of cassis on the finish. Lovely balance. Great wine, but doesn't get a higher score as it's so brooding it's effectively a one-trick pony.
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Fully agree with DJHammond note. The 95s have finally found the balance between tannins, structure and the fruit. Deep viscous ruby color, decanted and aerated for 2 hours then drank over 2 hours. Nose of graphite, old leather, cassis, currants and some pencil lead. First bottle in 4 years from my ex Chateau case. Rich on the palate with a very solid structure showing more complexity mid palate with perfect acidity, power, very masculine and a long finish with tannins still present but coated with the strong dark red fruits and currants. One of the top left bank 95s in my book. Will try the Latour 95 to compare in few days given there is nothing better to do in these Corona days. Keep safe everyone and enjoy your wines. Now is the time!
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The 1995s are finally shrugging off the tannic edge which has typified the vintage for the last couple of decades, and this is no exception. It has really moved forward in the last year, and is a delight to drink. The nose is deep and perfumed, with blackcurrant, graphite, and flora dominant. Although sweetened, the tannin is still very robust but well balanced with the fruit. Likewise the finish is harmonious with decent length. All in all it is an excellent wine, but a lightness on the palate is a barrier to a higher rating.
Nose and palate was lead pencil ....light body. Minimal tannin and acid. Over time the fruit flavors changed to chocolate and really more satisfying by the end of the bottle. Beautiful, but really light for Montrose....93
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Blind verkostet. Die Nase sehr maskulin, Pferd, Leder, Rauch Der Gaumen Maggiekraut, leichte rote Frucht, hohe Säure, wirkt gereift, hat nicht viel Druck. Mittlere Länge.
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Well matured St. Estèphe in its drinking window now, but not able to impose itself against a 2003 Vergelegen „V“ had at the same time. Subtle nose of mature red fruit, leather and menthol. Medium bodied in the mouth, elegant and subtle. Ripe red berries, cedar, tobacco, liquorice, intertwined with tea and herbal tones. An enjoyable experience, however you expect more expression and persistence from such a big name.
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In complete agreement with other tasting notes, this claret is in the perfect window. Typical profile is all there with some drying tanins to back up all that leather and cigar box. Wonderful wine.
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Ian's 1995 Dinner (Noize, London): Developed nose with cedar, spice, touch of leather, old furniture. Medium bodied, quite mellow, autumnal, mature, resolved tannins - elegant, with balanced acidity, harmonious, extended finish.
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Perfectly aged with smoke, tobacco and a sweet cherry and blackberry note on the nose and palate. While it has the stuffing to last, it is drinking very well right now so why wait. Medium long finish.
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Drinking quite well now although with a typical hard edge. Really dark black fruits with notes of charcoal and Asian spices. Excellent intensity and grip with firm but smooth tannins. Good now wit a long decant but this bottle suggests it should bloom with further aging. 93+
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This is continuing to evolve, and is starting to be very approachable with a few hours in the decanter. The cedar has come to the fore in the last 6 months, and dominates the nose with blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry. The wine is really starting to show prominent secondary characteristics on the nose and palate, with excellent depth and balance on the palate and finish. The tannic profile typical of the vintage may not be to everybody's taste. A residual sourness towards the end of the finish is the only real negative. Whether more time will resolve this remains to be seen. This is ready to start to be enjoyed, and I would not hesitate in starting to crack open the bottles.
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Deep in color. Looks young. Black cherry and eucalyptus nose. Nice and soft palate. Acidity and fruit that lingers for a long while. Lots of cedar there. Drinking great, maybe even better in a couple of years and 20 years of life.
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This has really moved forward in the last year, as with a lot of the left bank 1995's.With a few hours in the decanter, it has a beautiful nose with blackcurrent and cherry aromas which really linger On the palate the wine is complex and well balanced with the tannin. It is clear that it will improve over the next couple of years as it moves forward to its next stage of development, but it already has a "wow" factor. The finish doesn't disappoint and is lengthy and balanced. It can really be enjoyed now, but with another couple of years it will move to a new level. I feel that at last, 1995 as a vintage is finally starting to live up to its initial hype.
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Lovely garnet with slight herbaceous and plum aromas. Tastes of dark fruits, earth and slight mint, with light spices, low acidity, medium tannins, full bodied and long finish with a light tartness and barnyard notes... decanted for an hour.
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Solid neck fill. Youthful color, faintest signs of bricking at the rim. Dark cherry and Port-like savory profile, touch of alcohol, faintest barnyard funk but still generally clean. Tannins and acidity are fading, leaving this a little flat and thin, with alcohol poking through more than I'd like. Medium long finish dominated by cherry and heat. Well-priced off the bottle list at Morrell Wine Bar NYC.
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very good wine although a tad too aristocratic for my personal taste. probably the Montrose style that is not my favorite style in the left bank. shows tertiary aromas, structured tanins. I would love to give it 5 more years in the cellar.
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Drinkable, but unfortunately slightly corked, it is a shame. The nose is all about cedar with dark berry fruit with floral and violet undertones. The palate is well balanced but with sharp tannin, and an excellent finish. However, this was undermined by the taint of the cork throughout the drink. This is the second bottle from 1995 to be contaminated, (the other being a Las Cases), but this probably only represents 2 to 3 % of wines tried from the year. This bottle was from a case with excellent provenance, and stored well, and it seems on the young side to suffer from bottle variance. I think just bad luck.
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Slight bricking at the edge. Deep red core. Aromatics are seductive. Red and black fruit. Ripe raspberry, dark cherry. Graphite. Leather and fresh tobacco. On the palate this is sensational. Nice core of fruit. Loads of tannin. Acidity keeping it fresh. Devious fruit core all framed by the structure. This is great right now but best enjoy with good. Otherwise wait another 2-3 more years and enjoy for another 15. Wow!
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1/3, excellent cork. Decanted 1/2 hr. Deep garnet core, pale ruby/garnet rim. Nose is developed with cedar, spice, touch of leather, old furniture. Medium bodied, quite mellow, cedar, blackcurrant - more primary than the nose, spice, resolved tannins - but still some polished wood notes, elegant, almost lean, balanced acidity, some autumnal hints, cool fruit, harmonious, extended finish. Excellent/outstanding - 11 years since last tasted and now really drinking well, indeed I would say fully mature. Next bottle - 2 years.
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During a Chateau Montrose dinner with Commanderie friends. Very good showing, not as dense and creamy as the 2009 but aromatically wonderful. It really shows that Montrose is a wine that in good vintages should not be drunk before 25 years of age. The tannins here are now soft, lots of undergrowth, forest, smoke aromas join the cassis notes. Long and complex, similar to Latour in aromatics and structure, a masculine that should best be consumed with something like a steak.
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This wine was well received by the group; however, I found it lacking against a 2000 Leoville Barton and a 2008 Relam To Kalon. It was thinner than I would have hoped. More stringent and with some notes of green and crisp fruit. Light/medium finish.
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(Ein CGeis Köhof) Etwas voller als der Zweitwein „LeDame de..“, viel Zeder und Teer, auch schon etwas ausgezehrt, aber gute Frucht, zunächst besser als LeDame im Flight, dann kommt LeDame nach vorn, bleibt aber unter Hauptwein...
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After several disappointing attempts in the past this wine is finally waking up and rewarding the long wait. But hold on to your bottles, as this fellow will further evolve over annother decade. Expressive, dense nose of cedar, ink, still fresh red fruit and tobacco. Medium to full bodied, boasting the full bordeaux show of cigar box, leather, tobacco, chocolate, licorice. Finally sticking out of the (generally disappointing) 1995 crowd.
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Young, ripe, vigorous and pure - you feel stronger and livelier as you drink it. So dashingly Montrosian; a wall of stern but suave black fruit with cedar, stone, and white flower accents. Excellent depth and precision. Well-balanced on the palate and sufficiently long finish. This is just getting started.
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The 95 Montrose is a classic wine from the estate showing well structured blackberry, black currants, licorice, slate and hints of dark spice notes. This needs time to evolve, but I would call it early maturity right now.
Slightly strict, but better than other 95's at this level. Try now or hold in the cellar.
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A very typical 1995 left banker which has entered its drinking window. The nose is packed full of fruit with blackcurrent and cherry dominant. On the palate the 1995 tannins kick in, but with great depth and balance and a lengthy finish. The wine really continues to develop in the glass. In their 22nd year, the 1995's are finally starting to drink well but need a lot of aeration and will continue to improve. I personally am a great fan of the vintage and have great faith in its longevity and will look to be scoring this wine higher in the future.
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Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Spiaggia - Chicago IL): Black fruit aromas with charming spice and cassis. Good flavors, just slightly less exciting. Good fruit, firm structure, moderate weight and length. Tough to say how/ where this will evolve.
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HDH Bordeaux Auction; 11/3/2017-11/4/2017 (Chicago, IL): The nose on this is stunning. Light and fresh, with beautiful red-fruited aromatics. The palate is much denser and more potent than the aromatics on the nose would imply. Very dusty and dense, with a bit of an ornery nature. A light bit of barnyard supplements the tart black fruit. A lighter wine that's approachable now. I'm not totally convinced this has the requisite fruit for further aging, but the structure certainly calls for it.
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Was surprised at the smooth, middle intensity presentation. I expected more depth. Still a very nice wine and was very similar to the 1996 Cos D'Estournel served with the same course.
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Complex nose, showing secondary development of earth and cedar. Still youthful, medium-bodied with soft tannins showing on finish. Overall not as full or as complex as I was expecting (my first Montrose) but beautifully balanced and precise with a linear fruit, freshness balance that makes it delicious.
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Tasted after the 1998. Altough similar in colour this seemed younger. More fruit on the nose along with the obvious tertiary flavours. This one was still biting. Perfect wine,lovely sweet fruit,great complexity and structure.
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Tasted after the 1998. Expressive on the nose, good depth and complexity. On the palate vibrant and lively, still a bit restrained and almost austere. Decent fruit. Very elegant and long. Drink or keep. 91-93
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This has really come to life in the last year and is ready to be enjoyed. Possessing a deep nose of blackcurrent and cherry, it develops in the mouth and is balanced by resolved firm tannins. All completed with a satisfying finish. It is interesting how rapidly the tannic wall has broken down with this wine; a year ago it was barely approachable, and I wonder if this is an indication the 1995's as a whole are starting to turn a corner as this was always one of the most stubborn.
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Mature and ready to drink. Decanted about 2 hours which I think this needs. Really good Bordeaux flavors - some spice, earth, cigar and tobacco and dark fruit. I very much enjoyed this and it held its own against some very good Burgs and Barolo. Dont see this getting better from here but dont see decline coming either.
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Gorgeous nose leaps from the glass. Mature barnyard with secondary and tertiary flavors. Softer than the 1996. Beautiful for drinking today. Montrose vertical 1895-2000
One of the surprises of the night as it's already drinking well and is very complex with the classic meaty texture of Montrose. Full and rich with more black fruits now and delicious flavors of soy, olives and dark spices. Perhaps not a long-ager but great to drink now and over the next 10 years.
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Funky and exotic nose. An approachable palate today with dry earth, light sweetness, and a long tar finish. Soft, but without substance to improve further with age. 91-
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This was not a chronological vertical so this one was poured in a flight with the '12 and '08, maybe a backhanded compliment to the vintage but next to those this one makes you say, now we're talkin'. Only one of the three to show any evolution in the flavors with mushroom brothy, almost truffly character offering more than enough character to compensate for the fact that the fruit is in a shy autumnal, apply state.
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Chateau Montrose with Mr. Herve Berland (Ripple Restaurant in DC): It is WOTF for some as it is at the peak drinking window. Nicely mature classic left bank/Pauillac nose displaying plum, sweet slightly dry red fruit, also a hint of cassis, lead pencil, cedar, leather, caramel and earth. Good concentration, nicely integrated palate, warm and soft, a hint of coarse tannins and a medium to long cedar and mature red fruit driven finish. A solid Bordeaux that is drinking nicely.
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Allowed to breathe in bottle 6 hours, then decanted 1 hour, then re-bottled and brought to a dinner party. Tasted 10 hours after first opening. Clear deep dark garnet color. Classic bouquet of black and red currants, creme de cassis, cigar tobacco, black truffles, aromatic wood, with hints of salt marsh and mud flats. Similar on the palate, seamless, beautiful balance, full body, pleasant acidity and smooth tannic grip. Plenty of life left.
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This wine was fantastic. Second time this year I've had it and again did not disappoint. This wine definitely improved after being open and decanted for a couple of hours which is consistent with the first bottle. Very fresh fruit on opening that faded nicely to more earth and smoked meat notes. Certainly no rush to drink any remaining bottles and i think this wine still has a long life ahead of it.
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Not decanted. Consumed over 2 nights. Was not as good as my last bottle (2 years ago). Very good nose but it had to much acidity to score higher. 91 pts.
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A long Sunday lunch at Noble Rot (Wellington, NZ): Lighter colour than the Cos. A more attractive, expressive bouquet of spices, blackberries, plums and tobacco leaf. On palate, I much preferred the more approachable Montrose to the Cos. It showed more initial fruit sweetness, and more resolved tannins. It was also more red fruited than the Cos, showing dry underbrush, cigar box and leather saddle flavours. Very enjoyable. Drinking well now.
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Fruit dominated upon pull of the cork. This eventually faded into the cedar aroma. After a two hour decant it began to show More leather and tobacco. Wonderful wine...especially after a lengthy decant. I certainly prefer the '95 to the '96
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Aromas of red cherry and vanilla with a steeliness in the palate and finish. This is very Cabernet dominated and, although drinking nicely now, will continue to improve and hold for years. Would recommend the wine is decanted for a good few hours at this stage
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Perfect cork and provenance. fennel, cedar, eucalyptus nose, moderate bricking dark rose around the rim. Drinking easy, elegant, mature, pennies, cedar, black cherry, Thai spice, raw meats, and all kinds of licorice. Really enjoying this wine, however not overly compelled to buy more. Maybe a little better than 92 points but most likely will not improve much further with age.
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Dense, inky, with purple fruit, blackcurrant and cigar box. A touch alcoholic, and paled next to a 1996 Haut Bailly, but still very good. Was not better the next day, but didn't fall apart either.
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Deep dark colour. Cassis and lightly cedary, pencil shavings, lightly brambly, Cabernet herbasceousness, very attractive. Everything on the nose comes through on the palate. Relatively firm structure but not unexpected for this house, not overly fleshy but not lean either, finishes with nicely weighted tannins. Time has softened it, the fruit is dark and delicious, all round a very enjoyable Cabernet.
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[LFW's Château Montrose Dinner with Herve Berland at Saint Crispin Restaurant, Melbourne] Quite dark color, faint purple edge. Black raspberry bouquet with hints of earth, dark plum, blackcurrant, tobacco, meat, leather, graphite, spice, underbrush & cedar. Medium plus, quite deep, moderately intense, somewhat forward, fading in glass & showing autumnal notes; an effete & shadowy shell of what was once a masculine, beefy & moderately tannic wine; a bit disappointing as the nose promised so much. Quite long, ambivalent finish, tailing off a little. (90) at its best.
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Jolie couleur rubis tirant vers le vermillon, ocelle vermillon. Couleur profonde, brillance moyenne. Assez lourd, larmes fréquentes et rapides. Immense nez de poivre moulu et d'herbes aromatiques laissant place à un joli mélange de myrtille et de framboise. Très beau bois de cèdre très rafraichissant. Vin épais et très rond. Sur les framboises et myrtilles concentrées rafraichies par un mix de plantes de garrigues. Joli boisé vanillé très intégré. Immense finale gourmande, magnifiquement tenue par des tanins présents mais très intégrés. Une référence inégalée en Saint-Estèphe de la période Charmolüe. Un vin exempt de toute critique ! Partagé avec Laurent Jouanne le Directeur Commercial de la Société de Négoce Dubos Frères en compagnie de sa charmante compagne Cécile Fortis, critique en spiritueux au magazine Wiskymag. Une compagnie des plus recherchée !
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Early drinking window, almost mature. See previous note. Paired beautifully with braised lamb, masculine yet subtle, very well rounded and decent complexity.
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Best bottle so far, 14 months since my last bottle so for some reason this short time has softened and elevated this wine. Decanted and aerated for an hour then drank over two. Deep ruby red blackish core, very earthy nose intermixed with dark red cherries, strawberries, and leather. On the palate very fine entry, decent weight and complexity, dark red fruits, strawberries, some lead, pencil shavings and a hint of mint and spices. Good acidity, a certain nobility to the wine, medium body, tannins well integrated and almost resolved, and a decent if not flabbergasting finish. Extremely enjoyable but not sure if this wine has much more room to improve.
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Decanted from a magnum, the wine is rubis and dark. The nose is very elegant and appealing with fragrants of wild strawberries, plum, tabacco and green pepper. In blind tasting, I confused it with a margaux since all the austerity and earthy notes had disappeared, leaving infinite velvet to coat a bouquet of cherry, liquorice, tabacco, mint and game. The finish is a touch too short
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Jolie couleur rubis tirant vers le vermillon, ocelle vermillon. Couleur profonde, léger trouble. Assez lourd, larmes fréquentes et rapides. Immense nez poivré (poivre fraichement moulu) et d'herbes aromatiques laissant place à la myrtille et à la framboise. Joli fond de bois de cèdre et d'eucalyptus. Sur les framboises et myrtilles concentrées rafraichies par un mix de plantes aromatiques de garrigues. Joli boisé vanillé très intégré. Immense finale avec grande persistance, puissante mais gourmande, tenue par des tanins fermes mais très intégrés. Un très beau Montrose, plein de puissance et de délicatesse. Une mariée séduisante à plus d'un titre qui fête ses 20 ans !
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At last this wine is starting to show itself. Really pleasant and starting to show interesting secondary characteristics of leather and nutmeg and cedar spiceness. Open on the palate with healthy cherry infused fruit and silky tannins. Delicious and under appreciated vintage from Montrose.
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The 1995 Montrose offers up an impeccably classical bouquet of red and black fruit, cigar ash, rich soil tones and cedar, followed by a lovely, juicy and harmonious palate impression, with a nice core of tannin and acidity that is beginning to resolve into something very attractive. The wine is still just a little knit up behind its structuring elements, but considering that this is old-school Montrose and a comparatively rustic vintage, this is really quite refined and elegant.
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31 Vintages of Château Montrose: 1928-2010; 5/2/2015-5/3/2015: Dark, primary fruit, bonfire and menthol. The taste is not as impressive as the nose: a little hollow/watery. The quality of the fruit is OK enough, but without depth or complexity. Others liked this better than me.
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This wine created a vision and aromas of walking through wooden doors into cellar underneath the house on a cold November evening after a heavy rain.
Flavors of barnyard floor, earth, fading blue fruits and a slight overtone of cassis. Medium body and flavors. Very good structure and length. Firm tannins. Not an exceptional wine, very nice. Could do better QPR though.
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After a couple of musty bottles this one was cleaner with a blackcurrant nose, soft and yet with good backbone of tannins. Slight touch of bitterness. Good body and length. Will make interesting old bones.
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Open and ready without decanting though time will soften and bring out more nuance. Big, heady and masculine with notes of tobacco, cassis and black cherry all day. As one taster put it, this is the Bordeaux you could pour for anyone and say, "Buddy, if you don't like this, then you don't like Bordeaux."
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Drew's 40th: This is exactly what Bordeaux is to me. Classic left bank/Pauillac type notes of darker red fruits, pencil shavings, cassis and cigar box. Has presence and an authoritative profile, but it's all class. For drinking right now, this is really good but should continue to develop positively over another decade or so. Killer middle aged Bordeaux.
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I loved this wine. Its dry, its bold, its old...But mainly I love the dryness from such an old wine. You don't get this very often...The wine still finishes young.
Hailing 1995, the wall of tannins are still errect, while the fruit is fading. While I love this wine in the present, I am not convinced by its short term future. The flavors are those of classic aged bordeaux...Lots of cedar, leaves, habana banana, and a little bit of red fruit with ample acidity disguised in the form of spiciness. Good stuff now, and over 3 to 5 years then may go back to sleep and maybe great in 15 years?
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Classy, classic, masculine, big, tannic, young and demanding more time to soften, develop and offer more complexities. Clearly, this has good structure, and the ability to age and develop, but its beefy, masculine, tobacco, cassis and firm tannic style is going to be a problem for some tasters, while fans of more classic wines might like it more than I did.
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@Fred_Lund: This is very Classic with slim elegance and high acidity. Perfect maturity but a long life ahead. Not a Parker wine one would guess, but Bob gave this 93 Baltimore points!
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Second bottle from my case. Seems to be in a dumb phase. Deep ruby color, no bricking at the rim, nose dominated by leather, red currants, very masculine and full bodied. Although aerated after decanting for two hours, the wine remained linear and one dimensional, brawny but with excellent acidity. Like some 95s, always a doubt the fruit will emerge above the acidity, tannins, leather and earth. I had my doubts on the Pichon Baron 95s but these recently emerged beautifully. Maybe worth retrying in a few years. Decent length.
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Decanted and aerated for 2 hours and drank over another hour. Next bottle I will decant for 4 hours as this wine is still very young and requires years to attain more complexity and weight. Deep ruby red, a nose of scorched earth, cassis, currants and leather, very masculine wine, shows rustic aspect of vintage. On the palate, nice entry, slightly dusty at the outset with the fruit struggling to come out, strong acidity and dusty tannins. Finish decent but not flabbergasting. I would certainly wait on this wine but will try another bottle with proper decanting and keep the rest of my case for a few years.
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A Night of French Wine (Chez Simo Bistro - Chicago, IL): Still very young, this should keep aging for a long time. Already the nose has lots of earthy, funky tones that I really loved. The palate definitely had a dark, smokey edge to it was deep, earthy notes on the finish. Should be a great wine with another 10-20 years.
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Dinner at Chez Simo (Chicago, IL): Quite medicinal on the nose, but definitely not an over-the-top modern fruit bomb. The palate is moderately intense, and this is showing some real old-school Bordeaux character. Needs a bit more time.
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Mini-Montrose Vertical - 1973, '85, '94, '95, '96 (Nicolas Restaurant, Teck Lim Street, Singapore): Very solid. I think this was the strongest wine of the night. The 1994 was definitely drinking better, but this was clearly from the better vintage. It had the most elegantly understated bouquet of the lot, with little shades of menthol and wood spice wrapped around a core of ripe cassis and dark berries, and then little lifted floral accents and just the lightest hint of toasty oak. Very pretty. The palate was still youthful, showing some of the characteristic tightness of the 1995 vintage, but it had clearly started to shed some of that austerity to show pleasantly clear, open notes of black cherries and berries, which were lined with notes of orange peel and a touch of ferrous mineral on the midpalate. It was only at the finish that the wine tightened up noticeably, with a good amount of fine but grippy tannins and chewy acidity clamping down around the fruit, leaving a little drift of herb that brushed by the backpalate at the finish. Very solid, this was impeccably balanced and very nicely poised, with a sense of something noble about its structure to go with a lovely purity on the fruit that I thought some of the other wines lacked. However, it needs a bit more time yet - another 5-6 years more – and even then, it will always be one of those wines that needs to be, and indeed deserves to be paired with a good dish.
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Nase mit erdigen Aromen, leicht oxidierte Kirschfrucht, Trockenobst, Mokka, Bitterschokolade, Zeder; am Gaumen klar, gut ausbalanciert, mittlerer Körper, kräftige Säure, langer Abgang; sehr feine Tannine, leicht zehrend; insgesamt immer noch wenig Alterungszeichen
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Initially, I was concerned that this bottle might have been slightly corked, but as it continued to open my fears were assuaged. A lovely, masculine nose of licorice and cassis was accompanied on the palate by a highly structured (but smooth) mouthfeel and some herbaceous qualities overlaying the dark fruit.
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burnt orange, hints of red, in the color. dried fruit, dark fruit, blackberry, plum, currants, earth, dust, anise, herbs, wood, light mocha, on the nose. high acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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K&L Bordeaux Tasting (K&L, San Francisco): Minerality, wonderful nose, blackberry, good underlying fruit; surprisingly approachable on the palate, good red fruit, integrated tannins. Good primary notes with very early secondary complexity. Ready now but with many years to develop ahead. 92+
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Excellent vin au nez impressionnant de mûre, de cassis, de tabac et de chocolat. Même goûts au palais, cherry, fumé, épicé, corsé, avec de la complexité, de la profondeur, une bonne mâche et un assez longue finale. Vin soyeux qui mérite de vieillir et se bonifier encore...
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I liked however made the mistake of not letting it get to the right temp for me. Has this with. Few friends over Xmas period . I think ready to drink however interesting to see over the next few years . No food so next time with meal ....bring on the next time
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Wife's birtday, so we chose a btl to ring all of our bells. And... Yay! This wine delivered :-)
Maturing, dark red w/M sediment. Nose is grande Bordeaux with cedar, sulphuric earth, bright red fruit and appley aromas. Palate is smoothly caressed by the perfect composition here: M acids, mild, mature M tannins and fine fruit. Small glitch on mid-palate and not as complex as we wished for in dreamland. But what a fantastic wine! Still has more to give. We had also expected a tannic bite, but those teeth were elsewhere. Final btl, really wish we had more... At great Restaurant Tani in Gaienmae (Tokyo).
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Classic nose of cedar tree and green bell pepper, thyme etc. Typical 95 with tight fruit and lean expression, however open and juicy with good length. The St.Estephe clay giving tannins and earthy taste profile is clearly discernable.
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Very tight wine - a baby yet - but showing lots of potential. In fact, this was served in flight with the sublime 1989 Montrose, and all tasters noted a similar thread running through those 2 wines. I'd call this one the little brother, not just in terms of age, but also stature. I think the 1989 will always be superior and a bit more refined, but the 1995 has a lot going for it. Probably needs 10 more years to begin strutting its stuff. This was enjoyable with a meaty, rich meal, but I'd suggest patience if you have bottles. It is not giving all it will offer yet.
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The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Cherry, Apple, Mineral. It tastes like Fig, and Apple. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Polished texture. This wine finishes Long. It is truly benefited by 2.5hrs Decanting
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: Malbec (current releases) (Augie's): Notes of black currant, plum, leather, florals and earth. Loands of black fruit and leather on the palate, with earth and tobacco undertones. Medium tannins; balanced. Long finish. 92-93 pts on this day.
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Very elegant and drinking nicely now. Pungent nose with red fruit, licorice, a bit of minerality and medicinal notes. Nice texture and mid palate - burst of ripe fruits, decent structure, soft tannins that feel well integrated. The finish was really nice and lengthy. Overall, not a blockbuster wine, but tasty, and seems to be in good place right now for my liking.
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White Burgundy and red Bordeaux from Roberson Wine (Stockholm): Nose with dark berries, discrete tar and smoke notes, mild spice, developed notes with barnyard, complex and elegant. Medium bodied++, good concentration, sweetness of fruit but at the same time a dry palate with stony mineral notes, medium+ tannins, very elegant in a firm style. A very classical left bank Bordeaux ready to drink. Rather developed, can take more cellaring, 93 p
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Montose Dinner (89, 90, 95, 96, 99, 00, 01, 05) Plus Others: The color is a very dark red. The nose offers a stern but splendid blend of dark fruit, leather, and mineral. The taste is dominated by dark fruit and mineral. This is starting to open up but still needs (I suspect) many more years in the cellar to show at peak.
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Bordeaux, Burgs and Piedmont as Barry Lipton visits NYC. (Il Corso.): I've found most of the '95s I've had recently still rather hard and in need of more time, but I'd seen reports that this was drinking surprisingly well, so I figured it was time to check up on it. It shows a classic Bordeaux nose of black cherry, currants, cedar, light smoke notes, herbs and earth. On the palate it's surprisingly lush and fruit forward at the get go. There's a thickness in texture and a rich, sweet and friendly quality to the red fruit that's delicious, but there's also a powerful back end to the wine that sports some firm tannins that grew in prominence as the evening wore on and picked up more of an herb character. Still on the upswing, imo. Doesn't quite have the depth of the '89 or '90, but this is a terrific wine. Solid A-.
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Dark carmine; creamy, ripe, cigar, leather; open, fairly fruit forward, nobility, softer tannin, surprisingly open; couldn't believe this was Montrose even though we were all on St. Estephe.
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At age 18 (like my son) has matured beautifully. I have enjoyed this wine almost annually for ten years. It continues to evolve and deepen. The tannins have softened, which allowed the dark fruit and cassis qualities to come to the front. Tobacco and tar qualities still there. Magnificent.
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A classic St Etephe, a classic bordeaux that is always reliable but doesnt blow your socks off as our friend ilee puts it. Med ruby, caramel and vanilla with energetic red cherry and plum on the nose. Medium body, medium acidity, and medium plus length. The edges are rounded with 17 years under its belt. Good underlying structure. This is a lovely and predictable wine.
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Lightweight body. Sophisticated. Very elegant. Evolved significantly after 2 hours of aeration. He combined very well with the first dish: lamb with herbs, but was shot down by the second dish: Fillet at Poivre, very spicy for a wine so elegant. Drunk on Freddy restaurant in São Paulo - Brazil
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Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux (Levain, Mpls): Purple red color. Decanted for 3 hours. Drank 1+ glass over 2 hours. This has a nice nose, earthy, developing some perfume over30 minutes, cassis, cedar, graphite, oak. The palate is full bodied, inky, cassis, blackberry, graphite, minerals, firm tannins that round further in the glass. This got considerably better over the first 30-60 minutes. Very nice.
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Beautiful, a bit dusty/locked bouquet with cassis and beautiful oak. On the palate dark fruits and still some rigid tannin. A beautiful and complex wine, but I think that after a few more years in the bottle it will show more of its finesse. 92++ for tonight. Try again around 2018
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Bottle in excellent condition with fill high in the neck and a barely stained cork. Poured into decanter and followed over almost 5 hours. Garnet with a slightly bricking rim. In the first 2.5h hours this wine resembles more a Bdx from '85 than '95: initially barnyard on the nose then plenty of cedar and a smooth palate with a sweet leather taste and no noticeable tannins. Tastes like all the fruit is gone and this has indeed nowhere to go from here (as the comment below implies), then after 2.5h waiting you start to get an increasing amount of dark fruit and also some tannins on the palate. Also a fine and well balanced nose. The finish remains however a bit on the short side throughout the 5h. Prefer the '01 Montrose I had the other day.
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Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Classic and cool. Balsamic notes, gloomy and serious. Wonderful, complex wine, somewhat clipped finish. Slightly inconspicuous in this line-up, but probably outstanding on its own. 18/20
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Big disappointment. Earth and green pepper on the nose. Thin in the mouth, most of the fruit gone, this is at the end of the road. The bottle looked in good condition, but this should have tasted better - I'm wondering if this was badly stored.
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Bdx and Pizza (1201 Avenue B): from 375ml. Peppery nose, with a little green pepper and leather. Palate still has some steely, if polished tannins that are still prominent. Some herbal leafiness on the finish, a little earth. This is well made, if a little “stately” and “boring”. Still needs some time.
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Drank alongside Canard confit and its magret with Orange and Honey sauce.
Decanted for 2 hours.
Nose: Wow, this is intoxicating. I could smell the violette and cedar going out of the bottle 10 feet away from it. Its all about finesse in this 17 years old Montrose. delicate cassis and cherry notes as well as nice bouquet of Violette and cedar.
Palate: This is clearly an old school Bordeaux. Old leather, cedar, pencil shavings comes in first but then cherry,violette and earth fills up your palate with finesse. The tannins were completely resolved but the acidity carried this wine over.
Beautilful wine but I was left out wanting a little more power from Montrose. Maybe its the vintage (my second experience with 1995). Its a great wine nonetheless.
92
Voila !
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Montrose Flight - 1982, 1989, 1990, 1995 (Kendall College - Chicago): Dark in color with a leather nose that shows the Montrose lineage. Very ripe and fruit forward with some noticeably acidity, almost California Cab-like. The tannins were resolving, making it an easy to drink wine. It's good now, but it's still young so I'll qualify my comments on it's ageability. As of now, I think it's got another 20 year of good drinking on it, perhaps a bit less. Still pretty good, but short-lived compared to the 1989/1990.
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pretty little nose of cedar and mashed cherries, the clean palate is superbly balanced showing old-school leather, black tea, dark cherry, red currants and clean earth, some minerals on the finish, elegant, achieves distinction of place and does it with finesse, very dry style
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Drank at a restaurant and not a ton of notes. Would have to think this is past its prime but it was still a pretty good bottle. Needs 30-45 mins of air. I popped and poured - first scents were a little off, glue-like but some hints of cherry, charcoal, moderate spice. Starting to get a little brown around the edges of the glass. Half way thorugh dinner its opening up nicely and going well with some pasta. Still a good experience but this has seen its time. Drink now.
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The fill was well into the neck and the cork was sound; this bottle looked like it had just come off the filling line! Opened (but not decanted) about an hour before service. A blackish purple core with no signs of age. Rather subdued on the nose, with notes of eucalyptus, dried black fruits and earth. Hard as nails on the palate, with loads of tannin and plenty of grip and structure on the finish. I didn't care for this at all. Really this was quite austere, with little in terms of texture or pleasure. Revisit in 10 years?
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From 375. Maturing disc. Developed nose, very black fruited and oaky with a distinctly briny/iodine note. Interesting at least, if not a style I'm fond of. Alas, the palate doesn't follow through as well; the fruit here is surprisingly dilute and the briny notes predominate. In fact it's rather flat. Drying tannins, broad shouldered, but seemingly flabby. An odd bottle.
With three hours' air in the decanter, the wine really turns around. Loses most of that iodine character on the nose and the palate. Puts on a lot of weight - not as flimsy as it was on opening. I haven't seen a wine turn around this dramatically before, going from really unappealing to rather good. Odd.
3+
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Very interesting bottle. Still garnet on the rim, with no brown hints as of yet. I can't recall a wine with an aroma that changed so much after half an hour in the glass. Relatively tight initially, but, after reading previous comments here (thanks, Karel!), we largely waited to see if it would open out, and it didn't let us down. An enticing, plummy nose emerged, with other notes that spoke of well-made claret. The palate was ok, but lacking a little stuffing, but, after that, the unexpectedly long finish more than made up for that. So overall, very enjoyable, and well worth the wait. Kept a little in the glass overnight and it mellowed but didn't exactly explode with flavours. Will keep the rest of the case a few more years, I think, though I'd predict that it'll probably not get more than a point or at most two higher, for me.
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Slightly backward and have to confess I did not let it settle in decanter for long enough. Nose gave hints of soil, blackberry and a touch of leather, err and soy sauce..? Lots of power to be unleashed given the structure and tannins but still young, fresh and taught. The wine finally relaxed after 2 hours. I would be leaving it to develop for 2+years. This bottle was paired with wood pigeon.
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One of the best mature bordeauxs tasted. This one - during Montrose dinner with FRW in London, Texture restaurant. A gorgeous wine - full of ripe elegant fruit, tertiary aromas, old wood and blackcurrant. Very long, concentrated, but never exhausting. Cheers!
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1995 Bordeaux Retrospect: Alcohol :: 12.5% Tight on the nose with hint of earth, leather and blackberry. Equally backward on the palate, mouth coating tannin and structured dominated on the palate, very powerful but fresh and well balance with the underlying sweetness. This wine is driven by its sheer power that leads to long long grippy, tannic finish with mineral. Need times. 87-89
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Nice ruby core to rim. Nose shows pepper (green), cedar, spice with a hint of leather. Palate shows great balance, length and focus with integrated fruit/tannin/acid without being weighty. While not a wow wine for me certainly a great example of Bordeaux. Maybe another 5 years on these.
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Popped and poured. Nose of toast, caramel, chocolate and dried salty meats. Incrdible! Flavors of closed black fruits, truffles and possibly some violets. Its a shame as this is really tight and none of the fruit comes out.
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YES. Still young, does not seem 16 years old at all. Deep dark purple, some good brambly fruit and some secondary aroma developing. If you have some I would leave it another few years. The tannins have not completely softened though you can tell it is a really good wine. Still a pleasant drink at this point. But, young...young is the overall impression.
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At Rest Beddington AMS Blind tasting Montrose (1982,1990,1995 and 2003). Doesn't show much in the nose, bit numb. Elegant in the mouth but drying on the palate. In style more like an 1988. Won't get any better anymore. Not sure if this was a good bottle.
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Berry Bros & Rudd - One Day Bordeaux School (Berry Bros, London): Nose: Blackberry and currant, leather, tobacco, spice and cherry. Slightly herbal and touches of funky farmyard Mouth: Blackfruit, vanilla, medium to high acid and tannin. Very fruity, very, very nice. Long, leathery finish. Wonderful.
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Meaty but pure, clean dark fruits for Montrose. Medium bodied. Still very youthful with dark flavors and hard, abundant tannins. Needs time, but promising.
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Aged Bordeaux, Champagne, Chef Toby Joseph and a few miscellaneous wines (Casa Covolo): The most tiresome nose of the evening. I think this wine suffered from poor storage because like the LB the capsule would not spin on this bottle and the cork showed some seepage. On the nose, caramel and some herbal earth. In the mouth some charming fruit that belied its nose. At the end of the evening the wine displayed some enjoyable tartness if that makes sense.
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Remarkable, remarkable wine. St. Estephe has long been a favorite region, and this one delivered the goods. Beautiful aromas of dark fruit, cedar, and light barnyard. Great glycerin mouthfeel, positively coating the palate. Dark, rich black fruits and autumnal spices. Moderate to long finish with vanilla highlights. Glad I had this now and even happier that I have more.
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Soft nose of dark berries with a touch of earth. Decanted three hours. Still firm tannins. During the next hour became softer with flavors of currant, dark berries and an undertone of sweetness. Nothing overwhelming and seems to just miss the depth I would have expected. Very long and tasty finish. (Jonathon-Sok)
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Really pleasantly surprised. Chocolate, cedar and whole lot of other things going on here. Dry, nice tannins, yet bursts of fruit. Really a nice complex wine that went perfectly with coq au vin.
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Drank as a comparison to the same year Tertre Roteboeuf (St Emilion). Very interesting match and a good way of seeing left bank v. right bank. Good structure and black fruit (blackberry), holding up well. The Roteboeuf was more hedonistic, but the Montrose had the structure and was better with food.
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Tasted with Cos '95. I found it better, but others liked the Cos better. Very similar though. Montrose dark red slightly roasted colour, orange in the hue. Nose of ripe sunberries and a little barnyard. Soft, mellow, melting in mouth, slight hint of tannin, nice fruity taste; very long and pleasant aftertaste. Good, but lacking a last bit of zest.
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An excellent Bordeaux, but outclassed by the '95 Cos that was also on the table. This wine had some definite cheesy funk at first. It did change quite a bit for the better over the course of the evening - promising! No need to rush on these at all. If you like the Montrose style, this one will please you. It is typical, and would likely make an easier guess in a blind tasting. Good strong tannins still. Nice finish. Not overdone in the least.
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Last glasses of a bottle opened yesterday. Notes of blackberry and currant, with a touch of underbrush and a definite brett streak underneath. Subtle minty/licorice quality as well. Flavors of dark fruit and iodine. Lacking a bit in the midpalate, a bit hollow, and finishes somewhat short.
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The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Our house): Garnet color. Notes of eucalyptus, tobacco, black fruit and underbrush. Good acidity on the palate, with flavors of red fruit, currants and plum, with herbs on the finish. Got better with air. 90-92 pts.
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Great balance, loads of fruit and ripe tannins. Very long and persistent, not complex yet but at the beginning of its plateau of maturity. Will age for decades but drinks well now.
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Montrose vertical (Dylan Prime, NYC): Full Flavored and fresh, punchy, bright. Still a few years off from entering peak, but is showing fine. Very nice. Some sweetness in it's lower flavor range. B++
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Decanted, but not for a long time. Dark purple in colour. A subdued nose of dark fruits and smoke that perhaps strenghtened as time passed. Quite structured on the palate with more prominent tannin than I expected from a '95 vintage. Would seem to have a good life ahead of it though I am not sure it will "improve" per se. Recommend a longer decant for the next bottle.
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Beautiful mature and complex bouquet with cassis and pleasant oak. A lot of good ripe cassis juice and surprisingly open already. Has still enough good tannin for some years, but not drinking/trying it now could be a waste. Great stuff!
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Montrose Vertical Blind decanted 1 hour slightly lighter than the 89 but the same profile stones and earth, twinkling and expresive nose that I have always associated with montrose tobacco just not quite the weight of the 89, but really balanced yummy claret that I should have in my cellar darn fine!
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It starts off with a pure Cabernet Franc nose of grass, dried herbs and green peppers. Not really my style, and I am very dissappointed. After 2 hours in the decanter magic things start to happen. Nice cedarwood, refined cassis and some oriental spices! Needs long decanting, and has probably 10-20 years left at the top. Not overwhelming, but very interesting. "Nervous vine"
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Decanted a few hours before serving. The color is a dark purple. The nose gives a nice blend of dark fruit, leather, and mineral. Really excellent. The taste is dominated by dark fruit, prunes, and mineral. This is still extremely tannic but not enough to obscure the flavors. Paired particularly well with the New York strip topped with caramelized scallions and red wine jus.
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Unreal. Ethereal. Beautiful black color. Nose of coffee, mocha and a touch of funk (the good Bordeaux kind). Palate reveals fine grained integrated tannins. Showing great, but loads of fruit, acidity and tannins to roll on for years. Incredibly youthful. Amazing wine.
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This wine does not give much away at the moment, a very tannic wine that seems to youn g to drink now, after wa while in the glass you can tell that there is some substance, but it not nearly as good as the more elegant and fruity 2001, which I had the other day. Leave the -95 in the cellar for a while longer.
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Montrose is always the most interesting and pleasing bourdeaux for me and this is no exception, of course it has a long life ahead of it. just fantastic
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Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux (Fugaise, Minneapolis): Second time I've tasted this. This was initially open for business but shut down hard after an hour or so in the glass. Great nose of smoky black fruit. Classic flavor profile: crushed dark berries, coffee, pencil lead, vitamin, and fresh chopped herbs. Ripe but formidable tannins. Better than the bottle I tasted last summer, and still in need of 5+ more years.
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Popped and poured in the decanter for a few minutes and then into the glasses. Needs filtering because of sediments in the bottle. Wonderfull and very expressive nose plenty of violets, black fruits, licorice, oaky vanilla and a (pleasant) touch of nail polish. Medium to full-bodied with flavors of coffee, black currants, green pepper and vanilla. Melted tannins. A wine on its apogee. Mature, but should be kept for at least a decade.
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Blackcurrant chewits, sweet vanilla, toasted cedar and slightly pruney notes on the nose. Full-bodied and dense with powerful, grippy tannins. Lacks the purity and definition of the 1996. Fruit is a bit muted at the moment. Hold until 2012.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Steaks & Montrose (Dave's House): This was very closed and stern immediately upon opening (no surprise), and gradually unfolded over the next 2-3 hours. Blackberry fruit and coffee. Intriguing earth and mineral flavors. Medium weight; still very tannic. Seems promising. I don't expect this to rival the 86, 89, or 90 (the tannins aren't as smooth or ripe), but it should be very tasty in 5-10 years.
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Another Tuesday Night in Minneapolis (Montrose 82, 86, 89, 90, 95, 01, 03, 04): Decanted about one hour before serving. The color is a dark purple. The nose is a little reserved, but offers a nice blend of dark fruit, leather, and mineral. Excellent. One taste reveals a much younger wine than either of its drinking partners. The taste is dominated by dark fruit, prunes, and mineral. This is extremely tannic -- the tannins obscure the otherwise excellent flavor from mid-palate through the finish. This needs many more years in the cellar, but should prove to be very good.
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Double decanted and recorked four hours before tasting. Quite a deep colour, nose initially slightly muted and cheesey, opens up to a nice nose, not the typically Medocian cassis and pencil lead variety but more mineraly and wet stone with hints of tobacco. Quite high acidity. Over three hours or so all sorts of flavours and scents come and go including an unpleasant interlude of amonia-like ripe brie which, fortunately, goes again. Towards the end of drinking it really fleshed out and became very mellow and smooth with lovely balance and good length hinting at requiring a good few years further cellaring, but then thinned and became a little more acidic over the final sips. Not sure about this. Enjoyable and interesting, and gut feel says age this another 5 to 10 years, but probably check in on it every 18moths or so if you have a few bottles. Good and quite challenging but not a great claret.
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Still purple color. After about an hour in the glass, really started opening up. Black fruits, leather, and roasted espresso notes. Everything is well integrated with lots of life left.Opened for Mothers Day. Saving my last bottle for several more years.
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Solid wine. Color starting to move to red, but still mostly purple. Nose a bit muted, with plum, leather, cedar and little mint. Nicely balanced on the palate, with cherry, cassis, cedar balanced with some acidity, with well-integrated tannins that show up notably on the medium length finish. A little hollow on the mid-palate. Drinking well now - opens up with some air and definitely has a lot more time left.
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Farr Xmas Tasting (Vintners Hall EC4). Dark, clean colour - looked drinkable. Modest nose - some fruit, a little wood. Round mouth filling flavour, but with a little hollowness following (perhaps I missed the tannin?) Perfect to drink now - I don't believe it will get much better. A lovely drink, not the fruit of the '03 Pavie, nor the class of the '96 Pichon Baron - but for today a great drink.
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Very dark purple color. The nose is a little reserved, but is distinctly Montrose -- dark fruit, leather, and mineral. I can never get enough of this smell. The taste is compact giving dark fruit, prunes, mineral, and a subtle chocolate flavor. This is an excellent wine that has not quite entered its prime drinking window. I'll wait 3-5 years before trying again.
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Bordeaux 94/95 @ Peter V. (Netherlands): Pretty and elegant, which surprised me when I saw the bottle. Black cherreis, cassis, rusty iron, some alcohol in the finish. Strikingly forward and open. 16.5/20
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Lovely classicly proportioned big bold bordeaux. Showing great black fruit with nice complexity. Probably at the very front of its drinking window with some decanting. 9/06
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1995 Bordeaux Tasting - Uncorked (Uncorked, London): Dense plummy fruit nose, massivly structured, very big grippy tannin but well balanced, I wonder how long before the tannin softens? Not close to being ready, will be special though. 12.5%
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Toronto Offline at Reds with Ian Darshan Cauble: Alongside the 1996, this was a real treat. It was much bigger and darker than the Paulliacs - quite stern but with atwinkle in the nose that I recall from the vintages in the 80's. Charming cedar and froest floor nose. Dense fruit, still very tannic and clamped down well. Needs lots of time.
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I am on the fence. After 2 hours the wine opened up nicely, a beautiful fragrant floral nose, the wine had a soft mouthfeel that hung on a firm tannin structure- blackcherry, vanilla and currant flavors. Everything seemed perfect but the finish fell a bit short, it did not wrap up the package like I expected. I will have to give it another try. 89-92
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Very dark and young. Deep dark cherry purple centre and very young robe/rim. Still a little unyielding on the nose, but there is intense blackberry and blackcurrant fruit there - very enticing, so deep and dark. Tastes like a dream - still very young with plenty of power and reserves of tannin - but with delcious smooth and ripe currant and blackberry fruit. Great long finish which went beautifully with a ribeye steak.
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Dark ruby. Blackcurrant and burnt rubber on the nose. Tight and backward, with good underlying fruit, dry tannins and medium length. Promising, will probably open up and become more seductive with time.
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Dark purple, almost black color. Mocha, deep, plum nose.
Chocolatey but fruity rich, earthy Bordeaux. Some nice minty herbal qualities but mostly deep & earthy. Very smooth. Wonderful fine Bordeaux. Not too young, but lots of years left. Distinguished. B++
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An easy afternoon with close friends; Bordeaux 1995 (@ JJ): Sweet bouquet. Different than the other wines of this evening. Spicy, high almost Italian like acidity, complex juice. This wine definitely needs more time in the bottle. (And will probably gain points)
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5/5/2024 - dizzydd wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour and then drank over a period of 3 hours. I was surprised that it still felt like a young wine and could have been aged more (I shouldn't have been). It felt muted in the beginning, but opened up by hour 2. Started off a little barnyard and earthy, changed to more leather and mushrooms with the night. Had fun with it. But I will probably wait a few more years before opening another '96
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4/26/2024 - Stefan75 wrote: 93 Points
From Mag, double decanted in the afternoon like last week, still needs quite some air to open up! Cork not fully soaked this time, not as much singing as the bottle last week but still a great showing…
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4/18/2024 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 94 Points
From Mag, double decanted in the afternoon, cork fully soaked, nice nose but muted taste at opening, fantastic showing at dinner with lamb racks, fully marure but with reserves for a few years left, great balance, old school and only 12,5% alcohol. Exceeded expectations!
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4/14/2024 - RockinCabs wrote: 91 Points
This was quite tight and closed initially, but opened well give blackberry, black plum, mineral and leather. Cedar, moss and soil note and a bit of brett that left this bottle a slightly smudged.
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3/12/2024 - Tao wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic aroma of sweet, earthy, complex mineral fruits! Very dark colour. Rich, earthy fruits on the palate, dense and a clean, lengthy finish! A long way to go!
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2/27/2024 - chatters wrote:
Chateau Montrose Tasting (Bentley Bar & Restaurant, Sydney): Leather, earth, sous bois, black and red fruit shows currants, berries, sweet spice with time, very slight farmyard, a little mushroom and leather. Juicy tends to medium pls intensity acidity, fleshy silky, tannins persist super long, wild blackcurrant, earth, sous bois, all travel very long with those tannins. Nice.
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2/9/2024 - rayq wrote:
This was a beautiful example of classic claret.
Cool restrained fruit. Elegant and classic. None of the harshness one might expect with 95. The palate was smooth and resolved, harmonious. No rush to drink. Wish I had more (93)
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2/9/2024 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
Blind. Dense, elegant, cedar, some cassis but more about its mineral line. So harmonious and elegant. So not Montrose and 95. So approachable and harmonious whilst keeping its classical spine. Carrera marble. A huge step up in finesse and elegance from a bottle a couple of years ago. ****1/2
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1/7/2024 - Romz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Loved this. Just needed an hour of bottle breathing and very ready to drink. Well integrated and velvety tannins. Still fresh acidity and plenty of dried fruit and classic claret notes
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12/27/2023 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordecembre... No. 27.
Thanks to birthday boy Romz for sharing this lovely aged Montrose with us, at Tang Room for the trio's birthday celebration.
Nose of red fruit, that sings a classical bouquet of Bordeaux and Cabernet. Creamy vanilla mid-palate, which is so rich and silky. Yet, the medium acidity lends liveliness to the palate, and I could only guess LB. Perhaps 10-15 years. Complex!!
Turns out.. wow! Its the legendary Montrose. And nearly 30 years too!
Medium to full-bodied, wonderful concentration of fruit, the tannins are so well integrated, and yet that acidity.. Lively! Med-long length finish.
Only coming into its drinking window now, enjoy this over the next 10 years or more.
63% Cab, Merlot 31%, Cab Franc 5%, and PV 1%. This is a relatively higher proportion of Merlot for a Montrose, lending this a plusher and better balanced Saint Estèphe. I am a huge fan of opulent styles of wine, so this is a change from the more familiar austere style I guess?
Robert Parker describes that 1996 has the class and sophistication, but the greatest virtue of the 1995 is the most fundamental.. Enjoyment!
Vintage:
1995 was an early year. A mild winter and a hot-dry spring caused an early and homogeneous bud burst and blossoming.
June July and August were hot and very dry. Mid-veraison occurred on August 4th. The series of rainfall between April and August
reached only 150 mm!
All these factors are in favour to the sugar’s increment and the
maturity of tannins. Volume of berries was weak, showing a depletion of about 10% compared with the previous years.
Grapes are ripe and healthy and the yield shows an upswing compared to 1994.
Merlots were fruity, fully bodied, and round on the palate.
Cabernet Sauvignon features good balance acid-tannins, and shows good length on the palate, without bitterness.
Tang Room, Damansara, Malaysia
27th Dec 2023
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11/14/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with Nick: Guessed an ‘86 as ‘95 last week but swapped the vintages around this time, they really have the same tannin structure. Thought it might have been a ‘86 Las Cases. Some greenness, tobacco; deep, dark blackcurrant fruit. Structured with thick viscosity, think the fruit will not outlast the tannins here. Thought the ‘96 tasted a couple of years ago was a much better wine.
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8/24/2023 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Decanted for two hours. Red berries and black plums, herbs and a minor amount of tobacco. Fair amount of acid. Very good but not quite the complete experience I'd hoped for.
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6/24/2023 - Rani Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind next to the 1995 Cos. Cedar, dried herbs, blackcurrant. Very fine, velvety texture, opened up nicely in the glass after an hour on a decanter. Good length, very nice now.
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5/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
Richter Pre-Gaming Night (w/ some new world icons): One of the best 1995s I had to date (not a big fan of the vintage). Not overly complex but fairly fine frame - something not many 1995s have. 93+pts.
TN: Beautiful mature notes of tobacco, herbs, dark fruit, earthy notes on the nose. On the palate more red fruit mixed with dark fruit. Very fresh fruit, tobacco, herbs. Fine, round, herbs, fresh. Very balanced. A bit malty even.
Decanting: A short decant should do the job.
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5/5/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 90 Points
Prelude to the annual Magnum Rarities Tasting in Zurich. A marginally lactic touch, but nice mix of aging notes completed by fresh herbs, mineral notes and coffee. Not perfectly clean, but nicely aged. Still grippy tannin and maybe not ideal balance. The herbal notes leave you with the impression of un-ripeness.
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5/5/2023 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Red berreis, suirprisingly mature and approachable for a Montrose from this vintage, yet long life ahead.
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4/11/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
The left bank 1995s are starting finally to hit their prime drinking window after many frustrating years, and this is a perfect example. Still benefitting from a couple of hours in the decanter, this has lost the teeth stripping tannin, and is a very interesting wine. The nose is delicately perfumed with blackcurrant and plum with pleasant floral wafts of violet, and some subtle menthol hints. The palate is well structured with the tannin typical of the year, giving a good balanced backbone to it. The finish is a little light, and on the shorter side, and does not match the rest of the experience. However, that said, it is a very good wine, and would have meritted another point if not for the finish.
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3/10/2023 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous dark ruby color. Decanted and drank over 90 minutes. Nose of perfumed dark red fruits with hints of black currants. Lots of leather, cassis great backbone and structure despite some thinning mid palate so perhaps a longer decant would have solved this. Finishes long with perfumed cassis.
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3/5/2023 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
I am really starting to like the 1995 Montrose, this example very 1989-like in its intense, black and blue fruit, its iodine edge, and a big but really precise frame. Pretty invigorating now. 94-95 (+?)
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2/11/2023 - ankitmehra Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 1995 vintage of Château Montrose, was a testament to the great work Jean-Louis Charmolüe achieved during his time at the château. An extremely structured bottle of wine, the blackcurrant only begun fading during the second glass, but in doing so allowed the cassis, leather and tobacco to truly capture the tertiary qualities of this mature wine. With hints of graphite coming in on the finish, this was a stellar example of a vintage we’ve been diving more and more into this year. Truly a great example of the lower ABV (12.5%) Bordeaux winemaking Charmolüe was able to innovate within during his time at the Château Montrose.
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1/7/2023 - wDave Does not like this wine:
Flawed. Not good right after decant. Some good flavors for 10-30 minutes after decant, then dark with no pleasant flavors. Have three bottles left - we shall see.
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12/20/2022 - lozatron wrote: flawed
Don't typically write notes for flawed wines but there was something odd going on here...a kind of high-noted weirdness to it - acetone perhaps? Combined with muted fruit. Wondering if there was some comorbidity here perhaps...some sort of bacterial issue, combined with low level TCA?
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12/19/2022 - NickA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Gareth's "best of the 80s and 90s" (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Some thought this flawed, and while I agree the bottle wasn't completely correct (swimming pool isn't a desired part of the nose of second growth Claret) I did find something to enjoy: it was soft and truffley, with good acidity and some pine needle, and I happily finished my glass.
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12/19/2022 - Paul D wrote: flawed
Gareth's Bordeaux Dinner - Hawksmoor Guildhall - Best of 80s and 90s (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): This had an odd, muted nose, all it was really showing was some chemical/chlorine notes. There were some vestiges of fruit on the palate, but the swimming pool was still there and it was short and stripped on the finish.
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11/19/2022 - englishman's claret wrote:
Ibid below, save for the fact that this didn’t close down nearly as hard and was actually quite lovely for the duration. Amazingly, there was such drought in 95 that the vegetative cycle stopped per Hervé
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11/6/2022 - RockinCabs wrote:
Nose: Cascading black currant, red currant, cassis, graphite, mint, cedar and tobacco in the nose. Perfumed and beautiful bottle.
Palate: Silky tannin and few blocky edges at this point the feel was incredible. Delivers black fruit, slate, mineral, florals and cigar in spades, yet the structure makes its presence known in the back palate.
Finish: Penetrating dark fruit that is showing the serious nature of Montrose right now. More florals and leather in the back end. Tannin is apparent in the finish.
I kept my paws off of this after a bottle back in 2017 was quite hard, tannic and blocky, but a recent note from Englishman's Claret gave me confidence to give this another go in a side-by-side with a California producer that has some similarly well structured and dark traits. So glad I opened this. It was stunning tonight. It does shut down after a bit, so if you are opening I do not recommend an extended decant.
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11/2/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Firm, crisp, structured, tannic, reserved, full-bodied, youthful wine with a crunchy edge to its layers of herbs, spice, cedar, tobacco leaf, and red currants. Drink from 2022-2045.
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10/22/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
The 1995 Montrose has electric energy about it, the nose quickly opening to show well-delineated black and redcurrant with a slightly horsey, unsmoked cigar nose. The clarity and depth of the raspberry and strawberry fruit on the palate are simply superb and the supporting unsmoked cigar, mineral, and wildflower accents add beautiful detail. Amazingly, the tannins are powdery. This is certainly more open than last night’s Lafite, which it rivals in terms of depth and precision.
And yet, 45 minutes after decanting this closed down - hard. Profoundly. And it didn’t reopen in the 4 additional hours we followed it. I leaned toward 95 at the outset but ended at 94.
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10/10/2022 - mimik Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absolutely sublime. On point and at peak if not a little past. Drinking very well. Everything you could wish for in a mature Bordeaux
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9/22/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic top end Bordeaux. Rich creamy mouthfeel. Fades a little, which prevents a higher score. Lovely cassis and BlackBerry, still plenty of primary fruit. Great elegant restrained balance of fruit and structure - plenty of freshness, refined smooth tanins. Long and complex. Drink now, will evolve over the next 20 years.
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9/11/2022 - Junior1961 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Superb wine. Elegant in every aspect. The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like coffee, light toast, medium toast, lead pencil, meaty and ripe black currant (cassis). The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium plus acidity.
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9/3/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
As mentioned a year ago this has finally hit its drinking window, and has become an excellent wine if not a blockbuster. It is very much old school in its profile with blackcurrant, plum, old leather and violet prominent. The nose is mature and deeply aromatic and is possibly its best feature. The palate and finish have good balance with a decent length, but the tannic profile of 1995 is ever present, but now tamed.
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7/10/2022 - SussexRH wrote: 89 Points
Classic, dark fruit nose, blackberry and cassis, mint leaf, violet; certainly not austere but not overly expressive at this stage; weighty and concentrated on the palate, highly structured with a firm backbone; no great aromatic development yet, still tightly wound and rather reticent, even on day two, with every sign this will continue to develop over the next 5-10 years.
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3/7/2022 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 95 Points
vibrant color. nose with complexity similar to high level pinot noir. lots of fruit . medium to full body. well balanced on acidity and tanines. very long finish. still developping in class, could use 3 hrs decanting. very nice wine.
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2/13/2022 - blanquito wrote: 92 Points
Cool, leafy, piney, ferrous, dark and earthy. Still sports a dark color, even at the rim. Mint-meets-leather bouquet with a touch of pyrazines. Structurally, this is ready to go at first, but after enough air some leafy, drying tannins show up. A bright, semi-austere, rustic wine that reminds me a lot of Sociando Mallet. Overall, a wonderful pairing with dinner. 92+ pts.
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1/3/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 95 Points
My last bottle from a half case bought shortly after release, two of which were corked. This bottle the best. Its funny how many of the notes here mention completely different flavours and yet most of them I recognise. Complex, modest yet lovely nose that just keeps on evolving from blackcurrant to coffee, violets and cedar. Still plenty of fruit kept in place by a fully mature tannic structure. A touch of traditional St. Estephe leanness. Long finish. At its peak now and will continue to drink well for decades if well kept. P.s. day 2 also a meaty flavour. p.p.s. still going strong and true on day 3 (using ZOS). Added a point.
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12/21/2021 - GrapeScott wrote: 91 Points
First bottle of a case. This has a very pretty nose, laced with cassis, black cherry, strawberry and baking spice. Rather Burgundian, quite elegant and a bit lean, savory, with a medium-long, very clean finish, almost devoid of tannins. Knowing Montrose, this could probably benefit from more age, but I'm guessing it may be peaking now. I did not decant, but saved a glass for night two, and it did not improve with additional air. A bit disappointing to be honest. In fairness, travel shock could be at play, as this bottle spent a month on a boat before it hit the UPS truck and landed at my door last week.
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12/13/2021 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Christmas Claret: Coffee and beef tea on the nose. Quite evolved. Beef and soy in fact. A little flat, not blowsy but lacking focus. Again, not helped by the company, but on its own I suspect a very decent showing. ****
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11/12/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Getting the gang together @ Wus (plus birthdays!) (Wu's Wonton King): From memory and my takeaway from the wine event the week before (96 Left Bank Bordeaux) is that the differences among these sometimes aren't as pronounced as you'd think. This was fun because got to try next to some other '95s and also an older brother (the '75). I thought it was a good solid Bordeaux. Montrose pretty much always shows well. Perhaps a touch on the young side and certainly with lots of life left.
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11/6/2021 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Decanted immediately prior to serving by the guy who brought it, so it took a little while before that angry, hard shell of Montrose finally cracked. When it did there was still the austerity of 1995, but also the cedary, earthy development of “older” Bordeaux. Admittedly it’s hard for me to think of 1995 as getting towards that older phase, as it was the first vintage of Bordeaux I bought on release. Oh well, I guess I am getting older too. The wine kept developing and improving for the couple of hours we spent with it, the fruit deepening, and the savory tones increasing. Ideally I might wait three or four more years, but a three hour advance decant might do the trick as well.
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9/15/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
It took a long time and a lot of patience and faith, but it was worth it as this has finally arrived after 26 years. To be honest I had started to doubt the year as a whole, but recently the vintage has started to match the plaudits at the time of release. The wine has started to show bricking and has an excellent nose of plum, blackcurrant and tobacco with violet wafts. The tannin has now resolved and the palate is sweet but steely without the paint stripping grip exhibited to date. Likewise the finish is no longer distracted by harsh tannin and, while sharp, is well balanced and gently pushes past 30 seconds. This does need to be decanted for a few hours and should easily stay here for at least a couple of decades.
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7/18/2021 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
Sample generously shared by nutty08. A correct bottle with quite a bit of bricking. This 95 is showing a pinpoint focused nose With cedar, warm cigar wrapper, redcurrant, macerated strawberry. You have all that and some sun dried tomato. The tannins are still fairly gripping, so in that sense the wine has a long way to go, but there’s quite a bit of tertiary material here., and likely a fair amount of Brett, but in a lovely way. For me it’s near apogee
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7/17/2021 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Winebid purchase in 2009. Seems correct. Mild bricking on the edges. Lovely aromatics with a distinct eucalyptus note mixed with hint of barnyard and tobacco. Palate was integrated, some austerity to the tannins but I didn't find them obtrusive. Has a lovely mature cedar, tobacco, and tea note on the palate. Not as concentrated or deep as the '00/
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7/10/2021 - The_Cat Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not the best vintage but a very nice example of 1995 typical left banker medium bodied elegant tannins lots of black berries a bit of leather and fresh mushroom long elegant finish.
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7/1/2021 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Graphite and smoke here, black berries, chalky notes, a very 1995 sort of wine, vertical, still quite strict, but slowly coming around - with air, more or less open for business.
#Ib
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5/23/2021 - steinersing wrote: 94 Points
Classic and attractive - perfect to accompany some grilled meat and veggies
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4/24/2021 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
A evening of 20+ year old Bordeaux (Wilmette Harbor Club, Wilmette IL): There is an understated power and balance to the nose with cedar, black cherries, raspberries, cranberries, tobacco notes, licorice, spice tones, pepper, leather, herbs, and currants. There is good depth while showing itself to be a bit tamed and reigned in. The Full bodied feel is balanced and with a restrained power while showing medium acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. The structure has peeled back a bit, but it still makes itself known. This has really slid into maturity well with it still showing off its raw, powerful side.
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4/24/2021 - Javachip Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened at 4:30 PM, decanted at 6:30, tasted at 7 PM. Clear deep dark garnet red. Classic bouquet of fresh black and red fruits and their liqueurs; violets, lilacs, undertones of baking spices, wood, cigar humidor, and stony soil. Similar on the palate, full body without seeming heavy, beautiful balance, lingering finish. At prime now, with many great years remaining.
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2/20/2021 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Bar-a-Thym (Bar-a-Thym): This showed superbly well on the night - certainly better than the last bottle I had just over 6 years ago. The nose on this actually seemed a little tight at first - a world away from the ultra-expressive 1980 Haut-Brion that we had alongside, with subtler tones of earth and spice, some cassis, and then a light sprinkle of anise, tobacco and dried earth. The palate was wonderful though. Beautifully clear and pure, with lovely nose of cassis and black cherries swirling through the mouth on a bed of earth, tobacco and spice, all these framed in against a backdrop of fine, firm tannins and beautifully-judged acidity. Noble, sinewy and muscular, with a long tobacco and mineral-inflected finish too. A superb Montrose, and a wine that seems to be very much starting to come into its own.
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1/20/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is in line with my note from last year, and is still showing some evolvement. It's taken over 25 years, but most of the left bank wines from 1995 are finally living up to their initial hype on release. Aeration is key to enjoying this wine at its best, and in addition to decanting it needs some time in the glass to really come alive. The nose is beautifully perfumed with ripe blackcurrant, blackberry, and plum with graphite and floral wafts, primarily of violet. The palate is displaying secondary notes and the tannin has sweetened and perfectly balanced in the mouth. It has developed a depth on the palate during the last year which was previously missing. Likewise the finish is now showing great balance and depth, and gently nudges past 30 seconds. This will probably still improve as tertiary notes start to tame the harsher elements of the vintage, and I reckon this will be drinking for another couple of decades. 94+
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1/5/2021 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fine Montrose, but not a great one. I actually expected this to be less ready to drink than it was, but it turns out the tannins are largely resolved and melted away, giving the (age-appropriate) crimson-toned fruit a friendly gloss. It has an enticing black truffly scent out of the gate but gets less expressive with airtime. The palate is straightforward but it gets more interesting on the back end, leaving a waft of earthiness evoking maitake mushroom and driftwood.
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1/1/2021 - DrZett wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful dark berries nose with lots of tertiary notes. On the palate mushrooms, dark cherries, blueberries, truffle, wet forest floor, leather and coffee notes. Medium bodied with a medium acidity. Very smooth tannins. Lovely classic and elegant Bordeaux style. Great complexity and structure, very balanced. Long savory finish.
After 25 years this vintage seems to be on its climate if you like aged Bordeaux wines. Definitely a great way to start the year.
Drink now or within the next 4-6 years. (IG)
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12/29/2020 - pyrat40 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mature Bordeaux, ready to drink. Resolved tannins, still showing dark fruit. Some in the group who prefer younger wines weren’t too sure about it, but I thought it was quite enjoyable.
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12/25/2020 - Rmjchen Likes this wine: 93 Points
A case purchase from 20 years ago. Worth the wait. A wine that invites you back for another taste. Evolving throughout the first night. Perfect with prime rib, mashed potatos, creamed spinach Yorkshire pudding. Gives a lot of pleasure with a long and complex finish. Tannins fully integrated and the fruit still sweet. I am impressed by this Montrose.
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12/12/2020 - Lagrange68 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Earthy, spicy, leathery notes, good medium body, quite smooth for a St. Estephe, long aftertaste. In a perfect spot.
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11/23/2020 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
wine buddies monthly meeting at Adina's (at Adina's): mature, ripe, ready to enjoy, lot of secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors, although not an outstanding vintage - but very enjoyable.
drink now - or age further.
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11/19/2020 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
An expressive vintage of Montrose with deep black fruits and notes of charcoal minerals and tobacco spice. Finishes fairly complex with big but supple tannins. Fairly rustic like many '95's but also full and charming and it's best days are still ahead. 92+
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10/30/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1,5 hour. Ready to drink right now. Perfect bottles like this still have many years left. 92 pts.
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9/29/2020 - rralls wrote: 94 Points
IN a perfect mature spot.
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9/11/2020 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Probably the most evolved bottle I have drunk is a long while. Dark ruby red color, nose of graphite, cassis, currants, black pepper and leather. Very precise wine on the palate, dark red fruit explosion mid palate, pencil lead and graphite with excellent acidity and structure, and a slightly dry yet ripe finish and tannins coated by the fruit. Medium bodied and extremely enjoyable.
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8/15/2020 - Joey Hunter Likes this wine: 90 Points
Chateau Montrose, 1995
•
1995 as a very sought after vintage since ‘88 and ‘90, we were lucky to open this bottle last!
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I personally think 1996 trumps ‘95 as ‘96 is more balanced between the ripeness of fruits and the earthiness, as well as the tannins maturity but let’s go back to this wine.
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I lovvvve the light garnet colour and the nose of red roses mixed with blakcurrant leaves; cigar leaves and farmyard. It’s very earthy with good minerals that make your mouth water.
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On the palate, it’s slightly lacking finesse and elegance or the boldness like ‘96, and the tannin was still too thick to my taste. It’s rather spicy - cumins, nutmeg, old cedar wood, it took an hour bottle breathing to release the black fruits and to drink best. It then went downhill but still enjoyable through dinner.
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Definitely drink now.
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7/29/2020 - the player Likes this wine: 92 Points
See previous notes. Deep crimson color, nose of cassis, currants, gravel, leather, spice. Needs at least two hours of aeration in the decanter. Very precise cassis. Balance and acidity give this wine great backbone. Nice peppery finish with tannins present but very round. Good finish.
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6/26/2020 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
See previous note. Needs at least 2 to 3 hours aeration in decanter. Evolved crimson color but no browning yet. Nose of leather, graphite, some cassis, pepper and pencil lead. On the palate medium bodied with the fruit showing mid palate after significant aeration. Decent finish with tannins still quite present in then persistent finish. Quite a nice wine but needs time to achieve better balance and power much like the Pichon Baron a few years ago.
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5/31/2020 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
Pretty happy with this, with three hours of air. Archetypical St Estephe.
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5/23/2020 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just the same upon opening as after three hours in the decanter - austere, rock solid and, in its uncompromising fashion, actually rather delicious. Feels completely ready with unobtrusive tannins from the off, but I think my other bottles might be even better as further tertiary notes develop.
Dark, ferrous and somewhat meaty on the nose. Coffee appears from time to time on the palate, along with leather and wood (more old church pew than fragrant cedar). It's not obvious that fruit was involved in the creation of this drink, but there's the merest whisper of cassis on the finish. Lovely balance. Great wine, but doesn't get a higher score as it's so brooding it's effectively a one-trick pony.
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3/27/2020 - the player Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fully agree with DJHammond note. The 95s have finally found the balance between tannins, structure and the fruit. Deep viscous ruby color, decanted and aerated for 2 hours then drank over 2 hours. Nose of graphite, old leather, cassis, currants and some pencil lead. First bottle in 4 years from my ex Chateau case. Rich on the palate with a very solid structure showing more complexity mid palate with perfect acidity, power, very masculine and a long finish with tannins still present but coated with the strong dark red fruits and currants. One of the top left bank 95s in my book. Will try the Latour 95 to compare in few days given there is nothing better to do in these Corona days. Keep safe everyone and enjoy your wines. Now is the time!
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3/25/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 1995s are finally shrugging off the tannic edge which has typified the vintage for the last couple of decades, and this is no exception. It has really moved forward in the last year, and is a delight to drink. The nose is deep and perfumed, with blackcurrant, graphite, and flora dominant. Although sweetened, the tannin is still very robust but well balanced with the fruit. Likewise the finish is harmonious with decent length. All in all it is an excellent wine, but a lightness on the palate is a barrier to a higher rating.
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2/8/2020 - edjBoca wrote: 93 Points
Nose and palate was lead pencil ....light body. Minimal tannin and acid. Over time the fruit flavors changed to chocolate and really more satisfying by the end of the bottle. Beautiful, but really light for Montrose....93
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12/25/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light earthy blackberry; tannic suppot; elegant; sweet elegant light raspberry finish.
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12/23/2019 - Bruce 1er wrote: 92 Points
Honey bouquet. Fruit has faded leaving mainly minerals and an earthy and roast beef flavor.
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12/12/2019 - Lindlb wrote: 92 Points
Blind verkostet.
Die Nase sehr maskulin, Pferd, Leder, Rauch
Der Gaumen Maggiekraut, leichte rote Frucht, hohe Säure, wirkt gereift, hat nicht viel Druck. Mittlere Länge.
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12/7/2019 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 91 Points
Well matured St. Estèphe in its drinking window now, but not able to impose itself against a 2003 Vergelegen „V“ had at the same time. Subtle nose of mature red fruit, leather and menthol. Medium bodied in the mouth, elegant and subtle. Ripe red berries, cedar, tobacco, liquorice, intertwined with tea and herbal tones. An enjoyable experience, however you expect more expression and persistence from such a big name.
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11/16/2019 - wlayne Likes this wine: 91 Points
In complete agreement with other tasting notes, this claret is in the perfect window. Typical profile is all there with some drying tanins to back up all that leather and cigar box. Wonderful wine.
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11/12/2019 - Paul D wrote: 92 Points
Ian's 1995 Dinner (Noize, London): Developed nose with cedar, spice, touch of leather, old furniture. Medium bodied, quite mellow, autumnal, mature, resolved tannins - elegant, with balanced acidity, harmonious, extended finish.
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10/20/2019 - paulst wrote: 92 Points
Earth; elegant with light blackberry; light soft tannins; elegant finish; faded after one hour.
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9/22/2019 - mimik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfectly aged with smoke, tobacco and a sweet cherry and blackberry note on the nose and palate. While it has the stuffing to last, it is drinking very well right now so why wait. Medium long finish.
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9/16/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking quite well now although with a typical hard edge. Really dark black fruits with notes of charcoal and Asian spices. Excellent intensity and grip with firm but smooth tannins. Good now wit a long decant but this bottle suggests it should bloom with further aging. 93+
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8/1/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is continuing to evolve, and is starting to be very approachable with a few hours in the decanter. The cedar has come to the fore in the last 6 months, and dominates the nose with blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry. The wine is really starting to show prominent secondary characteristics on the nose and palate, with excellent depth and balance on the palate and finish. The tannic profile typical of the vintage may not be to everybody's taste. A residual sourness towards the end of the finish is the only real negative. Whether more time will resolve this remains to be seen. This is ready to start to be enjoyed, and I would not hesitate in starting to crack open the bottles.
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7/28/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light earthy elegant balanced integrated cdear blackberry moderate finish.
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6/17/2019 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Leather and earth; Semi sweet and sour; a bit short on finish; still tannic.
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4/10/2019 - MalcolmV Likes this wine:
Dark brick, tertiary nose, initialy green but opens up. Complex, cedar, black and red fruit, meaty. Long finish
****1/2
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2/15/2019 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep in color. Looks young. Black cherry and eucalyptus nose. Nice and soft palate. Acidity and fruit that lingers for a long while. Lots of cedar there. Drinking great, maybe even better in a couple of years and 20 years of life.
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12/12/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has really moved forward in the last year, as with a lot of the left bank 1995's.With a few hours in the decanter, it has a beautiful nose with blackcurrent and cherry aromas which really linger On the palate the wine is complex and well balanced with the tannin. It is clear that it will improve over the next couple of years as it moves forward to its next stage of development, but it already has a "wow" factor. The finish doesn't disappoint and is lengthy and balanced. It can really be enjoyed now, but with another couple of years it will move to a new level. I feel that at last, 1995 as a vintage is finally starting to live up to its initial hype.
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12/11/2018 - Limin7@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely garnet with slight herbaceous and plum aromas. Tastes of dark fruits, earth and slight mint, with light spices, low acidity, medium tannins, full bodied and long finish with a light tartness and barnyard notes... decanted for an hour.
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11/9/2018 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
Solid neck fill. Youthful color, faintest signs of bricking at the rim. Dark cherry and Port-like savory profile, touch of alcohol, faintest barnyard funk but still generally clean. Tannins and acidity are fading, leaving this a little flat and thin, with alcohol poking through more than I'd like. Medium long finish dominated by cherry and heat. Well-priced off the bottle list at Morrell Wine Bar NYC.
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10/11/2018 - NickNYC wrote: 89 Points
very good wine although a tad too aristocratic for my personal taste. probably the Montrose style that is not my favorite style in the left bank. shows tertiary aromas, structured tanins. I would love to give it 5 more years in the cellar.
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9/7/2018 - djhammond wrote: flawed
Drinkable, but unfortunately slightly corked, it is a shame. The nose is all about cedar with dark berry fruit with floral and violet undertones. The palate is well balanced but with sharp tannin, and an excellent finish. However, this was undermined by the taint of the cork throughout the drink. This is the second bottle from 1995 to be contaminated, (the other being a Las Cases), but this probably only represents 2 to 3 % of wines tried from the year. This bottle was from a case with excellent provenance, and stored well, and it seems on the young side to suffer from bottle variance. I think just bad luck.
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8/26/2018 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Slight bricking at the edge. Deep red core.
Aromatics are seductive. Red and black fruit. Ripe raspberry, dark cherry. Graphite. Leather and fresh tobacco.
On the palate this is sensational. Nice core of fruit. Loads of tannin. Acidity keeping it fresh. Devious fruit core all framed by the structure.
This is great right now but best enjoy with good. Otherwise wait another 2-3 more years and enjoy for another 15. Wow!
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8/18/2018 - Paul D Likes this wine: 95 Points
1/3, excellent cork. Decanted 1/2 hr.
Deep garnet core, pale ruby/garnet rim. Nose is developed with cedar, spice, touch of leather, old furniture. Medium bodied, quite mellow, cedar, blackcurrant - more primary than the nose, spice, resolved tannins - but still some polished wood notes, elegant, almost lean, balanced acidity, some autumnal hints, cool fruit, harmonious, extended finish. Excellent/outstanding - 11 years since last tasted and now really drinking well, indeed I would say fully mature. Next bottle - 2 years.
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6/27/2018 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 91 Points
A very good showing. I was looking for a bit more depth to merit a higher score.
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5/24/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
During a Chateau Montrose dinner with Commanderie friends. Very good showing, not as dense and creamy as the 2009 but aromatically wonderful. It really shows that Montrose is a wine that in good vintages should not be drunk before 25 years of age. The tannins here are now soft, lots of undergrowth, forest, smoke aromas join the cassis notes. Long and complex, similar to Latour in aromatics and structure, a masculine that should best be consumed with something like a steak.
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5/12/2018 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine was well received by the group; however, I found it lacking against a 2000 Leoville Barton and a 2008 Relam To Kalon. It was thinner than I would have hoped. More stringent and with some notes of green and crisp fruit. Light/medium finish.
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4/13/2018 - SonnyChiba wrote: 91 Points
Notes pretty consistent with tasting 5 years ago. A bit more development now as expected but not as good as a lot of other 95’ I’ve tried.
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3/20/2018 - Axelpeter wrote: 93 Points
(Ein CGeis Köhof) Etwas voller als der Zweitwein „LeDame de..“, viel Zeder und Teer, auch schon etwas ausgezehrt, aber gute Frucht, zunächst besser als LeDame im Flight, dann kommt LeDame nach vorn, bleibt aber unter Hauptwein...
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3/10/2018 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 92 Points
After several disappointing attempts in the past this wine is finally waking up and rewarding the long wait. But hold on to your bottles, as this fellow will further evolve over annother decade. Expressive, dense nose of cedar, ink, still fresh red fruit and tobacco. Medium to full bodied, boasting the full bordeaux show of cigar box, leather, tobacco, chocolate, licorice. Finally sticking out of the (generally disappointing) 1995 crowd.
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12/10/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Young, ripe, vigorous and pure - you feel stronger and livelier as you drink it. So dashingly Montrosian; a wall of stern but suave black fruit with cedar, stone, and white flower accents. Excellent depth and precision. Well-balanced on the palate and sufficiently long finish. This is just getting started.
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12/9/2017 - RockinCabs wrote: 91 Points
The 95 Montrose is a classic wine from the estate showing well structured blackberry, black currants, licorice, slate and hints of dark spice notes. This needs time to evolve, but I would call it early maturity right now.
Slightly strict, but better than other 95's at this level. Try now or hold in the cellar.
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11/27/2017 - djhammond wrote: 94 Points
A very typical 1995 left banker which has entered its drinking window. The nose is packed full of fruit with blackcurrent and cherry dominant. On the palate the 1995 tannins kick in, but with great depth and balance and a lengthy finish. The wine really continues to develop in the glass. In their 22nd year, the 1995's are finally starting to drink well but need a lot of aeration and will continue to improve. I personally am a great fan of the vintage and have great faith in its longevity and will look to be scoring this wine higher in the future.
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11/17/2017 - MikeATL wrote: 90 Points
Still youthful and not really showing too much at this point, but with potential.
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11/4/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Spiaggia - Chicago IL): Black fruit aromas with charming spice and cassis. Good flavors, just slightly less exciting. Good fruit, firm structure, moderate weight and length. Tough to say how/ where this will evolve.
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11/4/2017 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH Bordeaux Auction; 11/3/2017-11/4/2017 (Chicago, IL): The nose on this is stunning. Light and fresh, with beautiful red-fruited aromatics. The palate is much denser and more potent than the aromatics on the nose would imply. Very dusty and dense, with a bit of an ornery nature. A light bit of barnyard supplements the tart black fruit. A lighter wine that's approachable now. I'm not totally convinced this has the requisite fruit for further aging, but the structure certainly calls for it.
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5/22/2017 - Brandon21 wrote:
Both bottles similar with no fruit and flat. Waited too long!
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5/12/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 1+ hour. The wine improved with air. This bottle was again very good. Drink now over the next 5-7 years. 92+ pts.
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4/21/2017 - CellarBord Likes this wine: 91 Points
Was surprised at the smooth, middle intensity presentation. I expected more depth. Still a very nice wine and was very similar to the 1996 Cos D'Estournel served with the same course.
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4/20/2017 - Oddbod wrote: 92 Points
Complex nose, showing secondary development of earth and cedar. Still youthful, medium-bodied with soft tannins showing on finish. Overall not as full or as complex as I was expecting (my first Montrose) but beautifully balanced and precise with a linear fruit, freshness balance that makes it delicious.
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4/16/2017 - k H i L o Likes this wine: 93 Points
Il est à son apogée.
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3/26/2017 - assofisso wrote: 98 Points
Tasted after the 1998. Altough similar in colour this seemed younger. More fruit on the nose along with the obvious tertiary flavours. This one was still biting. Perfect wine,lovely sweet fruit,great complexity and structure.
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3/25/2017 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Tasted after the 1998. Expressive on the nose, good depth and complexity. On the palate vibrant and lively, still a bit restrained and almost austere. Decent fruit. Very elegant and long. Drink or keep. 91-93
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3/25/2017 - Livonietisr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent. Full and rich. Ready to drink.
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3/25/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has really come to life in the last year and is ready to be enjoyed. Possessing a deep nose of blackcurrent and cherry, it develops in the mouth and is balanced by resolved firm tannins. All completed with a satisfying finish. It is interesting how rapidly the tannic wall has broken down with this wine; a year ago it was barely approachable, and I wonder if this is an indication the 1995's as a whole are starting to turn a corner as this was always one of the most stubborn.
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3/23/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature and ready to drink. Decanted about 2 hours which I think this needs. Really good Bordeaux flavors - some spice, earth, cigar and tobacco and dark fruit. I very much enjoyed this and it held its own against some very good Burgs and Barolo. Dont see this getting better from here but dont see decline coming either.
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2/24/2017 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous nose leaps from the glass. Mature barnyard with secondary and tertiary flavors. Softer than the 1996. Beautiful for drinking today. Montrose vertical 1895-2000
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2/24/2017 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the surprises of the night as it's already drinking well and is very complex with the classic meaty texture of Montrose. Full and rich with more black fruits now and delicious flavors of soy, olives and dark spices. Perhaps not a long-ager but great to drink now and over the next 10 years.
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2/23/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: 91 Points
Funky and exotic nose. An approachable palate today with dry earth, light sweetness, and a long tar finish. Soft, but without substance to improve further with age. 91-
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1/24/2017 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was not a chronological vertical so this one was poured in a flight with the '12 and '08, maybe a backhanded compliment to the vintage but next to those this one makes you say, now we're talkin'. Only one of the three to show any evolution in the flavors with mushroom brothy, almost truffly character offering more than enough character to compensate for the fact that the fruit is in a shy autumnal, apply state.
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1/24/2017 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Chateau Montrose with Mr. Herve Berland (Ripple Restaurant in DC): It is WOTF for some as it is at the peak drinking window. Nicely mature classic left bank/Pauillac nose displaying plum, sweet slightly dry red fruit, also a hint of cassis, lead pencil, cedar, leather, caramel and earth. Good concentration, nicely integrated palate, warm and soft, a hint of coarse tannins and a medium to long cedar and mature red fruit driven finish. A solid Bordeaux that is drinking nicely.
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1/15/2017 - Javachip wrote: 94 Points
Allowed to breathe in bottle 6 hours, then decanted 1 hour, then re-bottled and brought to a dinner party. Tasted 10 hours after first opening. Clear deep dark garnet color. Classic bouquet of black and red currants, creme de cassis, cigar tobacco, black truffles, aromatic wood, with hints of salt marsh and mud flats. Similar on the palate, seamless, beautiful balance, full body, pleasant acidity and smooth tannic grip. Plenty of life left.
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1/13/2017 - k H i L o Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beaucoup de fruit malgré son âge. Très bon mais je l'avais surnoté la fois dernière.
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1/13/2017 - calgarywino wrote: 94 Points
This wine was fantastic. Second time this year I've had it and again did not disappoint. This wine definitely improved after being open and decanted for a couple of hours which is consistent with the first bottle. Very fresh fruit on opening that faded nicely to more earth and smoked meat notes. Certainly no rush to drink any remaining bottles and i think this wine still has a long life ahead of it.
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1/8/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not decanted. Consumed over 2 nights. Was not as good as my last bottle (2 years ago). Very good nose but it had to much acidity to score higher. 91 pts.
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12/3/2016 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
A long Sunday lunch at Noble Rot (Wellington, NZ): Lighter colour than the Cos. A more attractive, expressive bouquet of spices, blackberries, plums and tobacco leaf. On palate, I much preferred the more approachable Montrose to the Cos. It showed more initial fruit sweetness, and more resolved tannins. It was also more red fruited than the Cos, showing dry underbrush, cigar box and leather saddle flavours. Very enjoyable. Drinking well now.
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11/11/2016 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fruit dominated upon pull of the cork. This eventually faded into the cedar aroma. After a two hour decant it began to show More leather and tobacco. Wonderful wine...especially after a lengthy decant. I certainly prefer the '95 to the '96
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8/2/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Aromas of red cherry and vanilla with a steeliness in the palate and finish. This is very Cabernet dominated and, although drinking nicely now, will continue to improve and hold for years. Would recommend the wine is decanted for a good few hours at this stage
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7/9/2016 - Wine Trader Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfect cork and provenance. fennel, cedar, eucalyptus nose, moderate bricking dark rose around the rim. Drinking easy, elegant, mature, pennies, cedar, black cherry, Thai spice, raw meats, and all kinds of licorice. Really enjoying this wine, however not overly compelled to buy more. Maybe a little better than 92 points but most likely will not improve much further with age.
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6/21/2016 - k H i L o Likes this wine: 95 Points
Merveilleux! Au delà des mots...
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3/29/2016 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
See previous notes. This wine after being tight for years is now open for business.
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2/11/2016 - cliffkol wrote: flawed
almost vinegar. Not sure why. Prior bottles were good.
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1/16/2016 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dense, inky, with purple fruit, blackcurrant and cigar box. A touch alcoholic, and paled next to a 1996 Haut Bailly, but still very good. Was not better the next day, but didn't fall apart either.
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1/10/2016 - Mr T wrote:
opened side by side with the 95 for xmas and consensus view was that the 95 won that night. Details now escape me. Apologies.
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12/26/2015 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep dark colour.
Cassis and lightly cedary, pencil shavings, lightly brambly, Cabernet herbasceousness, very attractive.
Everything on the nose comes through on the palate. Relatively firm structure but not unexpected for this house, not overly fleshy but not lean either, finishes with nicely weighted tannins. Time has softened it, the fruit is dark and delicious, all round a very enjoyable Cabernet.
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11/24/2015 - AHVinoFile wrote: 90 Points
[LFW's Château Montrose Dinner with Herve Berland at Saint Crispin Restaurant, Melbourne] Quite dark color, faint purple edge. Black raspberry bouquet with hints of earth, dark plum, blackcurrant, tobacco, meat, leather, graphite, spice, underbrush & cedar. Medium plus, quite deep, moderately intense, somewhat forward, fading in glass & showing autumnal notes; an effete & shadowy shell of what was once a masculine, beefy & moderately tannic wine; a bit disappointing as the nose promised so much. Quite long, ambivalent finish, tailing off a little. (90) at its best.
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11/5/2015 - OW_SOSPEL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jolie couleur rubis tirant vers le vermillon, ocelle vermillon. Couleur profonde, brillance moyenne. Assez lourd, larmes fréquentes et rapides.
Immense nez de poivre moulu et d'herbes aromatiques laissant place à un joli mélange de myrtille et de framboise. Très beau bois de cèdre très rafraichissant. Vin épais et très rond.
Sur les framboises et myrtilles concentrées rafraichies par un mix de plantes de garrigues. Joli boisé vanillé très intégré.
Immense finale gourmande, magnifiquement tenue par des tanins présents mais très intégrés.
Une référence inégalée en Saint-Estèphe de la période Charmolüe. Un vin exempt de toute critique !
Partagé avec Laurent Jouanne le Directeur Commercial de la Société de Négoce Dubos Frères en compagnie de sa charmante compagne Cécile Fortis, critique en spiritueux au magazine Wiskymag. Une compagnie des plus recherchée !
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10/16/2015 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Early drinking window, almost mature. See previous note. Paired beautifully with braised lamb, masculine yet subtle, very well rounded and decent complexity.
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9/16/2015 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Best bottle so far, 14 months since my last bottle so for some reason this short time has softened and elevated this wine. Decanted and aerated for an hour then drank over two. Deep ruby red blackish core, very earthy nose intermixed with dark red cherries, strawberries, and leather. On the palate very fine entry, decent weight and complexity, dark red fruits, strawberries, some lead, pencil shavings and a hint of mint and spices. Good acidity, a certain nobility to the wine, medium body, tannins well integrated and almost resolved, and a decent if not flabbergasting finish. Extremely enjoyable but not sure if this wine has much more room to improve.
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9/12/2015 - TuanHH Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted from a magnum, the wine is rubis and dark. The nose is very elegant and appealing with fragrants of wild strawberries, plum, tabacco and green pepper. In blind tasting, I confused it with a margaux since all the austerity and earthy notes had disappeared, leaving infinite velvet to coat a bouquet of cherry, liquorice, tabacco, mint and game. The finish is a touch too short
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7/15/2015 - OW_SOSPEL Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jolie couleur rubis tirant vers le vermillon, ocelle vermillon. Couleur profonde, léger trouble. Assez lourd, larmes fréquentes et rapides.
Immense nez poivré (poivre fraichement moulu) et d'herbes aromatiques laissant place à la myrtille et à la framboise. Joli fond de bois de cèdre et d'eucalyptus.
Sur les framboises et myrtilles concentrées rafraichies par un mix de plantes aromatiques de garrigues. Joli boisé vanillé très intégré.
Immense finale avec grande persistance, puissante mais gourmande, tenue par des tanins fermes mais très intégrés.
Un très beau Montrose, plein de puissance et de délicatesse. Une mariée séduisante à plus d'un titre qui fête ses 20 ans !
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5/14/2015 - dchain Likes this wine: 93 Points
At last this wine is starting to show itself. Really pleasant and starting to show interesting secondary characteristics of leather and nutmeg and cedar spiceness. Open on the palate with healthy cherry infused fruit and silky tannins. Delicious and under appreciated vintage from Montrose.
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5/10/2015 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 93 Points
The 1995 Montrose offers up an impeccably classical bouquet of red and black fruit, cigar ash, rich soil tones and cedar, followed by a lovely, juicy and harmonious palate impression, with a nice core of tannin and acidity that is beginning to resolve into something very attractive. The wine is still just a little knit up behind its structuring elements, but considering that this is old-school Montrose and a comparatively rustic vintage, this is really quite refined and elegant.
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5/3/2015 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
31 Vintages of Château Montrose: 1928-2010; 5/2/2015-5/3/2015: Dark, primary fruit, bonfire and menthol. The taste is not as impressive as the nose: a little hollow/watery. The quality of the fruit is OK enough, but without depth or complexity. Others liked this better than me.
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3/6/2015 - TheDarkPrince wrote: 95 Points
CT heathens with a 91.BS score. Really?
Nose is dominated by barrel toast and graphite. Palette is precise and textured. Rich dark plums and blackberries just persist and expand. Get some!
:0)
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2/27/2015 - cliffkol wrote: 90 Points
This wine created a vision and aromas of walking through wooden doors into cellar underneath the house on a cold November evening after a heavy rain.
Flavors of barnyard floor, earth, fading blue fruits and a slight overtone of cassis. Medium body and flavors. Very good structure and length. Firm tannins. Not an exceptional wine, very nice. Could do better QPR though.
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12/31/2014 - Romol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 2+ hours. Very good wine, i liked it. Will last for many years at this Level. 92 pts.
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12/31/2014 - wineforth Likes this wine: 92 Points
After a couple of musty bottles this one was cleaner with a blackcurrant nose, soft and yet with good backbone of tannins. Slight touch of bitterness. Good body and length. Will make interesting old bones.
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11/26/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine: 94 Points
Open and ready without decanting though time will soften and bring out more nuance. Big, heady and masculine with notes of tobacco, cassis and black cherry all day. As one taster put it, this is the Bordeaux you could pour for anyone and say, "Buddy, if you don't like this, then you don't like Bordeaux."
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11/23/2014 - godx wrote: 93 Points
Drew's 40th: This is exactly what Bordeaux is to me. Classic left bank/Pauillac type notes of darker red fruits, pencil shavings, cassis and cigar box. Has presence and an authoritative profile, but it's all class. For drinking right now, this is really good but should continue to develop positively over another decade or so. Killer middle aged Bordeaux.
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10/26/2014 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
I loved this wine. Its dry, its bold, its old...But mainly I love the dryness from such an old wine. You don't get this very often...The wine still finishes young.
Hailing 1995, the wall of tannins are still errect, while the fruit is fading. While I love this wine in the present, I am not convinced by its short term future. The flavors are those of classic aged bordeaux...Lots of cedar, leaves, habana banana, and a little bit of red fruit with ample acidity disguised in the form of spiciness. Good stuff now, and over 3 to 5 years then may go back to sleep and maybe great in 15 years?
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10/25/2014 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
K&L's Grand Bordeaux Tasting (K&L Wine Merchants, Redwood City, California): Fabulous, classic Bordeaux nose! (A-/A). Interesting (excellent) palate with herbs and mushrooms (B+/B++).
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8/28/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Classy, classic, masculine, big, tannic, young and demanding more time to soften, develop and offer more complexities. Clearly, this has good structure, and the ability to age and develop, but its beefy, masculine, tobacco, cassis and firm tannic style is going to be a problem for some tasters, while fans of more classic wines might like it more than I did.
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8/26/2014 - Raycheng77 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Leather, earthy, black fruit, currant, mint, concentrate with tannin and acidity support.
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7/2/2014 - the player Likes this wine: 91 Points
Third bottle from an ex château case and I am convinced this is a wine to revisit in at least another 5 years.
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6/12/2014 - Tom Myers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened up after about an hour in the decanter. Drinking very well right now. It may hold for years but I doubt it will improve much from here.
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6/11/2014 - Tavastgatan wrote: 92 Points
@Fred_Lund: This is very Classic with slim elegance and high acidity. Perfect maturity but a long life ahead. Not a Parker wine one would guess, but Bob gave this 93 Baltimore points!
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6/10/2014 - the player Likes this wine: 92 Points
Second bottle from my case. Seems to be in a dumb phase. Deep ruby color, no bricking at the rim, nose dominated by leather, red currants, very masculine and full bodied. Although aerated after decanting for two hours, the wine remained linear and one dimensional, brawny but with excellent acidity. Like some 95s, always a doubt the fruit will emerge above the acidity, tannins, leather and earth. I had my doubts on the Pichon Baron 95s but these recently emerged beautifully. Maybe worth retrying in a few years. Decent length.
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5/30/2014 - the player Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and aerated for 2 hours and drank over another hour. Next bottle I will decant for 4 hours as this wine is still very young and requires years to attain more complexity and weight. Deep ruby red, a nose of scorched earth, cassis, currants and leather, very masculine wine, shows rustic aspect of vintage. On the palate, nice entry, slightly dusty at the outset with the fruit struggling to come out, strong acidity and dusty tannins. Finish decent but not flabbergasting. I would certainly wait on this wine but will try another bottle with proper decanting and keep the rest of my case for a few years.
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5/2/2014 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
A Night of French Wine (Chez Simo Bistro - Chicago, IL): Still very young, this should keep aging for a long time. Already the nose has lots of earthy, funky tones that I really loved. The palate definitely had a dark, smokey edge to it was deep, earthy notes on the finish. Should be a great wine with another 10-20 years.
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5/2/2014 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Chez Simo (Chicago, IL): Quite medicinal on the nose, but definitely not an over-the-top modern fruit bomb. The palate is moderately intense, and this is showing some real old-school Bordeaux character. Needs a bit more time.
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4/19/2014 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Mini-Montrose Vertical - 1973, '85, '94, '95, '96 (Nicolas Restaurant, Teck Lim Street, Singapore): Very solid. I think this was the strongest wine of the night. The 1994 was definitely drinking better, but this was clearly from the better vintage. It had the most elegantly understated bouquet of the lot, with little shades of menthol and wood spice wrapped around a core of ripe cassis and dark berries, and then little lifted floral accents and just the lightest hint of toasty oak. Very pretty. The palate was still youthful, showing some of the characteristic tightness of the 1995 vintage, but it had clearly started to shed some of that austerity to show pleasantly clear, open notes of black cherries and berries, which were lined with notes of orange peel and a touch of ferrous mineral on the midpalate. It was only at the finish that the wine tightened up noticeably, with a good amount of fine but grippy tannins and chewy acidity clamping down around the fruit, leaving a little drift of herb that brushed by the backpalate at the finish. Very solid, this was impeccably balanced and very nicely poised, with a sense of something noble about its structure to go with a lovely purity on the fruit that I thought some of the other wines lacked. However, it needs a bit more time yet - another 5-6 years more – and even then, it will always be one of those wines that needs to be, and indeed deserves to be paired with a good dish.
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3/24/2014 - wurzel68 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nase mit erdigen Aromen, leicht oxidierte Kirschfrucht, Trockenobst, Mokka, Bitterschokolade, Zeder; am Gaumen klar, gut ausbalanciert, mittlerer Körper, kräftige Säure, langer Abgang; sehr feine Tannine, leicht zehrend; insgesamt immer noch wenig Alterungszeichen
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3/2/2014 - MLipton wrote:
Initially, I was concerned that this bottle might have been slightly corked, but as it continued to open my fears were assuaged. A lovely, masculine nose of licorice and cassis was accompanied on the palate by a highly structured (but smooth) mouthfeel and some herbaceous qualities overlaying the dark fruit.
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2/8/2014 - affordableCollector wrote: 91 Points
burnt orange, hints of red, in the color. dried fruit, dark fruit, blackberry, plum, currants, earth, dust, anise, herbs, wood, light mocha, on the nose. high acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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2/8/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
K&L Bordeaux Tasting (K&L, San Francisco): Minerality, wonderful nose, blackberry, good underlying fruit; surprisingly approachable on the palate, good red fruit, integrated tannins. Good primary notes with very early secondary complexity. Ready now but with many years to develop ahead. 92+
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1/28/2014 - meqoubal36 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent vin au nez impressionnant de mûre, de cassis, de tabac et de chocolat. Même goûts au palais, cherry, fumé, épicé, corsé, avec de la complexité, de la profondeur, une bonne mâche et un assez longue finale. Vin soyeux qui mérite de vieillir et se bonifier encore...
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1/24/2014 - mark1961 Likes this wine: 85 Points
I liked however made the mistake of not letting it get to the right temp for me. Has this with. Few friends over Xmas period . I think ready to drink however interesting to see over the next few years . No food so next time with meal ....bring on the next time
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1/13/2014 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wife's birtday, so we chose a btl to ring all of our bells. And... Yay! This wine delivered :-)
Maturing, dark red w/M sediment.
Nose is grande Bordeaux with cedar, sulphuric earth, bright red fruit and appley aromas.
Palate is smoothly caressed by the perfect composition here: M acids, mild, mature M tannins and fine fruit. Small glitch on mid-palate and not as complex as we wished for in dreamland. But what a fantastic wine! Still has more to give.
We had also expected a tannic bite, but those teeth were elsewhere.
Final btl, really wish we had more...
At great Restaurant Tani in Gaienmae (Tokyo).
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1/1/2014 - UTPK wrote:
Classic nose of cedar tree and green bell pepper, thyme etc. Typical 95 with tight fruit and lean expression, however open and juicy with good length. The St.Estephe clay giving tannins and earthy taste profile is clearly discernable.
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12/12/2013 - RayOB wrote: 91 Points
Drank in London
Fully mature with wonderfully integrated tannins. Lovely left bank.
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11/19/2013 - Blair Curtis wrote: 92 Points
Very tight wine - a baby yet - but showing lots of potential. In fact, this was served in flight with the sublime 1989 Montrose, and all tasters noted a similar thread running through those 2 wines. I'd call this one the little brother, not just in terms of age, but also stature. I think the 1989 will always be superior and a bit more refined, but the 1995 has a lot going for it. Probably needs 10 more years to begin strutting its stuff. This was enjoyable with a meaty, rich meal, but I'd suggest patience if you have bottles. It is not giving all it will offer yet.
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9/20/2013 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Hands off. It's full-bodied and fleshy, but it's cast in concrete. Tough to drink now.
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9/13/2013 - steinersing wrote: 92 Points
Graphite, medium-bodied, well balanced. Lots of sediment: Better decant.
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9/12/2013 - Jeffrey Silver wrote: 95 Points
The wine looks Crimson colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Cherry, Apple, Mineral. It tastes like Fig, and Apple. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Polished texture. This wine finishes Long. It is truly benefited by 2.5hrs Decanting
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9/8/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: Malbec (current releases) (Augie's): Notes of black currant, plum, leather, florals and earth. Loands of black fruit and leather on the palate, with earth and tobacco undertones. Medium tannins; balanced. Long finish. 92-93 pts on this day.
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8/30/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
Very elegant and drinking nicely now. Pungent nose with red fruit, licorice, a bit of minerality and medicinal notes. Nice texture and mid palate - burst of ripe fruits, decent structure, soft tannins that feel well integrated. The finish was really nice and lengthy. Overall, not a blockbuster wine, but tasty, and seems to be in good place right now for my liking.
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8/21/2013 - Vintomas wrote: 93 Points
White Burgundy and red Bordeaux from Roberson Wine (Stockholm): Nose with dark berries, discrete tar and smoke notes, mild spice, developed notes with barnyard, complex and elegant. Medium bodied++, good concentration, sweetness of fruit but at the same time a dry palate with stony mineral notes, medium+ tannins, very elegant in a firm style. A very classical left bank Bordeaux ready to drink. Rather developed, can take more cellaring, 93 p
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7/24/2013 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Montose Dinner (89, 90, 95, 96, 99, 00, 01, 05) Plus Others: The color is a very dark red. The nose offers a stern but splendid blend of dark fruit, leather, and mineral. The taste is dominated by dark fruit and mineral. This is starting to open up but still needs (I suspect) many more years in the cellar to show at peak.
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7/23/2013 - BradKNYC wrote:
Bordeaux, Burgs and Piedmont as Barry Lipton visits NYC. (Il Corso.): I've found most of the '95s I've had recently still rather hard and in need of more time, but I'd seen reports that this was drinking surprisingly well, so I figured it was time to check up on it. It shows a classic Bordeaux nose of black cherry, currants, cedar, light smoke notes, herbs and earth. On the palate it's surprisingly lush and fruit forward at the get go. There's a thickness in texture and a rich, sweet and friendly quality to the red fruit that's delicious, but there's also a powerful back end to the wine that sports some firm tannins that grew in prominence as the evening wore on and picked up more of an herb character. Still on the upswing, imo. Doesn't quite have the depth of the '89 or '90, but this is a terrific wine. Solid A-.
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7/20/2013 - mclanew wrote: 91 Points
Black fruits, licorice, herbs. Sexy and full bodied. Drinking well now. Opens fairly quickly. May not be built to last as long as a typical montrose.
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7/9/2013 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux 1982-1900-2000 tasting (The Traklin Wine-Bistro): Dark red-purple;
creamy, ripe, cigar, leather;
open, fairly fruit forward, nobility, softer tannin, surprisingly open;
an enjoyable St. Estephe.
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7/3/2013 - Kriz wrote: 90 Points
Château Montrose / Tronquoy-Lalande tasting; 7/2/2013-7/3/2013 (Ciel Bleu (**) Amsterdam Okura hotel): In a line-up with Montrose '00 '10 '09 it's hard for a 1995... Passed it's peak. Everything integrated and ready to drink.
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5/25/2013 - Rezy13 wrote: 91 Points
Dark carmine; creamy, ripe, cigar, leather; open, fairly fruit forward, nobility, softer tannin, surprisingly open; couldn't believe this was Montrose even though we were all on St. Estephe.
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5/2/2013 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
medium red, lovely old nose & a palate to match, old Bordeaux rocks!
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4/18/2013 - MGrange wrote: 93 Points
An elegance I have found in other 95 Bordeaux. For me the wine wasn't ready though and would love to try it agin in 10 years time.
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2/28/2013 - Papies wrote: flawed
Corked unfortunately
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2/22/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 92 Points
deep, rich, a little unyielding right now but promises good stuff to come.
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2/18/2013 - eudora Likes this wine: 96 Points
At age 18 (like my son) has matured beautifully. I have enjoyed this wine almost annually for ten years. It continues to evolve and deepen. The tannins have softened, which allowed the dark fruit and cassis qualities to come to the front. Tobacco and tar qualities still there. Magnificent.
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12/8/2012 - thebeginner wrote: 93 Points
A classic St Etephe, a classic bordeaux that is always reliable but doesnt blow your socks off as our friend ilee puts it. Med ruby, caramel and vanilla with energetic red cherry and plum on the nose. Medium body, medium acidity, and medium plus length. The edges are rounded with 17 years under its belt. Good underlying structure. This is a lovely and predictable wine.
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10/31/2012 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lightweight body. Sophisticated. Very elegant. Evolved significantly after 2 hours of aeration. He combined very well with the first dish: lamb with herbs, but was shot down by the second dish: Fillet at Poivre, very spicy for a wine so elegant. Drunk on Freddy restaurant in São Paulo - Brazil
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10/28/2012 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux (Levain, Mpls): Purple red color. Decanted for 3 hours. Drank 1+ glass over 2 hours. This has a nice nose, earthy, developing some perfume over30 minutes, cassis, cedar, graphite, oak. The palate is full bodied, inky, cassis, blackberry, graphite, minerals, firm tannins that round further in the glass. This got considerably better over the first 30-60 minutes. Very nice.
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9/30/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful, a bit dusty/locked bouquet with cassis and beautiful oak. On the palate dark fruits and still some rigid tannin. A beautiful and complex wine, but I think that after a few more years in the bottle it will show more of its finesse. 92++ for tonight. Try again around 2018
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9/23/2012 - pavel_p wrote: 90 Points
Bottle in excellent condition with fill high in the neck and a barely stained cork. Poured into decanter and followed over almost 5 hours. Garnet with a slightly bricking rim. In the first 2.5h hours this wine resembles more a Bdx from '85 than '95: initially barnyard on the nose then plenty of cedar and a smooth palate with a sweet leather taste and no noticeable tannins. Tastes like all the fruit is gone and this has indeed nowhere to go from here (as the comment below implies), then after 2.5h waiting you start to get an increasing amount of dark fruit and also some tannins on the palate. Also a fine and well balanced nose. The finish remains however a bit on the short side throughout the 5h. Prefer the '01 Montrose I had the other day.
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9/22/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 92 Points
Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Classic and cool. Balsamic notes, gloomy and serious. Wonderful, complex wine, somewhat clipped finish. Slightly inconspicuous in this line-up, but probably outstanding on its own. 18/20
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9/20/2012 - rossi.wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very typical nose, nicely balanced, good fruit, complex, rather long
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9/14/2012 - Winevestor wrote: 88 Points
Big disappointment. Earth and green pepper on the nose. Thin in the mouth, most of the fruit gone, this is at the end of the road. The bottle looked in good condition, but this should have tasted better - I'm wondering if this was badly stored.
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9/6/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bonhams Pre-Auction Tasting (Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco, California): Bricking medium red violet color; appealing, currant, dried currant, cedar nose; mature, tart currant, cedar palate; medium-plus finish
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8/23/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at Stephanie's
Classic old school Bordeaux with a nose of blackcurrant, leather, earth and forest floor. Smooth mouth if a little bit thin. Medium length.
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7/15/2012 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
Bdx and Pizza (1201 Avenue B): from 375ml. Peppery nose, with a little green pepper and leather. Palate still has some steely, if polished tannins that are still prominent. Some herbal leafiness on the finish, a little earth. This is well made, if a little “stately” and “boring”. Still needs some time.
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5/14/2012 - Ben Paquet wrote: 92 Points
Drank alongside Canard confit and its magret with Orange and Honey sauce.
Decanted for 2 hours.
Nose: Wow, this is intoxicating. I could smell the violette and cedar going out of the bottle 10 feet away from it. Its all about finesse in this 17 years old Montrose. delicate cassis and cherry notes as well as nice bouquet of Violette and cedar.
Palate: This is clearly an old school Bordeaux. Old leather, cedar, pencil shavings comes in first but then cherry,violette and earth fills up your palate with finesse. The tannins were completely resolved but the acidity carried this wine over.
Beautilful wine but I was left out wanting a little more power from Montrose. Maybe its the vintage (my second experience with 1995). Its a great wine nonetheless.
92
Voila !
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4/25/2012 - Border Boss wrote: 90 Points
Montrose Flight - 1982, 1989, 1990, 1995 (Kendall College - Chicago): Dark in color with a leather nose that shows the Montrose lineage. Very ripe and fruit forward with some noticeably acidity, almost California Cab-like. The tannins were resolving, making it an easy to drink wine. It's good now, but it's still young so I'll qualify my comments on it's ageability. As of now, I think it's got another 20 year of good drinking on it, perhaps a bit less. Still pretty good, but short-lived compared to the 1989/1990.
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4/12/2012 - whits wrote: 91 Points
pretty little nose of cedar and mashed cherries, the clean palate is superbly balanced showing old-school leather, black tea, dark cherry, red currants and clean earth, some minerals on the finish, elegant, achieves distinction of place and does it with finesse, very dry style
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3/29/2012 - Kemo Sabe wrote: 91 Points
Drank at a restaurant and not a ton of notes. Would have to think this is past its prime but it was still a pretty good bottle. Needs 30-45 mins of air. I popped and poured - first scents were a little off, glue-like but some hints of cherry, charcoal, moderate spice. Starting to get a little brown around the edges of the glass. Half way thorugh dinner its opening up nicely and going well with some pasta. Still a good experience but this has seen its time. Drink now.
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3/7/2012 - tbabes wrote: 86 Points
The fill was well into the neck and the cork was sound; this bottle looked like it had just come off the filling line! Opened (but not decanted) about an hour before service. A blackish purple core with no signs of age. Rather subdued on the nose, with notes of eucalyptus, dried black fruits and earth. Hard as nails on the palate, with loads of tannin and plenty of grip and structure on the finish. I didn't care for this at all. Really this was quite austere, with little in terms of texture or pleasure. Revisit in 10 years?
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2/3/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 89 Points
From 375. Maturing disc. Developed nose, very black fruited and oaky with a distinctly briny/iodine note. Interesting at least, if not a style I'm fond of. Alas, the palate doesn't follow through as well; the fruit here is surprisingly dilute and the briny notes predominate. In fact it's rather flat. Drying tannins, broad shouldered, but seemingly flabby. An odd bottle.
With three hours' air in the decanter, the wine really turns around. Loses most of that iodine character on the nose and the palate. Puts on a lot of weight - not as flimsy as it was on opening. I haven't seen a wine turn around this dramatically before, going from really unappealing to rather good. Odd.
3+
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11/7/2011 - pmarsland wrote: 91 Points
Very interesting bottle. Still garnet on the rim, with no brown hints as of yet. I can't recall a wine with an aroma that changed so much after half an hour in the glass. Relatively tight initially, but, after reading previous comments here (thanks, Karel!), we largely waited to see if it would open out, and it didn't let us down. An enticing, plummy nose emerged, with other notes that spoke of well-made claret. The palate was ok, but lacking a little stuffing, but, after that, the unexpectedly long finish more than made up for that. So overall, very enjoyable, and well worth the wait. Kept a little in the glass overnight and it mellowed but didn't exactly explode with flavours. Will keep the rest of the case a few more years, I think, though I'd predict that it'll probably not get more than a point or at most two higher, for me.
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10/19/2011 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Seepage/corked. Seemed like good fruit underneath but flawed enough it was hard to tell.
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9/22/2011 - roquenroell wrote: 91 Points
Slightly backward and have to confess I did not let it settle in decanter for long enough. Nose gave hints of soil, blackberry and a touch of leather, err and soy sauce..? Lots of power to be unleashed given the structure and tannins but still young, fresh and taught. The wine finally relaxed after 2 hours. I would be leaving it to develop for 2+years. This bottle was paired with wood pigeon.
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9/1/2011 - Wine_lvr wrote: 92 Points
Montrose Vertical Tasting 1989 - 2005 (Work in Progress) (Switzerland): Note to follow soon
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8/22/2011 - AN Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the best mature bordeauxs tasted. This one - during Montrose dinner with FRW in London, Texture restaurant. A gorgeous wine - full of ripe elegant fruit, tertiary aromas, old wood and blackcurrant. Very long, concentrated, but never exhausting. Cheers!
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7/23/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 87 Points
1995 Bordeaux Retrospect: Alcohol :: 12.5%
Tight on the nose with hint of earth, leather and blackberry. Equally backward on the palate, mouth coating tannin and structured dominated on the palate, very powerful but fresh and well balance with the underlying sweetness. This wine is driven by its sheer power that leads to long long grippy, tannic finish with mineral. Need times. 87-89
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6/26/2011 - Jbray wrote:
Decanted and poured back in and left for 7 hrs.
Nice ruby core to rim.
Nose shows pepper (green), cedar, spice with a hint of leather.
Palate shows great balance, length and focus with integrated fruit/tannin/acid without being weighty.
While not a wow wine for me certainly a great example of Bordeaux.
Maybe another 5 years on these.
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4/13/2011 - cliffkol wrote: 90 Points
A good wine, not exceptional. Can do better for price and value.
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3/21/2011 - rwstorer wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of toast, caramel, chocolate and dried salty meats. Incrdible! Flavors of closed black fruits, truffles and possibly some violets. Its a shame as this is really tight and none of the fruit comes out.
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3/3/2011 - Le Vin wrote: 89 Points
Not very impressed given expectations. Flatish
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3/1/2011 - mukden wrote: 92 Points
YES. Still young, does not seem 16 years old at all. Deep dark purple, some good brambly fruit and some secondary aroma developing. If you have some I would leave it another few years. The tannins have not completely softened though you can tell it is a really good wine. Still a pleasant drink at this point. But, young...young is the overall impression.
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2/17/2011 - Ary wrote: 88 Points
At Rest Beddington AMS Blind tasting Montrose (1982,1990,1995 and 2003). Doesn't show much in the nose, bit numb. Elegant in the mouth but drying on the palate. In style more like an 1988. Won't get any better anymore. Not sure if this was a good bottle.
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1/4/2011 - dd wrote:
excellent
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12/3/2010 - DVHK wrote:
Intense dark color. On the nose, dark fruit, mainly cherry. Very enjoyable wine.
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11/13/2010 - chatters wrote:
Berry Bros & Rudd - One Day Bordeaux School (Berry Bros, London): Nose: Blackberry and currant, leather, tobacco, spice and cherry. Slightly herbal and touches of funky farmyard
Mouth: Blackfruit, vanilla, medium to high acid and tannin. Very fruity, very, very nice. Long, leathery finish. Wonderful.
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10/15/2010 - oliverz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bouquet - coffee and jam
good balance of fruit and tannin
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9/21/2010 - BradE wrote:
A decent drink, but not memorable.
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8/7/2010 - psmith wrote:
Meaty but pure, clean dark fruits for Montrose. Medium bodied. Still very youthful with dark flavors and hard, abundant tannins. Needs time, but promising.
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6/26/2010 - bubbachumps wrote: 88 Points
Aged Bordeaux, Champagne, Chef Toby Joseph and a few miscellaneous wines (Casa Covolo): The most tiresome nose of the evening. I think this wine suffered from poor storage because like the LB the capsule would not spin on this bottle and the cork showed some seepage. On the nose, caramel and some herbal earth. In the mouth some charming fruit that belied its nose. At the end of the evening the wine displayed some enjoyable tartness if that makes sense.
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5/18/2010 - Niagara wrote: 90 Points
A little wimpy, this bottle. Not really a match for the lamb chops.
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4/4/2010 - juggernt wrote: 94 Points
Remarkable, remarkable wine. St. Estephe has long been a favorite region, and this one delivered the goods. Beautiful aromas of dark fruit, cedar, and light barnyard. Great glycerin mouthfeel, positively coating the palate. Dark, rich black fruits and autumnal spices. Moderate to long finish with vanilla highlights. Glad I had this now and even happier that I have more.
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3/8/2010 - cliffkol wrote: 92 Points
Soft nose of dark berries with a touch of earth. Decanted three hours. Still firm tannins. During the next hour became softer with flavors of currant, dark berries and an undertone of sweetness. Nothing overwhelming and seems to just miss the depth I would have expected. Very long and tasty finish. (Jonathon-Sok)
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1/22/2010 - SenorTJ wrote: 90 Points
Really pleasantly surprised. Chocolate, cedar and whole lot of other things going on here. Dry, nice tannins, yet bursts of fruit. Really a nice complex wine that went perfectly with coq au vin.
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1/16/2010 - Niagara wrote: 93 Points
Great with lamb chops.
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1/15/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: flawed
Shut down, no fruit, dry tannins. Just didn't seem right. Probably corked.
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12/31/2009 - Winevestor wrote: 93 Points
Drank as a comparison to the same year Tertre Roteboeuf (St Emilion). Very interesting match and a good way of seeing left bank v. right bank. Good structure and black fruit (blackberry), holding up well. The Roteboeuf was more hedonistic, but the Montrose had the structure and was better with food.
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12/4/2009 - wa2ofd wrote:
This wine is still tight, once decanted for awhile it begins to open up...no rush to drink these too quickly
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11/29/2009 - Miceri wrote: 94 Points
Tasted with Cos '95. I found it better, but others liked the Cos better. Very similar though. Montrose dark red slightly roasted colour, orange in the hue. Nose of ripe sunberries and a little barnyard. Soft, mellow, melting in mouth, slight hint of tannin, nice fruity taste; very long and pleasant aftertaste. Good, but lacking a last bit of zest.
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11/26/2009 - Blair Curtis wrote: 93 Points
An excellent Bordeaux, but outclassed by the '95 Cos that was also on the table. This wine had some definite cheesy funk at first. It did change quite a bit for the better over the course of the evening - promising! No need to rush on these at all. If you like the Montrose style, this one will please you. It is typical, and would likely make an easier guess in a blind tasting. Good strong tannins still. Nice finish. Not overdone in the least.
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10/19/2009 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Last glasses of a bottle opened yesterday. Notes of blackberry and currant, with a touch of underbrush and a definite brett streak underneath. Subtle minty/licorice quality as well. Flavors of dark fruit and iodine. Lacking a bit in the midpalate, a bit hollow, and finishes somewhat short.
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10/18/2009 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Our house): Garnet color. Notes of eucalyptus, tobacco, black fruit and underbrush. Good acidity on the palate, with flavors of red fruit, currants and plum, with herbs on the finish. Got better with air. 90-92 pts.
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9/13/2009 - Tree512 wrote: 93 Points
Great balance, loads of fruit and ripe tannins. Very long and persistent, not complex yet but at the beginning of its plateau of maturity. Will age for decades but drinks well now.
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8/18/2009 - MRichman wrote:
Montrose vertical (Dylan Prime, NYC): Full Flavored and fresh, punchy, bright. Still a few years off from entering peak, but is showing fine. Very nice. Some sweetness in it's lower flavor range.
B++
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3/29/2009 - GSW wrote: 89 Points
Decanted, but not for a long time. Dark purple in colour. A subdued nose of dark fruits and smoke that perhaps strenghtened as time passed. Quite structured on the palate with more prominent tannin than I expected from a '95 vintage. Would seem to have a good life ahead of it though I am not sure it will "improve" per se. Recommend a longer decant for the next bottle.
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1/25/2009 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful mature and complex bouquet with cassis and pleasant oak. A lot of good ripe cassis juice and surprisingly open already. Has still enough good tannin for some years, but not drinking/trying it now could be a waste. Great stuff!
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1/20/2009 - beachbum wrote: 92 Points
Montrose Vertical Blind
decanted 1 hour
slightly lighter than the 89 but the same profile
stones and earth, twinkling and expresive nose that I have always associated with montrose
tobacco
just not quite the weight of the 89, but really balanced yummy claret that I should have in my cellar
darn fine!
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12/30/2008 - choule wrote: 85 Points
Underwhelming. Dry, leathery, green and bitter. Where's the joy.
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12/7/2008 - Barbalax wrote: 91 Points
It starts off with a pure Cabernet Franc nose of grass, dried herbs and green peppers. Not really my style, and I am very dissappointed. After 2 hours in the decanter magic things start to happen. Nice cedarwood, refined cassis and some oriental spices! Needs long decanting, and has probably 10-20 years left at the top. Not overwhelming, but very interesting. "Nervous vine"
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12/6/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Decanted a few hours before serving. The color is a dark purple. The nose gives a nice blend of dark fruit, leather, and mineral. Really excellent. The taste is dominated by dark fruit, prunes, and mineral. This is still extremely tannic but not enough to obscure the flavors. Paired particularly well with the New York strip topped with caramelized scallions and red wine jus.
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12/6/2008 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Unreal. Ethereal. Beautiful black color.
Nose of coffee, mocha and a touch of funk (the good Bordeaux kind).
Palate reveals fine grained integrated tannins. Showing great, but loads of fruit, acidity and tannins to roll on for years.
Incredibly youthful.
Amazing wine.
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11/21/2008 - MauriceE wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for one hour+. Deep purple, very dense. Red fruit, very deep smell and taste. Excellent.
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9/19/2008 - PatrikO wrote: 90 Points
This wine does not give much away at the moment, a very tannic wine that seems to youn g to drink now, after wa while in the glass you can tell that there is some substance, but it not nearly as good as the more elegant and fruity 2001, which I had the other day. Leave the -95 in the cellar for a while longer.
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9/12/2008 - Paul D wrote:
UK Wine Pages - Chateau Montrose Vertical (Le Colombier, Kensington, London.): Closed on the nose. Some cassis fruit, savoury, beefy notes. Shut down quite hard on the palate but with decent underlying depth of red-toned fruit, firm finish. Needs at least 3 more years. **(**)
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7/19/2008 - the godfather wrote: 94 Points
Montrose is always the most interesting and pleasing bourdeaux for me and this is no exception, of course it has a long life ahead of it. just fantastic
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7/9/2008 - Siggy wrote: 93 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Bordeaux (Fugaise, Minneapolis): Second time I've tasted this. This was initially open for business but shut down hard after an hour or so in the glass. Great nose of smoky black fruit. Classic flavor profile: crushed dark berries, coffee, pencil lead, vitamin, and fresh chopped herbs. Ripe but formidable tannins. Better than the bottle I tasted last summer, and still in need of 5+ more years.
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2/25/2008 - PatrikO wrote: 92 Points
Needs more time in the cellar.
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2/20/2008 - balassis wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured in the decanter for a few minutes and then into the glasses.
Needs filtering because of sediments in the bottle.
Wonderfull and very expressive nose plenty of violets, black fruits, licorice, oaky vanilla and a (pleasant) touch of nail polish.
Medium to full-bodied with flavors of coffee, black currants, green pepper and vanilla. Melted tannins.
A wine on its apogee.
Mature, but should be kept for at least a decade.
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11/19/2007 - Art_Vandelay wrote: 87 Points
Blackcurrant chewits, sweet vanilla, toasted cedar and slightly pruney notes on the nose. Full-bodied and dense with powerful, grippy tannins. Lacks the purity and definition of the 1996. Fruit is a bit muted at the moment. Hold until 2012.
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8/7/2007 - Siggy wrote: 91 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Steaks & Montrose (Dave's House): This was very closed and stern immediately upon opening (no surprise), and gradually unfolded over the next 2-3 hours. Blackberry fruit and coffee. Intriguing earth and mineral flavors. Medium weight; still very tannic. Seems promising. I don't expect this to rival the 86, 89, or 90 (the tannins aren't as smooth or ripe), but it should be very tasty in 5-10 years.
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8/7/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Another Tuesday Night in Minneapolis (Montrose 82, 86, 89, 90, 95, 01, 03, 04): Decanted about one hour before serving. The color is a dark purple. The nose is a little reserved, but offers a nice blend of dark fruit, leather, and mineral. Excellent. One taste reveals a much younger wine than either of its drinking partners. The taste is dominated by dark fruit, prunes, and mineral. This is extremely tannic -- the tannins obscure the otherwise excellent flavor from mid-palate through the finish. This needs many more years in the cellar, but should prove to be very good.
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7/13/2007 - dd wrote:
outstanding i will now leave alone for a while
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6/15/2007 - SimonG wrote:
Double decanted and recorked four hours before tasting. Quite a deep colour, nose initially slightly muted and cheesey, opens up to a nice nose, not the typically Medocian cassis and pencil lead variety but more mineraly and wet stone with hints of tobacco. Quite high acidity. Over three hours or so all sorts of flavours and scents come and go including an unpleasant interlude of amonia-like ripe brie which, fortunately, goes again. Towards the end of drinking it really fleshed out and became very mellow and smooth with lovely balance and good length hinting at requiring a good few years further cellaring, but then thinned and became a little more acidic over the final sips. Not sure about this. Enjoyable and interesting, and gut feel says age this another 5 to 10 years, but probably check in on it every 18moths or so if you have a few bottles. Good and quite challenging but not a great claret.
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5/13/2007 - DaveF wrote:
Still purple color. After about an hour in the glass, really started opening up. Black fruits, leather, and roasted espresso notes. Everything is well integrated with lots of life left.Opened for Mothers Day. Saving my last bottle for several more years.
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5/5/2007 - catleaper wrote: 96 Points
Superb St.-Estephe. Depth, roundness, balance -- wonderful. Consumed at retirement celebration.
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3/10/2007 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
Early Mar 2007 a 0.375 L bottle at a restaurant: crimson red color; classic Claret nose; round on the palate; medium body.
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2/18/2007 - DLT wrote: 91 Points
Solid wine. Color starting to move to red, but still mostly purple. Nose a bit muted, with plum, leather, cedar and little mint. Nicely balanced on the palate, with cherry, cassis, cedar balanced with some acidity, with well-integrated tannins that show up notably on the medium length finish. A little hollow on the mid-palate. Drinking well now - opens up with some air and definitely has a lot more time left.
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11/14/2006 - Colonel Lawrence wrote: 92 Points
Farr Xmas Tasting (Vintners Hall EC4).
Dark, clean colour - looked drinkable.
Modest nose - some fruit, a little wood.
Round mouth filling flavour, but with a little hollowness following (perhaps I missed the tannin?)
Perfect to drink now - I don't believe it will get much better.
A lovely drink, not the fruit of the '03 Pavie, nor the class of the '96 Pichon Baron - but for today a great drink.
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11/4/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Very dark purple color. The nose is a little reserved, but is distinctly Montrose -- dark fruit, leather, and mineral. I can never get enough of this smell. The taste is compact giving dark fruit, prunes, mineral, and a subtle chocolate flavor. This is an excellent wine that has not quite entered its prime drinking window. I'll wait 3-5 years before trying again.
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9/2/2006 - jkoenen wrote: 88 Points
Bordeaux 94/95 @ Peter V. (Netherlands): Pretty and elegant, which surprised me when I saw the bottle. Black cherreis, cassis, rusty iron, some alcohol in the finish. Strikingly forward and open. 16.5/20
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9/2/2006 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Occasional tasting group: Top Bordeaux 1994 & 1995 plus a few extra's. (@ PVa): In the bouquet barnyard and an impression of metal. The taste is creamy, juicy with a lot of berries and other fruits like cherries. A fair amount of acidity and a little sweetness.
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9/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Lovely classicly proportioned big bold bordeaux. Showing great black fruit with nice complexity. Probably at the very front of its drinking window with some decanting. 9/06
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6/8/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 91 Points
1995 Bordeaux Tasting - Uncorked (Uncorked, London): Dense plummy fruit nose, massivly structured, very big grippy tannin but well balanced, I wonder how long before the tannin softens? Not close to being ready, will be special though. 12.5%
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3/28/2006 - beachbum wrote: 91 Points
Toronto Offline at Reds with Ian Darshan Cauble: Alongside the 1996, this was a real treat. It was much bigger and darker than the Paulliacs - quite stern but with atwinkle in the nose that I recall from the vintages in the 80's. Charming cedar and froest floor nose. Dense fruit, still very tannic and clamped down well. Needs lots of time.
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3/12/2006 - wcork wrote: 93 Points
Needs more time......Great nose ,but very closed.............
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2/25/2006 - Arcturus wrote: 89 Points
I am on the fence. After 2 hours the wine opened up nicely, a beautiful fragrant floral nose, the wine had a soft mouthfeel that hung on a firm tannin structure- blackcherry, vanilla and currant flavors. Everything seemed perfect but the finish fell a bit short, it did not wrap up the package like I expected. I will have to give it another try. 89-92
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2/24/2006 - dd wrote:
great wine needs a little time to open up classic bdeaux
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3/28/2005 - JD80 wrote:
Great dark purple color. Attractive nose. Still somewhat restrained after decanting for an hour. Enjoyable but young
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3/22/2005 - hcampana wrote: 91 Points
The 3 Tenors of Saint Estephe (Calon, Cos & Montrose): 1982, 1990, 1995, 1996 & 2000 (New York City, NY): Wine No. 2 (1995 Montrose)
Very dark ruby, this was the darkest wine in the flight. Muted nose of black cherries and vanilla. Very full bodied and very tannic with some heat in the finish which was long. I correctly picked the Montrose. 91+ points . This wine received five 1st place votes.
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10/15/2004 - thebonnydooner wrote: 93 Points
Very dark and young. Deep dark cherry purple centre and very young robe/rim. Still a little unyielding on the nose, but there is intense blackberry and blackcurrant fruit there - very enticing, so deep and dark. Tastes like a dream - still very young with plenty of power and reserves of tannin - but with delcious smooth and ripe currant and blackberry fruit. Great long finish which went beautifully with a ribeye steak.
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10/1/2004 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby. Blackcurrant and burnt rubber on the nose. Tight and backward, with good underlying fruit, dry tannins and medium length. Promising, will probably open up and become more seductive with time.
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7/6/2004 - MRichman wrote:
Dark purple, almost black color. Mocha, deep, plum nose.
Chocolatey but fruity rich, earthy Bordeaux. Some nice minty herbal qualities but mostly deep & earthy. Very smooth. Wonderful fine Bordeaux. Not too young, but lots of years left. Distinguished.
B++
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3/26/2004 - KeyMaster wrote: 87 Points
Très bon. Potentiel pour vieillir encore jusqu’à 5 à 6 ans. Laisser respirer en caraffe 3 heures.
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12/16/2000 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
An easy afternoon with close friends; Bordeaux 1995 (@ JJ): Sweet bouquet. Different than the other wines of this evening. Spicy, high almost Italian like acidity, complex juice. This wine definitely needs more time in the bottle. (And will probably gain points)
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12/13/1998 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Enormous; concentrated black fruits (especially black currants) and beautiful oak. When all integrates this will be a beauty.
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3/12/1998 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
1995 Vintage Bordeaux Tasting (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nice showy nose, fruit forward as evening went on, pleasant taste, long finish.
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