First of three from auction, pristine cork. Decanted off moderate sediment. black fruit, black cherry, cedar, and lots of graphite and wet gravel. Medium bodied, medium+ acidity and chewy tannins. Early maturity, drinking well now with minimal decant. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I love this vintage of Montrose. It is a beautiful claret that is singing right now. While it will benefit from a decant, it is drinking wonderfully straight out of the bottle. This is a classic Bordeaux that does not disappoint. Wonderful.
Another 2004 horizontal (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Bonus glass from the other table. In contrast to the VCC, this bottle was clearly correct, thus convincing me that the one I tried a couple of weeks ago was indeed faulty. Forest fruits and oak on the nose. Really lovely on the palate, with oodles of red fruit and plenty of framing structure and tannin - another 10 or more years of pleasure to come from these, I'd say.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Jonathan’s 2004 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): This again has lovely, pure, almost noble blackcurrant fruit on the nose, as sense of smoke and mineral too, cedar. Quite youthful. Medium/full bodied, dark fruit, cedary, fresh acids with some grippy tannin still on the good length finish. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 2 (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Spot on, a far better bottle than in March, less austere and more pliant, without the hint of greenness that some thought was present. This is nicely open, with rich and deep seam of dark blue cool fruit, very moreish indeed. After the last bottle I wasn't sure this could ever deliver but this is emminently drinkable whilst staying on the side of straight-laced. Delicious. My #2 WOTN.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Jonathan's 2004 Bordeaux Check In (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London, UK): Smoky, rich mulled wine syrup nose with cinnamon and star anise. With air some blueberry coulis some salty caper. With air hints of Madeira treacle cake and suggestion of wilted tart, sand under ripe red fruits that reminds me of rhubarb. Classy and by a whisker my wine of the night.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2004 Bordeaux at Blacklock, City, with NLWTS (Blacklock, City): Cool nose, bit green, pretty elevated. A spectre of some (minor) TCA? Palate follows suite. Very drinkable. In a good place in terms of weight and development; good concentration still. Tiny bit short on the finish and the aforementioned greenness would be the only criticism I could level.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 1 (Blacklock City): Deep and dark. Initially quite closed on the nose, however it is fruitier on the palate, fine acidity and some salty tangy notes. Whilst this never strays far from austerity, a good swish and a bit of time does allow it to unclench a bit, show a few curves amongst the straight lines. I found it more exciting that the Calon-Segur it was paired with, but it’s still rather foursquare and not very pliant. Needs more time basically, though doubt it will ever truly blossom! We started these before food arrived, which I suppose is objectively best, but food improved this and the Calon dramatically.
Jonathan's 2004 horizontal (Blacklock City): Didn't show as well as a bottle a year ago, and I wonder if the green, leafy nose was in fact evidence of TCA (although no-one else mentioned it, and I decided to stay quiet). Juicy but slightly chewy on the palate, with more tannin with air, a saline estuarine quality and fruity but clipped finish. As with the Calon, better with food.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good purity of blackcurrant, fragrant cedar, herbaceous and undergrowth on the nose. Palate is smooth and polished. Good elegance on a medium-bodied structure. Nice length. Finish is persistent and minerals. Ready to drink now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux 2004 - 20 Years On - 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted. Observations: 1) 2004 is a mediocre vintage overall, with many pleasant wines, but without the depth of better years. 2) At the top, the vintage produced some classic, old-school wines with lots of freshness and fresh fruit. 3) At the lower end, many wines lacked fruit and ripe tannins, resulting in some astringent and slightly drying wines. 4) An alarming number of Right Bank wines (5 out of 16, no Left Bank wine) were oxidized, including some heavyweights like Petrus, Evangile or Figeac. An unacceptably high proportion of faulty wines. 5) I’m not sure that the 2004 are currently in a good phase, many of my scores were lower than in previous tastings. The question is if it’s just a weaker phase or the beginning of the end. 6) At the top and the only wine >95pts was a layered Le Pin (rated 96pts), with a charming Vieux Chateau Certan, a surprising Issan and Clos l'Eglise, as well as an elegant Lafite sharing second place (all rated 94pts).
TN: Late in the tasting, I didn’t take detailed notes anymore. Muted on the nose and palate at first, the wine opened up nicely on the palate with a bit of air. Lots of fresh red berries took the centre stage, framed by minerality, herbal and earthy notes. Good structural frame. I guess with the right amount of air, this could be even better.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Glass: Riedel Sommeliere Bordeaux Popped and poured, drunk over two days. Clear, deep ruby color. Clean, mdeium+ intense, developling nise. Fine oak, red fruit, green pepper, spices, cassis, menthol, herbs. Fresh, complex and deep. Dry, medium+ ripe acidity, medium+, ripe tannin. Lots of deep fruit, some green notes, green pepper, fine toasting flavors. Beautiful texture, juicy, creamy and balanced. Some nice tension and pressure! Still very young. Long, fruity and spicy finish. Potential for decades 94+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
very classic bordeaux, just entering into its secondary phase. where the fruit is receding but the secondary charectersitics are starting to dominate. cedar, graphite. lovely
Put this one away for a time such as this! Actually thought I had already consumed it and was delighted to find it hidden on the back row. Took it out let it stand for a day to make sure the sediment settled. Opened it to let it breathe and cork was pristine. Decanted it using aerator and let it take in the air for 4 hours. Beautiful color, alluring nose, lingering on the palate. Thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. Great finish to 2023 in more ways than one!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My sixth tasting note on this wine. While it is not the most concentrated claret of Montrose, it is drinking beautifully right now. I have really enjoyed the 2001 and 2004 vintage of Montrose while my 2000, 2003, 2005 bottles mature in the cellar. If I decide to purchase any Bordeaux beyond the 2020 vintage, it will only be lesser vintages so I am not dead before they become drinkable. The 2004 Montrose is a great wine!
Very good bottle. Opened a few hours in advance, then drank over 2 hours. Excellent wine. Not a stellar year, but this is perfect for drinking now. Great with some slices of comté cheese.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Bdx 2004 "2ème cru"-tasting) Full and fresh nose. Oak and perfume. Black currant and hints of bell pepper and leather. Deep and concentrated. Medium-fullish body. Very balanced. Herbal. Very classic with black currant, cedar and pencil shavings. Quite oaky, but tasty. Savory freshness. On the verge of 94 pts. All the 2004 tasted were in the 92-95 pts spectrum. A bit high? Perhaps, but we like the classic style.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double-decanted around two hours before drinking, which was fortunate as it contained a lot of sediment and was robustly tannic. The nose was gorgeous from the off, though, energetic and sensual with graphite, smoke, cedar and the woody vestiges of the wine's elevage. Even after two hours being open the wine remained fairly taut and coiled on the palate, its character dark-toned, mineral and refreshing (12.8% ABV), the fruit nicely concentrated and the tannins playing a (prominent) supporting role. Great stuff, likely better still in five years.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby with a hint of garnet, plenty of sediment. Fully mature and ready, but still had some residual tannins on first pour that smoothed out with an hour in decanter, so give it a bit of time. Nose and palate were classic St Estephe with cassis, slate and tobacco. Complex and savory. This was delicious, but leant a bit more towards the mineral and tertiary side of things, so is at its best with food (preferable steak). Very enjoyable.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2004 Horizontal Dinner (Tunglok Peking Duck Novena): Deep ruby, with visible fading and browning edges. Very earthy, barnyardy nose, and some greens. Similarly reductive on the palate whilst the tannins are chewy, then brine, hay, some red and black cherry and salad leaves. Really feel that this bottle will need more years to show its full potential
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose with green bell pepper and ripe notes. On the palate ink flavors, which to me is characteristic of St. Estephe, complemented by green bell pepper, mushrooms and pepper mix. A clear presence of round and sweet oak spice, which to me is not the best direction. Tannins are ripe and round, the finish is quite long, sweet with green elements. Approachable now but I would wait for the sweet oak to settle and integrate. Day 2 oak has integrated much better showing the great potential of this debated vintage, which probably will not reach the same heights as the strong vintages such as 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996 or 2000. This will, however, come around sooner, say in 3-5 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bu au resto AVV Comme chez soi de Bromont avec les FOUDUVIN! Le nez est sublime et complexe. Beaucoup de fruits et d'herbes. En bouche, c'est super beau et complexe mais avec une retenue et une belle finesse. Les tannins sont assez fondus et la finale de longueur moyenne. Superbe aussi,
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful bouquet with dark and red berries and sweet spices. On the palate ripe dark and red berries, juicy and soft acidity and tannin, good chocolate. Beautiful and mature wine which is in its drinking window now. Beautiful balance and no hurry. 93 - 94
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow ox at an outdoor bbq. Not very memorable but judging by reviews it was clearly the wrong environment to taste this beauty. No rating looking forward to trying again.
Decanted for two hours in the morning, poured over dinner. Dark ruby colour, some fine sediment. Leafy black currant, dark cherry, plum, light bell pepper, light chocolate, tobacco, graphite, complex spice notes, and a mineral aspect, with good acidity, fine, well-integrated tannin, and great persistence. Medium-bodied, with solid concentration. Very balanced and highly drinkable after another hour or so. Much improved compared to a bottle I had about a year ago. The early morning decant seems to have done the trick. Drink (with generous aeration) or hold.
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
And there it is. While my last encounters with the Montrose 2004 about 7 or so years ago were rather neutral, now the wine is ready for some fun. It has reached it’s prime drinking window.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red color. Wonderful nose of blue fruits, stones, tobacco. Cool, dark-fruited palate, mineral driven. Very expressive, relaxed, on its way to maturity. Classic St. Estèphe. Thank you, Steffen. Wednesday@Steffen
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great cork and fill. Upon opening mainly some beginning tertiary notes with light forest floor, not too much fruit. Opens up with air and when tried on day 2 much more open and some cassis/plum. Medium length, still rather tannic. As of now needs decanting.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 1+ hour. Another great bottle, although this bottle was a little less impressive than the last bottle. Ready to drink. 92-93 pts. at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good indeed. Classic classed growth elegance with structure and weight of fruit to give an all round great glass of wine. Dark fruits: mulberry and blackberry, along with some deeper tar and spice notes and leather. Still quite primary but with very nice tertiary notes. This is a classic and beginning to drink well now. Mid plus weight, medium tannins and a nice freshness. Long and complex. 2004 was not a great vintage, but Bordeaux did well and they are drinking earlier than the stronger vintages.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Has evolved some from a bottle 2 years ago. Drinking well now, great cassis fruit and some mushrooms in the background. The vintage shows through a little, but this is still and excellent wine. Drink now, and over the next 5-10 years.
Couldn’t resist popping open another bottle. This one with only a 20 minute decant. It took a bit to blow off some of the funk but in the end, it is a wonderful expression of left bank Bordeaux with classic aromas/flavors of black currant, damp earth, cedar, tobacco, anise, and crushed stone. Lesser vintage Bordeaux doesn’t mean lesser quality. It just means accelerated maturity so you don’t have to wait as long to enjoy it.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Spot on with my tasting note from April on the ‘04 Montrose. Get ready for 11 more reviews as this was bottle #1 from a new case. It is drinking great now but needs a good 1+ hour decant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Short note from De Kersentuin Wijn Club 19-12-22: I do not know what to think: enormous power with good acidity, but in the beginning slim. I do not know if this will end up as a balanced wine. Benefit of the doubt 92, but in 5 years or more it could be 89 or 94!?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pretty disappointed with this, the nose has only a small hint of leather and mushroom. Fruit is almost non existent. Tannic still rough and loud for a 18 year old, not smooth on the tongue. Perhaps it has went over the peak and accelerating downhill.
Tuesday Night Double Blind $80+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Super dark core with thin garnet rim; graphite, black fruit, slight prune, bramble and earth, funk, black truffle, a juicy finish, some green, somewhat rugged; really good, '03 Poyferre?
Third time with this wine. Blind. My notes are very similar in the 90-92. Probably the vintage here is the reason as one would expect much more from this producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark red color. PNP, drank a couple glasses over 2 hours plus at the Ranch. Love that nose with saddle leather, funk, pencil, cassis and black raspberry. The palate is a bit more stern today, pencil, cassis, dry but round austere tannins, full bodied, earthy, tart black currants and black raspberries, and leather. 92+pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nez discret de mine de crayon, de cèdre et de cerises. Le vin montre une belle texture veloutée, c’est savoureux, avec un beau fruit. C’est un peu austère, avec une bonne structure tannique, d’un style très classique. Une profondeur et une plénitude impressionnantes pour ce millésime en demi-teinte. La finale minérale et précise complète bien cette belle réussite. 92-93 pts
Une des propriétés les plus constantes et fiables de tout le bordelais.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I love this wine. It is fine example of classic Bordeaux loaded with earthy mineral-y goodness. It’ll be good for a few years still so there’s no rush to drink up. That said for my taste this is at a peak that’s hard to resist.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Red fruit is dominant present on nose, developping different layers. medium to full bodied on pallette, tannins developped very well, perfectly in balance now. long finish. perect in its drinking window now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
classice Bordeaux.... not the best vintage but this wine was in a great spot. forest floor, gritty tannin, blue fruits, with a polished mid palate. I had no decater where I wa, so popped cork for 2-3 hours. This can go longer for sure, but not sure much more time will make this much better and I like my wines with age.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for two hours before I poured myself the first glass, and followed over a period of another four hours, with limited development. Dark ruby colour. Dark and red fruit, black currant, dark cherry, dark plum, bell pepper, light chocolate, light coffee, graphite, and complex spice notes that include cinnamon and clove, with lively acidity, fine, firm tannin, and good length. Solid concentration, and good balance. Very good, but not great, and I liked the more persistence and better structured 2004 Grand-Puy-Lacoste I had the other week even better.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking v well now on PnP. Resolved but no risk of fading off soon. 3 quarters tertiary and a quarter of primary fruit. Impressive longevity for a meh vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours. I didn't expect much of this vintage. This was really a positive suprise. A very good Montrose. Ready to drink, I would recommend to decant it at least 1 better 2 hours. 93 pts. at the moment.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
In a great drinking window right now after a few hours of air. Dark fruits, leather, barnyard, medium acid and tannins. Finish could have been longer but still damn good for what it was. Very nice with our lamb dinner
This is drinking very well currently with a little air, nose on Pyrazene, leather, slightly toasted oak, menthol, fruit is in the background, autumn leafy forest floor. The mouth Is classic Claret, in a vintage like 2004 nothing is overdone, old school tasting wine, well integrated, minty, a bit of greenness and beautifully lifted mid palate thanks to the acidity and tannins which are well interwoven. Very decent length. Great match with Hungarian hunters mushrooms in cream with medium Paprika ,Asparagus and lengthily marinated Flank Steak on the BBQ.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Once again, 2004 Montrose does not disappoint. Both the 2001 and 2004 Montrose are singing right now in a great spot in their maturity. Neil Martin is right when he says that slightly off vintages in Bordeaux from strong producers make classic clarets. I loved it so much that I purchased a case of it from Vinfolio today. Great value too. Delicious!
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear deep ruby; clean medium plus nose of barnyard, fall cracked leaves, menthol and blackberries; dry; medium plus acidity; medium plus tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with beautiful florality; long finish; drink now or in 10 years; really elegant, classic Bordeaux
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375 ml, personally, at this moment, I prefer these over the vintage 2001, the vintage 2004 is a lot more open for the business, the bouquet is absolutely sublime, consisting of rich amounts of oriental spices, leather dark fruits and a hint of earth! The palate is equally impressive, rather fulfilling, packed with rounded ripe dark fruits with a lengthy finish, very impressive and satisfying!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cork was good with a little seepage. Last bottle of a case of 12. Colour still vibrant ruby/ garnet - little bit of brick around the edge when swirling - very narrow clear rim and quite limited sediment. Nose is quite forward - very Bordeaux for sure - black fruit and smoky leather. Palate is elegant - understated but muscular. Nice dilute blackcurrant - very refreshing with some fine grained tannins coming through on the finish. Not sure this would de one to keep long term as I suspect the fruit is only going one way and there are plenty of tannins still to resolve.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened for wife's birthday dinner. Medium to deep ruby colour with no bricking. Superb nose of ripe fruits and peppery notes. Decanted for sediment but aired it for about 30 minutes since first taste was a little muted. Opened up after that but fruit was almost non-existent and bitterness (not tannic astringency) was very pronounced. Woodsy notes were strong as well. Medium-bodied with light to medium finish. Overall, it was a disappointing wine. Can't see this improving over time and it possibly may be past its peak.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Colour: Red bricking, garnet. Aromas: Dark ripe black berries, plums, forest floor, some balsamics and black tea. Also getting dried berries and cassis, incense. Nice aromas, but not intense. Just mellow …. Chill. Flavours: Elegant wine, with berry and cherry flavours, some cassis, dried berry fruit. Sweet fruit attack (dry wine) with no bitterness. Mineral component as well on mid palate. Some spices and an herbal component (forest floor, brush). Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium minus acids, drying but not overpowering tannins. Still some decent structure here. Medium length to finish. Overall: Nice wine, with some balsamics and black tea creeping into the finish. Mildly drying tannins and waning acidity approaches some flabbiness on the finish. Just a tad past the point I like.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice colour, beginning to show some brick. Nose is lovely, pure bordeaux with lots of earth, currant, dark cherry, fragrant but not super intense. Palate is medium bodied, very nicely balanced, sweetish earthy currant and black cherry fruit, medium tannins, good acidity, soft enough and drinking well right upon opening. Will give some air before dinner, but does not appear that needs a serious decant. First impressions are that this is a really solid showing, fragrant, yet sturdy, quite powerful and balanced. Excellent.
After two hours in the bottle - all the notes above were confirmed - excellent wine. Rest tomorrow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First try with the Private Reserve wine preserver. Will do a ps re how it worked. 10th bottle from a case bought en primeur. Nose is touch of farmyard (which I like) giving way to blackcurrant and tobacco. Plenty of fruit and even more tannins, suggesting a long future. Very persistent finish. A top wine in a bit of a sub par vintage. P.s. the wine preserver is excellent although you need to use twice as much as instructed.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
One bottle I brought from my wine cellar abroad to my home, perfect condition, one of my very favourite Chateauxs cause of the tannin structure, so pnp the day after,, full load of dark, fresh, ripe black fruit, some forest floor , maybe slightly flowers, leather and so on, very good intense grip, lively tannin is teeth fogging still, cassis, the basket full of it, well structured with a lot of elegance, but would not call this finesse here, mineral aromas as well, mouthful of wine, very good length, a pleasure to pair this with iberico chop! Will live another decade+ easily, **(**), around 91-93? potential
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Extremely perfumed in the nose and very savory but still somewhat tannic and tight on the palate, long finish; truly enjoyable at this stage compared to the previous bottle tasted in 2016, however, a few more years to go before reaching full maturity.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep, complex, fresh dark fruit, cedar, liquorice, pencil, roast aromas and menthol tones. Medium bodied, this bottle is still evolving. Many attributes of a great wine "shining through", but won't reach the fame of the big vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
P&P. cedar nose, little pepper with black fruit. nice red bordeaux color. long finish with fuits. nice balance fully integrated. more elegance then Pontet Canet opened at same time which had more power but less elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The first impressions give paprika, pepper, licorice and sour cherry. After some time it also shows a mineral aspect, black fruits, tobacco and smoke. The fruit is borderline ripe and has a small green touch to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially a lot of bell peppers and black pepper in the nose, but the mouth was luckily totally different. After a while the nose also changed. Graphite, red fruit, nice filling, tobacco and black fruits too.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This has really settled into itself. This seems to just be entering peak and will most likely hang here for a number of years. Excellent showing - leather and earth on the nose, black fruits, medium-full weight, long finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
3 years since I last cracked open one of these and it has improved considerably during that time. Still some years in it but I suggest drinking up if you have a few. As always, it's a wine of great finesse from Saint-Estephe.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full and beautiful tonight. Red currants, loam and with licorice accents. Great with grilled filet mignonette this evening. Balanced and solid length. Years to go. 93
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well, what a wonderful wine. The 2004 vintage is holding it back, but the quality of Montrose (of course always pronounced for us Brits with a hard "t") shines through.
I preferred the much maligned 2007, but nonetheless there is quality here.
It is possble that there must be an intellectual bond between these wines before points can be attributed. And that bond bond may relativise the attribution.
mt
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice classic bordeaux .... medium acid, medium tannin, medium fruit. Dried berry fruit and spices. Medium weight but still a bit of ooomph. Leather, cedar. Nice and smooth.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! This is so much better than the last time I had it out of a 1.5L a few years ago. Fully mature and drinking fabulously. Tasted blind, I thought it could be from '96 or '00. Incredible nose, black fruits, classic and utterly delicious. I called it as Pauillac, but once revealed it became obvious St. Estephe. The smaller format must have helped this evolve faster.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good enough, but just not that great even after 2 hours in the glass with a 1 hour decant (I should have tried pop n pour that could have worked). Quite tight, reserved, a bit sour, lacking interest or energy. The shy kid at the back of the class. 04 is a bit all over the place, i suspect the slightly stern St Estephe needs more warmth more than some. Edit: checked this hypothesis as a fyi, this is the highest scoring growth in SE, equal to Beasejour, Cos, and others like Calon lagging.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Leather and spice dominate on the nose. On the palate, very pure. Dark fruit. Leather and pencil shavings. Tannins have smoothed out nicely but still have a little way to go. Nice length which I haven’t had in previous bottles. My only criticism is that I feel it lacks a little extra layer of complexity but I think that is just the vintage.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop and pour. Every bit as good as my last btl, and even slightly more secondary. On the nose: soft cedar, blackberry, blueberry, charcoal, soft cola. On the palate: excellent acidity, blackberry, tar, char, soft vegetal.notes, fantastic density..more soft charred mear, blackberry and dense, grainy tannin on the finish. This will soften with age, but it's already so good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened Jan 20 2021 to celebrate the inauguration. A very nice bottle of bordeaux. Classic and classy with medium red fruit, a bit of smoky oak, good finish. Nothing hard, acitidty is firm, tannins have faded. Could be longer, but that's the fault of this vintage. A very nice wine overall.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby in color. Damp forest floor and moss on the nose. An unexpected amount of black raspberry and sour cherry on the palate. The palate also shows some cedar and pencil lead. Full bodied with a medium finish. Tannins are pretty well integrated. All in all, a really nice wine from an off vintage.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank 2+ glasses over 3 hours. This exceeded all expections tonight. It was open and giving with the nose offering simply gorgeous earthiness, bright red fruits, pencil and violets, wow this was vibrant and engaging. The palate has a mix of red berries, cassis, tobacco, and lovely dark cherry on top of the earth, pencil and floral notes. Silky texture, lifted and full bodied; the tannins are polished and suggestive that this has the structure to go for the long haul. Another very impressive wine from a supposedly mediocre vintage. Bring 'em on. No rush at all.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
On day two. Deep dark center, red rim with some signs of age. Cassis, stewed plums, polished leather, toasty. Smooth, blackcurrant, cream, toasty oak, modest tannins, some acidity still, excellent length. Great Montrose. Drinking very well now. Has a little greenness, but it works. Good now, will be good for the next 5+ years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/12, excellent cork. Decanted 1 hr. Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Nose shows cool dark fruit, touch of mineral and smoke, slight meaty edge. Medium bodied, an elegant middleweight with cool dark fruit to the fore, a touch of gravelly undertow, quite linear but supple with fresh acidity and a good length, harmonious finish. Very enjoyable, beginning to drink well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle showed brilliantly last night; timid nose a la 2004 but the texture was on and on the palate it was smooth milk chocolate and integrated complete fruity and peppery image. Finish is still a little on the tart and short side, indicating a drinking window that is by now means peaking but also not a wine for the ages. I love this style and keep feeling joy about these leaner more classic 2004 medoc wines. This time we paired it with rotisserie chicken instead of dry aged beef with sauce bearnaise. Much better.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really solid wine. Perfect st estpehe nose gravelly, minty and earthy. Dark currant and cedar, mildflavor of toasted coffee grounds. Finish was a bit lacking but 04 wasn’t a powerful vintage. Most 04 I have been trying are solid. Sleeper value vintage. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My 9th bottle from a case bought en primeur. Lovely big complex nose of plum, cedar, blackcurrant, floral notes and more. Still plenty of tannins that will reduce over time and the wine, whilst beautiful now, should improve further. I'll wait a couple of years for the next bottle. One of the very best wines of this average vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for sed 1 hr before drinking. Lots of fine sediment. Modern style Bordeaux with nice core of red fruit on nose. Some good secondaries going on, leather n graphite. Soft tannins, food friendly. Classic bord back end. Nice now, seems like lots of life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mistake serving this immediately after a lush Oregon pinot....quite the contrast and not really enjoyed by the guests. Red fruited, more lean..nice nose but lacks balance and fruit on the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A good vintage for Montrose. Opened at 16.00, double decanted and then consumed at 19.00, which worked fine. Previously 1975, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2013.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is really singing now - first taste immediately after opening but it will have an hour of air before it gets consumed with dinner.
Really good balanced set of notes, the secondary stands out on the taste - perhaps a little too strongly, but overall this is well constructed and impressive. A lot of the primary is fading as you'd expect given the age.
About 90 minutes in, no substantial changes. Nice wine, drink soon
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Did not decant, opened and let sit for an hour. Nose of iodine and bell pepper with a palate showing strong tannin, red fruit bur slightly thin. After 3 hours it rounded out and put on weight with the tannin and fruit coming into balance. I have one bottle left and will wait maybe 5 years to hopefully hit it closer to maturity. The points are based after the 3 hour mark. I really doubt it will exceed that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
There is cassis, plum, graphite and cigar box on the nose and it is also quite floral. The palate is rich, with some sweetness, viscosity and a good amount of tannins on the finish. This has entered the drinking window and seems to have a long life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Kept under condition 2 since september 2008 or 2011 until september 2012, after which under condition 1 (see my profile). No formal notes. Quite a lot of tannins still, a bit more fruit than my bottle of half a year ago, quite complex, which showed the class of this estate. This bottle could have been kept for another two till five years. 92.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed from a 1.5L mag that was decanted for 2 hours. Montrose from great vintages ages at a glacial pace. However, in average vintages like 2004, it can be more approachable in its youth. This is entering its early maturity window. While by no means fully mature, it is drinking great now with secondary characteristics emerging with a swirl of the glass. Very good now and will be excellent with 5 more years in the cellar.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
At Trou Normand with Peter. Deep dense color, red rim with signs of age. Wonderful classic claret nose. Cassis, stones, slightly funky. Very expressive to taste, good mature fruit, well integrated. Great length. Lovely. Drinking well now, but will last for 5 to 10 more years and develop more complexity.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good but too heavy for the food I'd selected at La Trompette. Some sediment. I must decant the next one in advance. This will go for some years yet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very fine example of Montrose. Has everything you'd expect with perhaps just a little less omph than spectacular vintages. Aging well with lots of fruit, smoke, secondary notes, ameliorated but still present tannins. No hurry here to drink up.
Lovely wine, ready to go. Great fruit, slightly smokey profile. Like many 2004s it doesn't have as much depth or length as one would expect from a better vintage than that. Drink up!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely smoky black fruit and feral underbrush on the nose. Tannins have softened significantly, but still present, particularly on the finish. Palate is a beguiling mix of smoky blackberry fruit, crisp, mineral laden acidity with just a hint of salty soy. This is just missing the texture and depth of the great vintages of Montrose, but is a smashing success for 2004. Ready to drink, but no hurry.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last drank this about 4 years ago. 45min decant. Changed a lot. Lost its intensity, youth and vitality. Replaced by an intergrated, secondary but somewhat softer palate. Still delicious. I thought this wine could have a longer drinking window but this bottle indicates it’s ready to drink now. I will try another ‘soon’.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
So delicate and fine. Beatiful soft tannins. Dark berries, cedar, forest floor. Everything you want from a mature left wing bordeaux. Oak gone, fruit waning. Don’t wait much longer. But right now: very, very nice: If this is a weak vintage....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Noe reservert på duft, men åpner seg raskt i glasset. Klassisk Bordeaux-nese med snev av cedertre, mørke bær og tobakk. Elegant og lett syrlig i munn med myke tanniner og medium lang avslutning. Utvikler seg positivt over nærmere fire timer hvor grafitt, røyk og utviklet aroma tiltar på duft. Bygger seg også opp i munn med tett konsentrert mørk frukt. Denne drikker meget bra nå.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Limpid, brick red in colour. Pleasant fruit on nose but weak. Fruit is there on palate but soon pushed back by tannins which are fine in texture but plentiful and dominant due to lack of depth of fruit. Lacks body. There is some length of savoury flavours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ripe red fruit, cassis and leather on the nose. Incredibly balanced palate and tannins nicely resolved. Delicious! And a bit unexpected, considering the less-heralded vintage. The relatively short (by Bordeaux standards) 15 years of cellar time seems just right for this one. Structure, silky, balanced. Maybe a wee bit "simple" compared to the bigger vintages but who cares, it was just pure pleasure to drink with very few flaws. Opened and poured without a decant. Drink up.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP at a restaurant, and was ready after a few minutes in the glass. Very dark fruit profile, the tannins are resolved, and has medium body and acidity. It's fairly lean in texture, and the fruit has a bit of hardness (like I find in 05's), but has excellent structure and balance. Plenty of graphite notes typical of St Estephe, with a little leather as well. Overall, a fine example of mature claret, sophisticated, but not intense. Drinking well now or over the next 5 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Kept under condition 2 since september 2008 or 2011 until september 2012, after which under condition 1 (see my profile). Color: dark purple, no orange rims. Nose: fine mix of underbrush, toast and smoke. Taste: red fruit, but quite closed. With some drying tannins and an acidity that was not always well integrated. It impressed rather dead than closed. At the second day more open, with more fruit, a silky texture and a nice, civilised balance. Still I have some doubts about the way this bottle has been kept before I bought it. At the first day 89, at the second (91-)92.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Earth, leather, cassis, it’s all there. Lovely elegant dark fruit glides silkily from entry to finish. May not have the extra oomph or concentration of blockbuster vintages but the 2004 Montrose is simply excellent classic Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas of plum, cassis, herbs, soil, with slight vegetal and cigar box tertiaries and tinge of wet socks. Quite intriguing. Tasted dark fruits, cassis, earth, gravel, mint leaf - structured and rather elegant. Slight white peppers and minerality on the finish. Classic Bordeaux. Definitely more lively than my last bottle, with lively tannins. Open now, and sooner than later.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and served. Restrained but complex nose of cassis, violet, cedar and vanilla with well balanced, integrated tanins, full body and med+ finish. Drinking well now can develop further. Will hold my last bottle until 2021
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a case bought en primeur for £30 a bottle delivered! Seems great value now. Lovely blackcurrant, mocha and bramble nose. Was marketed as old fashioned claret and has lived up.to the hype. Some leanness on the palate with graphite and leather. Very long finish. At it's best now and will plateau for several years. Later anise and undergrowth. Lovely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine was ready to drink. It had a broad variety of quality, from soft smooth tannins, to sophisticated barnyard/fruit/bordeaux flavors. Very good wine. It was significantly more nuanced than the other botttles at the table (mostly in the $20-30 range). Not sure I'd pay the extra money for the slight increase in nuance, but it was nice to see it existed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
black cherry, coarsely grounded black peppercorn, tobacco and coffee beans, bitter chocolate. Good concentration, nice balance, finish is slightly bitter and short. Excellent wine that did not stand up to our rib eye with sauce béarnaise and fried whole potatoes. But on its own, oh, it's very nice and just the wine for me. Someone before me wrote that it had rustic characteristics. I agree, but only if you with rustic do not mean barnyard or stable, nor tannic and unforgiving, but rather, straight, honest, and, not the most silky of palates.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby. Touch of separation. Nice nose, blueberry, cassis, leafy, a bit grainy and tannic, aftertaste of oak and puckers your mouth with overextracted tannins. Poorly managed wine making and selection has ruined something that could have been quite pretty and expressive. Better in much more recent vintages under new management.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A slight disappointment the first day, as I thought this would be more open and expressive, but alas - no. Discernible black currants, earth, cedar as it should be, but subdued and not really coming out. Cool fruit wrapped in noticeable tannins. A step up the next day, both on the nose and palate. The fruit is sweeter and more well rounded, and it gives away more on the nose. Needs at least two more years, perhaps four or five.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful, classic Bordeaux nose of leather, cedar, pencil shavings etc. Palate continues in the classic style. Still got a solid red fruit backbone and well integrated tannins. Fantastic flavours. Only disappointment is the length - more medium bodied. Interesting to see if this changes with additional bottle age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear, very deep ruby. Clean nose of medium intensity with aromas of blackberry, earth, leather, mushrooms, cedar, cooked plums, wet wool. Wine is developing. On the palate it is dry with medium plus acidity, medium, silky tannins, medium alcohol medium body, medium plus flavor intensity of leather, meat, mushrooms, cooked, prunes, plums, cedar. The finish is medium plus. Very good wine, drink now or can be aged further.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still the lovely classic Bordeaux having bulged little. Early maturity, with some secondary notes coming through but this bottle seems to be light on the leather and minerals that I enjoy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just singing after 2 hours of air. Enjoyed this next to a 2004 Les Forts de Latour and a 2004 Lafleur-Petrus and for me, this Montrose was the clear winner.
Classic Bordeaux. earthy, spicy, slight smoky, oak, vanilla, mineral, pencil. Elegant, semi intense, easy to drink and balance. Long warm finish. However, didn’t quite develop after decanting. Drink now; feel there is limited developmental potential. (same notes for 2nd try on 31 Dec)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not the best Montrose ever but very approachable and a great value. Nose consisted of damp leaves and forest floor. A little bit funky on the palate... no surprise given this was only open for two hours before serving. Plenty of plum and cassis on the palate with a bit of mushroom. Moderate to light tannins. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Interesting experience. I had a corked bottle of this a few months back, and this was from the same shipment. Opened it to take to dinner, and got heavy funk on the nose. Pumped it, put it in the fridge, and took a different bottle to dinner. Fast forward to the next day, after pulling the stopper out for a couple hours....
Great bottle of Bordeaux. Fresh earth, touch of brett, spices, fresh dark red fruits, and lots of sage & tobacco. Gorgeous nose, all of which flows into a delicious midweight & silky wine on the palate. Clearly present tannins in a long, balanced finish that adds other classic cedar & cigar notes.
Plan to give it some air. Or a few years--it has plenty of time left.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hrs. Ah yes, another great 04 which was the only sanely priced Bordeaux vintage until the 11's came round, I had to chuckle as they were bought on some super sale at Binny's in 2008 for $39.99. Ok, the wine: a wee bit of Montrose funk added character to the dark plums, a slight smoky hue, and well integrated oak spices. All at the table found this elegant and feminine, very easy to drink. In fact, served blind, I think I would have guessed a semi traditional Cote Rotie. Clearly, this is on a long, but gentle upward trajectory, and another 5 years plus could only add value. 10 years should see it in the zone. Very fine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
- Brick color - Very dark crimson, delicious front-to-back. Bold and complex upon opening then layer upon layer of complexity yet smooth tannins throughout the night. Drink now or maybe next 2- years. Cheers.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear medium red colour, shows little development Red fruit combined with spice, some oak/vanilla, but generally well integrated in the wine. Smooth, but also firm tannins, clear indications of a not too ripe vintage. The fruit is beautiful throughout the palate, where especially the concentration on the mid palate points too a great wine. A very good effort from Ch. Montrose, starting to drink very well now, but should still improve for the next 10-15 years.¨
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
There was a fair amount of Brett in this wine, mostly on the nose. It was not enough to ruin the flavor. Intriguing wine that did not seem to be over the hill.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful aromatics of damp earth, slight Brett, minerals, oak and blackberries. Medium bodied, but good fruit concentration, considering the vintage (2004). There are some green tannins (a 2004 thing too) that I´m not sure will be completely resolved. You can offset that with a good steak or lamb. Yes, I´m sure it will improve and yes, one hour or more decant helps. drink now till another 3 to 5 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Non) Blind 2004 and Older Bordeaux (Meritage): A small pour. I love the Montrose elegance that is quite evident here. This was a beautiful, although young Montrose. If I owned any, I would think about opening them in 5 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First of three bottles. 3hr double decant. Intense purple fruit and mineral/granite core. Just giving a hint of where this may go with time. Not a behemouth, but rather just coiled tight at the moment, very promising drinking ahead. Hold these and enjoy what's bound to be a great St. Estephe over the next couple decades.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Grippy finish right now but otherwise very promising. This easily needs another 5yrs before its really a pleasure to drink but I love the concentration and class. If I was younger and going deep on BDX, it would be Montrose. Something to admire now and a great back vintage to scoop up if you're a younger person.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux 2004 and Older (Meritage, St. Paul): Honestly, this kind of got lost in the shuffle tonight and I didn't give it much time which is a shame. I've always like the '04 and I have a lot of it. This has a lot going for it and I think it drinks just fine as long as you're not trying to do it next to a bunch of old wines. It benefits from air and has a lot of graphite, tobacco and cassis. 91+(+)pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Schöne dunkelrote Farbe. In der Nase schöner Duft nach Kirsche und Vanille. Im Mund rund und harmonisch, schöne Frucht nach Kirsche mit Vanille, etwas Schokolade. Tolle Struktur mit mineralischen Noten. Tannier gut eingebunden. Schöner, warmer Abgang.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank with friends and pasta! Opened about an hour before comsumption, didn't decant on this occasion. Silky smooth, rewarding and complete without being mind-blowing (I don't think many 2004s are); I'd love to have a few more kicking about but sadly not.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
An easy afternoon with close friends; Pomerol and St. Estephe (@ FD): In the bouquet some barnyard, dark berries, cocoa, chocolate and vanilla. On the palate a firm amount of acidity and beautiful rustic flavors. Autumn forest impressions as well. Dark chocolate and firm, good bitterness. Beautiful wine with tannin that promise a future of 5 – 7+ years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
7th bottle from a case bought en primeur plus a couple at tastings. Unacceptable levels of bottle variation from the same case, from corked, slightly corked and not quite as good as it should be, to a couple of really good bottles. Good luck! This is a really good one. Good blackcurrant and oak nose, complex palate includes graphite, leather and plenty of mostly soft tannins. Tends to impress as very soft at first and then hardens up with food. Very long finish. Excellent now and could improve for a few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First sip some weeks ago was by coravin, now opened the whole bottle, still young, the nose is showing aromas of herbs, some soil, slightly tobacco, on the midpalate more elegant than concentrated, with some slow ox quiet balanced and harmonic, for me more red than black fruit, earthy though, long finish, this is a very good Montrose, but there are better ones from other vintages, may and will improve over the next decade+, **(*+ -?), 89-91+ potential
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux Left Bank: The Famous Four (The Wine Society, Stevenage): 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot. Medium garnet. Clean nose, medium (+) intensity aromas, cassis, prune, green herbs, mint, cedar, earth. Developing. Dry palate, medium acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium body, medium (+) firm tannins, medium (+) intensity flavours similar to the nose, medium (+) finish. Very good quality, quite mature St Estephe, drinking now and over the next decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Medium to dark crimson color. Nose of black plum and black currant, cedar, a bit of earthy/soil and touches of pyrazine. Very nice. Still very fruit driven on the palate but mature fruit. Medium acid and tannin. Seamless on the palate with a long finish. Really lovely wine. Will hold remaining bottle for another 5 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Open for business and drinking amazingly, but by no means mature I think. Probably still has a decade of life to go. Deep black fruit with a lovely balance of lush and austere, earthy, minerally, brooding, elegant and sophisticated wine. I do sometimes like the more lush fruit style but this type of Bordeaux hits the spot every time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Delicious, this reminds me of ‘10 Latour Martillac - has the same overt blackberry fruit and nice acidity providing that freshness. This is a bit more rich, dry and classy but they are similar. I love this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened the bottle ½ hour before tasting, but not decanted. Red dark colour, cassis, in the palate medium bodied, fresh, well balanced and just perfect tannin to support the balance. This has very nice developed and it has just reached the beginning of the drinking window. A beautiful Montrose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatic with dark fruits. blackcurrant, leather, vanilla on the palate. Very ripe, tannin dissolved. Drinking very nicely. But finish is not long. Drinking very good now, but it can still be kept for few years. Relatively better than Montrose 2006 at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bt decanted, quite ready out of the bottle but breathing brought an additional floral aroma. Cassis and smoked oak dominated. Medium concentration but a lovely effort given the vintage. Tannin still slightly grippy but blend well with fruits and acidity. Airing yield a lovely and needed floral note that complete the wine. Not a wow wine, but enjoyable in a quiet afternoon with some background music.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some sediment, no need to decant but aerate did help. Lovely dark cherry with slight smoke and charred barrel overtone. Depth but 2-3 more years might help bring it all together. Cheers.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours. Ink, earth, iodine, red berry fruit and leather. Smooth but powerful with a decent pepper and herbaceous finish. Lacks concentration of great vintages but very enjoyable and interesting. Ready now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
YES-ISH. So there is some development here, but it is still a young wine. The colour is deep dark red and from the carafe the nose seemed really good Bordeaux (oak, pencil stuff). In the glass it seemed to have less substance, thinner somewhat. There was still good aromas and a non-Bordeaux-like a/c hotness (its 13%) and some tannins (young ones). A good wine, but not yet a great wine. Young. Wait.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium red, dark edges. Meaty red fruit, currant and coffee bean. Most intense nose of the night. The flavours are a bit less intense and the finish is very acid driven.
Great nose and a very nice wine for an 04.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Believe we opened four bottles. They were all consistently really good. Pretty vibrant and with some tannins that still could need some work. But really enjoyable at this time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Man has this improved over the years and I expect it to continue doing so. Very classic Bordeaux thats integrating tannins really nicely now and finding harmony with the fruit. Still young and vibrant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a mixed bag - classic nose, not too tannic or rustic, but something bugged me. It just hasn't really gone anywhere yet, and will it get anywhere great? I had chose this over a top West Australia (Diana Madelaine) and regretted it because if Bordeaux isn't offering me complexity, rather it is offering me smooth, very drinkable and classic flavours, at this price I would rather have the power and ripeness...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opaque core with garnet rim; green pepper, dark chocolate, wet earth, screams Bordeaux, black currants, darker fruit, plush mouthfeel with the right amount of chew to the tannin, some holly, very nice balance; well stored bottle; tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Surprisingly delicious, somewhat monolithic Montrose. Pours from the bottle as a dark,dark purple red, viscous Cabernet flow, with hints of dark cherry, plum and clay smoke on both the nose and palate. Not as regal or delineated as Montrose can be in finer vintages and certainly that rich single note does not devolve into sinews of smoke, clay or cherry. But there is no green, stem or acid in this 2004, so drink with aplomb. No decant needed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark. Big blackcurrant, dark fruits, cedar, complex nose. A touch of green edge on the palate doesn't detract. Still plenty of tannins. Very long finish. Drinking well and will continue to improve and repay keeping for several years. The score is likely to increase.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Second Sunday Group: Montalcino (Leon's): Courtesy of F, who had decanted this ahead of time though I am unsure of the time. Dark in color, showing no visible signs of age at this point. Aromas of dark fruit- currants and blackberry- along with tobacco and a hint of charred bell pepper. Full-bodied; still somewhat firm tannins. Red and dark fruit flavors, a bit of mushroomy earth too. Good length on the finish. Has a "rustic" feel to it- think along the lines of Sociando Mallet, though certainly not quite to that extent. I'd give this a few years yet, perhaps to 2020+.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit hollow in the mid palate, even after three hours in a wide decanter, but still super classic in style, perhaps a bit austere. Minerality shines, with more savory than fruity notes. Hold 3-5 or decant 4+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Luftet en time før konsum. Mørk farge med ugjennomsiktig kjerne. Kraftig og bred aroma med fin dybde og preg av kaffe, lær, solbær, Mahogny/møbelpolish, mm. I munnen er den medium+ fyldig og med tydelig tannin i finish. Smaken følger aroma, fin balanse, dybde og god lengde. Fungerte godt til ande confit. En veldig god klassisk 2004 BDX.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Saturday night blinds (Chez Nanda, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is raw and powerful with dark red cherries, cranberries, pencil lead, bitter chocolate, tobacco, leather, spice box, and cedar notes. Even now, it is still somewhat tight, but shows off what is a deep and top notch Bordeaux.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and high tannins. The tannins are still taught and youthful while the feel has some power behind it along with dark red cherries, cranberries, pencil lead, leather, cedar, and spice box notes.
Overall: This is still nascent. But, everything is there for this to be something quite special in another 8-10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A stunning showing. Full, gorgeous nose of plums, earth, mineral, cedar, tobacco leaf, and spice. Medium-to-full body is singing after several hours in the decanter. Young but no need to hold these any longer. In total harmony and showing nice evolution of flavors.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last bottle of the vintage I dragged along with me to Florida. Really has come around from seven years ago. Black cherries and raspberries on floral nose. Deeper fruits on palate with good spice, leather, softening tannins. Very solid finish.
Slow ox for a couple of hours and then a double decant before serving. Nose of plum, cassis, dark cherry, cedar, leather, dusty earth and graphite. Quite refined on the palate but there is a hint of rusticity in the tannins, which are starting to resolve. Medium bodied. Great length, intensity and balance. While enjoyable now with a decent airing, I feel this needs 5-7 years of cellar time to open further and show its true potential. A solid St Estephe from a lovely vintage.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas of stables, dirty hay, sweat, bell pepper, wet fur. On the nose it is absolutely disgusting. On the palate it is slightly better but a bit flabby though. Tanins are green and rough. A very unripe and unbalanced wine. This is a wine I found really unpleasant, especially given its reputation.
Decanted and served. The wine is pretty open and well into its drinking window. Very much the classic well made claret this promises to be and a testament to the great winemaking of the estate. Light leather, light pepper, light herbs. Mineral and firm on the palate, good tannin but in no way chewy and this drinks very nicely now albeit has a good life ahead of it. Really impressed and its wine like these that make us buy Montrose year in year out.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red with a nyance of brown edge Complex on nose Dark berries stall leather I rate it even higher on nose Lots of tannins and fruit ,coffee Much power bald big body Will get better a few years and hold 15 y
P
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/12. Decanted 1hr. Deep ruby core, narrow pale garnet rim. Youthful nose, blackcurrant, vanilla, touch of cedar. Nice purity. Medium bodied, ripe blackcurrant fruit, vanilla, touch of cedar again, fine, still slightly firm tannins, nice fresh acidity, just a touch of savour beginning to emerge on the very good length finish. This is excellent and while youthful its refined tannins allow it to be approached now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Noch relativ junges Rubinrot. Dunkelbeerige Nase, etwas feuchtes Heu, Teer & Lakritze... Toll am Gaumen, wunderschöne Säurestruktur, forsche, wenn auch seidige und gut integrierte Tannine, immer noch hervorstechende, süssliche Frucht. Ein erhabener, grosser Wein mit ewigem Potenzial und monumentalem Finale... 93
Tag 2 - ja, ich kann nur bestätigen, dass dies ein grosser Wein ist. Alles runder, kompletter und grösser. Heute würde ich auf Verdacht 95 attestieren, um fair zu bleiben ein Mittelrating von 94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Like the bottle tasted in 2013, the nose was still fabulous, extremely floral and fruity that is; not as tannic and tight on the palate, lots of dark fruits, wood spices, and softened tannins, yet, still not quite there, probably needed a few more years at least; medium-long finish; overall, 92-93 points at this stage.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted together with Pontet-Canet and Gruaud-Larose from the same vintage. Decanted two hours. Still very young, on the nose blackberry, cherry, on the palate freshness and present but superb tannins. Lasts very long. It already shows the attitudes of a big classical Bordeaux with elegance, but will need another 10 to 20 years to show the potential it has. 95-97 points.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
WTDS at Kevin's: Classic St Esteph wine! Forest floor nose, giving way to violets and lavender with some air in the glass. The wine is in a good place now, with fruit, tannins and acids all seamlessly integrated into a deliciously complex wine. Cassis and blackberry transformed into dark cherry, plum and herbs and spice. This is a sexy, subtle wine, definitely not in your face. If you enjoy the elegance of aged Bordeaux wines, this one will definitely not disappoint! I would open now or wait, as I think this wine has plenty of life still in it. A very good and surprising wine for a supposedly off vintage!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
WTDS Wednesday Afternoon (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red-purple color. Slow-O for 3 hours and splash double decanted. Drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. It was fun to check in on this after about 2 years. Really showing nicely now. Love the nose, classic, funk - most of which blows off, earthy, dust, pencil lead, cassis, saddle leather. The palate is full bodied, good concentration, plenty of black fruits, cassis, dark raspberry, a little plum, mineral, pencil, leather, earth, round tannins, long finish. Delicious. My #2 WOTN.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dusty, forest floor, mushrooms, touch of cedar, spice, anise, rich with good lift, grip, balance; distinct gravelly minerals, really nice classic left bank. Wine of the flight at Monopole blind tasting night of Bordeaux. Still fresh, good now, but can wait another couple to 10 years to try again.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a good example of a great producer in a below average vintage. The pedigree really shines through. Improved from when I last tasted it. Such lovely, caressing fruit, so refined. The last glass had glimmers of greatness; 94+pts.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dyp rød med oransje kant. Noe lukket nese med rødbær, plomme, pepper og svart te. Litt lukket i munn også, men veldig kompleks. Røde blomster, solbær, harpiks, lær, sedertre, tobakk og kirsebær. Flere lag, lang og dyp. Finkornede tanniner, frisk og balansert med god lengde. Trekk for konsentrasjon. 91
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I let this breathe up in a glass for 3.5 hours. Burgundy shoe polish color. Red currants and an earthy muskiness waft out of the glass. This is like kissing a baby. Beautiful. Spherical in the mouth. Red currant, tart, mid-palate licorice, riding an iron-tinged spine - the finish awash in gravel. Saturating, with a plus finish. Fine sediment contrails follow the last drops to the neck of the bottle as I pour it off. 93
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Despite early predictions that many 2004s would be stemmy and unbalanced, many have evolved into solid, shoulder vintage Bordeaux. This is a big wine and even in a 375, not ready to show all of tis stuff. The muscular, deep purple, cabernet-led smokey style is dominant, and the hint of cherry, tree bark, earthiness and brambly fruits is just that-- not expressed but lurking. Decant and/or wait.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2 Stunden dekantiert. Sehr tiefes, dunkles Rubinrot. Schwarzer Kern. In der Nase erhabener Cabernet. Johannisbeeren, Lakritz, Teer. Tiefgründig. Nase 95! Am Gaumen eher sperrig. Eigentlich tolle Struktur. Tannine sehr präsent. Schwarzbeerige Frucht, nur ist diese im Moment eher im Hintergrund... Es regiert die Säure! Hmmm, ich hoffe auf Reife!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark colour. Big cassis nose giving way to some barnyard. Lots of soft tannins. Typical of the vintage slightly lacking mid palate when drunk with food. 6th tasting over as many years. Best bottle scored 94 in 2013 but there has been a lot of inconsistency from the same case with one corked and one sub par bottle. Will continue to improve for a few years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite expressive and complex nose of floral/vegetal notes, iodine, minerals, meat and shoe polish. Firm but sweet fruit, quite structured and finishes on a note of anise.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
63 % de cabernet-sauvignon, 23 % de merlot, 10 % de cabernet franc et 4 % de petit verdot. Un nez animal au début. Super velouté et assez long en bouche. Un très beau Bordeaux de facture classique. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Xmas wine selection. Three years since last bottle. Nose still blossoming. A classic Montrose, with aromas of rich dark black cherries, cassis, stone, leather. Palate more traditional albeit from vintage, with red and black fruits, a bit tougher tannins than the stellar '01. Long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #104; St. Estèphe (By BS): Concentrated bouquet with beautiful dark berries like cassis, vanilla and luxurious toasted oak. On the palate dark forest fruits like cassis and blackberries, cedar, luxurious oak with a firm toast, licorice and beautiful acidity. The tannin is round and a bit drying and still has a good bite. Overall a complex and beautiful wine with depth and a great length. Young maturity stage now. No problem cellaring this for another 5+ years. 92+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like juniper and naphtha. It tastes like juniper berry, lingonberry and sloeberry. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture even though we aerated it for 4,5h before serving. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine was properly stored from purchase upon release until consumed. Fantastic bouquet, beautiful color, outstanding wine. Full of dark fruit, berries, cassis, cherry, layers upon layers. This is a great wine now, but will improve over the next 5 years, maybe more. Great experience.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful Montrose, still full of primary dark cassis fruit, creamy oak, graphite, black olives and oak. An outperformer for the vintage really and amazing value for money. Should continue to age superbly.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The 375 is ready with a decent hour's decant. This St Estephe displays a mature, disciplined Bordeaux profile, holding back a bit on the warmth and cassis in favor of more wood, smokey mist and a bit of dark cherry. The nose is classic Cabernet and the wine does not contain an excess of St Etephe smokiness. For a 2004, a very well made wine-- of course it will never flower into a 2005.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brief note: Plenty of tipicity and showing some tertiary notes like cedar and cigar box aromas. Elegant yet still with tannins to resolve, losing fat, medium bodied with a long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Traditional Bordeaux. Medium body. Purple with a touch of bricking. 13% alcohol. Tobacco, earth, leather, and an ever so slight hint of green pepper on the nose. The tannins are still pronounced and could use some time to further settle down and let some secondary flavors push more forward. Cassis, plum, and leather flavors. A bit dry on the finish, but lovely stuff.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Time, time and time. This needs more time. Right now it's a little bit disappointing. But I let half the bottle in my cellar and drank it the next day, and then it started so show real deepness and complexity.
Therefore let this one in your cellar or give it really a lot of time after decanting.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drinking very well. Aromatic nose of black fruit, spice, and a little coal. Palate is mostly smooth with some coarse tannins in the background, but loaded with plush dark fruits and a little funk, charcoal/ash flavor I associate with St Estephe. Moderate length finish. In it's drinking window for sure, at least from 375ml. Better than recent '01.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Reminded me of what I love about Bordeaux. Gave this a quick decant, but it was drinking wonderfully from the get-go. Lots of earthy tobacco on the nose, with soft blackberry and cherry. Perfectly balanced on the palate, with just the right amount of acid to keep things lively and good depth showing more earthy notes and lots of dark fruit. On the palate, the tannin has mostly receded, but the finish is still long and the nose is memorable. Paired with a 40 day dry-aged nat cab rib eye.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A two hour decant. a wonderful minty tobacco nose. Still solid tannins. Notes of earth and hints of black fruits Well balanced but a some what short finish
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I enjoyed this wine. It has a green, leafy character a bit for an aromatic, along with a brewed coffee note. Cedar, currant, chalky and it seemed quite young to me. What the hell do I know, I guess, as I rarely drink Bdx so take my note FWIW.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The fruits, tannins finish are coming together nicely. It is hard to believe that this is going to get better but I think that it might. I just passed on a chance to get the 2005 for $130. A bit pricy for me but rumored to be much better than the 2004.
This was drinking well, but I think the best is still yet to come. Since the last time I tried this, this has evolved and gotten better. Beautiful length on this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From magnum the 2004 Montrose is beginning to drink very nicely, bursting from the glass with a youthful and expressive bouquet of red and black fruit, hints of tar and licorice as well as Montrose's lovely rich, truffle and tobacco soil tones. Juicy, supple and delicious.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
31 Vintages of Château Montrose: 1928-2010; 5/2/2015-5/3/2015: Good structure her, indeed. And it sports some finely mature fruit. More tannins and less acidity than the ’01, this one is verging on being angular at the moment. Wait, but will reward eventually.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Color: Dark inky purple with bright amber rim. Aroma: Gamy, dark cherry, blackberry, eucalyptus, mint, leather, violet, anise, great complexity. Taste @ entry: Good acid, cinnamon. Cedar and pencil lead with air. Mid-Palate: Gritty tannin, strawberry, white pepper. Finish: Dark cherry, citrus peel, juicy, vanilla. slight alcoholic finish. Nice Bordeaux with good acidity concentration and length, but tannin still not fully soften.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Schon sehr zugänglich und besser als erwartet. Dunkle Beeren, Kirsche, Cassis, Cigarbox, Rauch, Asian Spices. Elegant und mit Struktur, harmonisch, kein bisschen dünn, immer noch kräftiges aber sehr gutes Tannin im Abgang. Trinkt sich jetzt gut, hat sicher noch einige Jahre vor sich.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Horizontale Bordeaux 2004: Un nez un peu animal au début (tout de suite je pense Montrose?), séveux. La bouche est bien droite, large, structurée, assez tannique, avec une fraicheur qui vient le rendre aimable. C'est long, un peu austère, terreux, mais j'aime beaucoup ce style authentique, classique, sans fioritures qui évoque aussi Montrose. Très belle matière pour un tel millésime. Besoin de quelques années, mais il offre déjà un excellent vin pour la viande rouge. 92 pts
Mon préféré du groupe ce soir, mais je me demandais si le 3e (H-Bailly) ne pourrait le dépasser dans quelques années...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very pure and elegant wine. Dark fruits, cassis and a touch of tobacco. Nice length, rich and satisfying. Whilst 04 Bordeaux might never be an immortal vintage, it has produced many exceedingly pleasant wines that are drinking beautifully at a tender age, and this wine is a prime example.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Burdigala - certainly more interesting the '04 Cheval, this had lovely mature flavors of charcoal, dark fruits, gravel and tobacco. Nice complexity on the finish. A rare Montrose that can be drunk at age 11.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I liked this and the market appears to under-rate it. Good upside potential with more age. Light spice and smooth dark fruit on the nose. Jammy, with nice fruit and acidity, this has a long life and will be approachable young with its smooth tannins.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
nutmeg and all sorts of other spices. relatively open and probably at an optimal time to drink. This was quite lovely, lightweight for left bank bordeaux, and had tons of delicate flavors behind it's cab profile.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much more mature than previous bottle a couple years ago. More red fruited and quite elegant, but disappointingly also seemed flatter and less interesting. As one taster noted while it has some tobacco and cassis notes it lacks some of the funky charm I enjoy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium bodied and starting to display secondary characteristics of tobacco, earth, cassis, spice, and forest floor, the wine is focused on its subdued tannins, dark cherries and earthy profile.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Dinner at Browntrout (Browntrout - Chicago, IL): Served blind. Clayton brought this, and we spent time as a group talking through what we thought this was. I think Tim was on the right path - thinking it was Bordeaux from a coolish vintage. I've always thought that Montrose was one of the most distinct wines in Bordeaux, but I certainly wasn't thinking this when it was revealed. This had a lot of firm and fresh berries, and earth but lacked the funky notes that I've come to associate with this Chateaux. Nevertheless, I liked this a lot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Dinner at Browntrout (Chicago, IL): Served blind. Well, this was embarrassing. Huge black nose had me peg it as some sort of new world syrah -- and the bit of blue fruit on it didn't help either. The palate was definitely a bit more restrained, and there was a strange note of licorice on the finish as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
More confirmation that the '04 vintage is often underrated. Deep purple and concentrated. Aromatic complexity that took 2 hours to develop, with blackcurrant, crushed rock, mineral, a bit of leather, tobacco, and oak spice. Nice ripe primary fruit. Oak well-integrated at this point. Silky, round, and medium-bodied. Tannins will benefit from softening over time. Medium-plus finish. An excellent value for a Montrose. At least 10 years cellaring potential, but can drink now.
Very muskuline and reserved with lots of tannin at the moment. Shyer than expected. Dark fruits, cherry, cassis and a touch of tobacco. Nice length and richness but the next bottle has to wait a couple of years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just purchased from PC and in excellent condition with a taped up label. Still primary with excellent balance that should cruise in the cellar another 15+ years. This needs time to develop.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is nice now. Nose is very expressive compared to the palate. Throwing a lot of sediment. Flavors of cigar box, dark fruit, some berry flavors. Very smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Young but starting to drink; wonderful fruit balanced with a still tannic base. Very nice depth and palate presence. Interesting qualities to the flavor profile but not much in the way of layered complexity which I would expect of a great Montrose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 3 hours. Well balanced and complete though just in early adulthood. Equal measures fruit and scorched earth with a lovely tannic frame and good acidity. Still waiting for the chiseled features and complexity of maturity. A fine claret that should drink well for another decade.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $60+ (Bin 75): Opaque core with thin dull carmine rim; green pepper, leather, currant, cigar, fruit cake; surprisingly softer tannin, very drinkable, classic Cabernet based Bordeaux, darker fruit, nice richness in a lesser year which I'd describe as a Bordeaux drinker's vintage.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definitely drinking in it's prime. A great bottle of wine; wish I had more. Graphite, cassis, red plum, cherry, medium long finish, with silky smooth tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
beautiful wine, needs lots of air to come open, but after that process is completed it becomes great, I would recommend to open it 1 day ahead, close the bottle again after 3 hours and than store it at a fresh place overnight, rich and long middle part, just not reaching the level of the 2003
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is impressive for a 2004. Double decanted then and left for 45mins before drinking. Gorgeous fruit with cassis, graphite etc along with nice tannin structure making for a soft, velvety wine. Drinking nicely now but years ahead of it. Many picked it as a 2000. Stood up well against some other big name 2nd growths from much better years.
Haut-Brion & more (Buchery de Bariloce restaurant): Dark red-purple-black Classic Medoc aroma with notes of black fruit & leather. Full bodied, firm tannins, high acidity, well structured, black fruit, leather, cedar and some green veggies. Enjoyable finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux Offline (Rincon 38, Mpls, MN): Very dark red-purple color. Decanted for 2 hours, followed two 2.5oz pours over 2 hours. More primary up front, black fruits, cassis, blackberry, subtle earth, ripe pretty fruit, graphite and oak. The palate is big, full bodied, tart fruit, becomes more earthy, tobacco, graphite, wood spice, tart red berries, long finish. This suffered a bit in comparison to the wines with 10 years more age, but shows all the promise to be every bit as good in 5-10 years. 91(+)pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe (Rodwell House): Mid to deep black-red, the nose is brooding with spicy oak, black fruit, damp clay, dust and lightly roasted herbs. Mid to full-bodied, the entry is fresh and silky in texture with freshness and a lively acidity making the wine spring along. A long finish with powdery tannins and a core of toasted herbs, smoke, recently defrosted blackcurrants, liquorice and tobacco. A classy wine with good concentration, not that gutsy in the mid-palate, still needs time. The oak spices leave a drying note on the finish, and the wine lacks some complexity but is delicious all the same!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From Coravin. Let this open up in the glass with lots of swirling. Graphite, cassis, mineral, red plum. Drinking nicely now but can go another 5 years and easily be in its prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, liqourice, a hint of mint, red berries and leather. It tastes like red berries. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
This wine needs to be stored for at least another 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2 hour decant. Nose of old basement- dust and concrete, a hint of tobacco, no fruit. Much better on the palate. Meaty with tongue coating tannins which gained weight throughout the night. 91+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
opened this up for a Christmas dinner. at the first 2 hours it was very intense and not welcome, but then it opened up nicely. a dark fruity, long nose with nice palate and tannine, then showing some vanilla assets, overall dense and perfect balanced. a great wine with potential for many more years - happy to have 35 bottles left in my cellar!
Opened up nicely with a wonderful, complex nose. Blackcurrant, green pepper, white pepper, mint, dry leave, graphite, savory note and purfume. Lots of strength in the mouth, concentrated dark fruit, and still lots of tannins and acidity. Medium, spicy finish. Delicious now but can hold effortlessly.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank from half bottle.... and the wine was still relatively fresh & young. Definitely needs more time. Notes of black fruit, pencil lead, and graphite and leather.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Le plus élégant et complexe des 3 St-Estèphe de la déguste au Rouge Bouef de Granby le 22 nov 2013. Rond et velouté avec de beaux tannins et une longue finale vaporeuse. Excellent comme à l'habitude!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great wine, but very young still. After a short decanting, and after an hour in the glass, it was still very closed. Tannins galore. I'll open my other bottle in 10 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
S FL WS Group Summer Offline (Market 17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL): From magnum with no decanting. Dark cherry and currant fruit, medium body and acidity, with a little earth and a hint of dill. Jack got bell pepper notes which was a big turnoff for him. This did not show as well as expected, but I think this will improve with more time in the bottle (more air or decanting would likely have been beneficial as well).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
One whiff and you know this is from the Medoc. I brought this to a nice BYOB restaurant and I was unable to decant before, but this could definitely age for another 10+ years. Medium+ tannin structure with a medium+ acidic backbone. Well rounded with a long finish. Notes of black fruit, leather, cedar and some green veggies. Beautiful wine that went perfect with the lamb I had for dinner. I think this could develop into a 94-95 pt wine with some time.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Actually in a pretty good place right now. Throwing quite a bit of sediment. This is deeply concentrated and developing a bit of tertiary flavors while retaining some good fruit. No heat nor astringency. Very nice.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great mid-palate and finish. I was very impressed with this wine, it is clearly putting on weight (albeit still lighter than the bigger Montrose vintages). One to look for, a potential ‘under the radar’ vintage, although this does not come close to the quality of the 2005 – which imho remains the best value great Montrose vintage to buy.
Wanted to give it a try and see where the 2004 Montrose is at. Still quite primary, dark purple core. With a decent amount of aeration time, aromas of graphite, blueberry, licorice, menthol, earth, and a hint of oaky vanilla reveal themselves in the glass. Although it's less powerful and opulent than the 2003 vintage, the 2004 Montrose is still a very solid, well structured/balanced claret. Close to full bodied mouth feel, with notes of sweet prune and burnt wood. Soft, round chewy tannins and medium acidity, keeping a fresh finish with tobacco smoke, leather and tiny drop of orange peel.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Bordeaux tasting, WineGate) Clear, deep purple color color. Clean, medium+ intensity (it could be pronounced if the wine was decanted), dense and complex, thick core of blackcurrant, blackberries, plums, capsicum, freshness, vanilla toasted oak, liquorice, raspberry marmalade (in terms of preserved freshness rather than cooked fruit), pencil shaving and ink. Young Dry palate, medium alcohol (13%), medium + acidity, medium + body, medium intensity and medium tannins. A basked filled with black skinned fruits (cherries, berries and currants, plums), vanilla, toasted oak again, balancing between acidity and tannins with the fruit in the middle holding it together. Young Premium price (100€), outstanding quality, it can be drunk now (with hours of decanting) but will clearly age for many years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux 2004 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Beautiful and a bit rustic bouquet with dark forest fruits and smoky oak. On the palate juicy fruits, some vanilla and other sweet spices. Quite expressive and with a firm dose of alcohol. Possibly the wine did not get enough time to breathe, because -although it was beautiful- for Montrose it was a bit disappointing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Earthy, dusty, gray 'montrose' nose. Tannins are still there, although this is well-balanced. Tobacco, leather, green peppers and black pepercorn were coming through after about 2.5 hours in the decanter. It didn't seem to change much beyond that. Seems somewhat closed-down, lacking in wow factor compared to other vintages I've had. I'll hold on to what I have to see where it goes from here.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2004 Bordeaux Tasting: Deeply pitched nose with sweet black cherry, sexy and opulent. Flinty mineral aromas, mixed with a purity of fruit that is hard to put into words. Baking spices, bit of oak toast, forward and holding nothing back. Powerful and masculine in the mouth, dense and layered but not heavy. Great acidity carries the fruit and oak, tannins round out on the finish. Bright and lengthy, seductive and drinking great now. It will be hard to keep my hands off the others.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite elegant on the palate, with well integrated notes of dark berries, smoke and some cedar/graphite. Tannins were surprisingly hard and did not really evolve through the meal. Dinged a point or two for a clipped and thin finish, but all in all an exemplary St Estephe that could reward a few more years' patience.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Work Wine Tasting (Office - London): Dark purple in the glass, a good nose of tobacco and cassis. On the palate, this was much more of a show-off compared to the Giscours. It really showed the weight from St Estephe. Tannins are well integrated, but the balance is very good and this should last for quite a while yet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
rett fra flasken, klassisk nese, men ikke særlig fruktdreven. Litt lær, sedertre og jordlige toner. Frukt mot bjørnebær. I munnen ikke samme fruktkonsentrasjonen og modningen som 05, fin syre og en mer drikkeklar vin enn de øvrige. Fortsatt primær. Særlig flott syre. Medium+ tanniner. Dekantert 6 timer; Mer moden og varm frukt samt den gjennomgående moccaen, strålende syre. 92 p ved åpning, 93p etter dekantering. Dag to i dekanter, en mer spennende nese med litt indian spices ut over den klassiske Bordeaux nesen. Strålende balanse, fremstår ikke røff, men viser flott givende frukt mot blåbær. Drikker fint.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium dark. Nose smelled of green pepper, black pepper and tobacco. Much the same in taste with dominate green pepper with some cracked black pepper and a leather taste on the finish. If I didn't T know better I would think this had a lot mor cab franc in it... Balance was good, but tannins were still a bit hard. Enjoyable but not great.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Klar, dyprød med hint av rosa i kanten. Solbærbusk, bjørnebær, jord, urter og kaffe med et søtlig vanilje på nese. Mørk, meget tett og tørr frukt med et svakt urtete preg. Mild fruktsødme. Frisk og saftig syre. Fin lengde med noe grove tanniner. Litt rustikk, men fin vin. La gjerne ligge. 91-92 P
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordal aux Trois Tours à Bourguillon: Décanté environ 45 min. Grenat sombre, tirant sur le violet. Nez violent de goudron, de cuir. Etonnamment l'attaque en bouche est plus molle, peu de complexité, monolithique, tanins herbacés. Sans doute n'est-il pas dans sa meilleure période, un peu décevant pour tous, à revoir dans 5 ans.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple, extracted, thin purple rim; tons of Bordeaux funk on the nose along with luxurious cigar, mahogany, leather, blackcurrant, cassis, opulence showing its nobility, surprisingly very open [for its age and only 2 hours of air]; classic Left Bank Bordeaux, balanced, rich and not overripe, very drinkable. Really surprised how good the Cos and Montrose from '04 drink young since many other chateaux struggled.
Deep garnet color. Soft tannins, and still some fruit. Even though it was basically a good wine, I did not find it to be very pleasureable and I actually considered it to be a disappointment. Of course this complaint is one that is relative to my expectations. Stored undisturbed for 8 years at 11-14C.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Even though we had no time to decant and drinking it on the slopes, granted at the beautiful Zum See in Zermatt, the wine shone and for a 2004 Bordeaux it shown very well. The nose took 30 mins to develop but post that it was classic, light pepper good fruit and very open. On the palate none of that green bits we usually find in 04s. Good length of fruit, ripe notes, light on the oak and very very enjoyable. Granted it needs some more depth but this is one of the very few 04s we really liked. Time will do it justice. 92-93 for now
Dunkle Farbe. Wein mit kräftiger Struktur. Es ist alles vorhanden, was es für einen guten Bordeaux braucht. Zum Spitzenwein fehlt die Rundheit. Für meinen Geschmack ist der Wein momentan gut trinkbar, aber noch nicht auf dem Punkt. Sicher ein Kauf wert. Wird noch zulegen. Probiere die nächste Flasche in drei Jahren.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 3+ hrs prior to tasting. Shows inprovement from bottle a year ago... has now reached early maturity. Gravelly and dusty as before but with more fruit and intensity than I remember and better integration. Good structure and acidity... lovely stuff. Med+ body with a firm and clean mouthfeel. Doesn't have the flesh or weight of some subsequent vintages... more classically styled. Re-bottled last glass and threw it in vacuum bar. Consumed next day and showed even better with more depth and intensity. Quality wine at a great price that should improve and drink well for a decade at least. 92+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Dust, and Mineral. It tastes like Dust, Mineral, Clove, and Mint. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
First nose was of meat right after uncorking. Over time the wine blended and became better and better. Would recommend a 1 hour decant prior to serving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromas of red fruit, cassis and wet stone. Medium bodied and a nice balance. This has come along way since my last bottle. Cherries, with hints of mocha and anise on the palate. Medium length finish. This is a very nice claret that will improve with more time. I like this a lot and would by more if available.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Extremely floral (mostly irises and roses, with some violets and lavenders) in the rich perfumed nose shortly after opening; but still tannic and tight on the green (mostly herbs and licorices with some fruits) palate even after breathing in the open bottle for hours; the finish was also rather short like Lascombes 2004 tasted last week; definitely needed a few more years to integrate all the good stuff prior to maturity; but already enjoyable to drink, so 91-92 for now (94-95 for the fabulous nose alone, and yes, I was afraid of losing my sense of smell, again) with great cellar potential; will probably pop the next bottle in 3-4 years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
As with the '04 Lalande last month, dramatic improvement from my two previous tastings. Terrific nose just now showing maturity, with roasted cherries, stone, tobacco, leather. Medium bodied, with dark raspberries, spice, minerals. Still a more classic year for Montrose and it cannot compare to the insane '90, but I believe the aromas of this wine are better than the '96, although the palate falls just short.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had this with a nice filet of beef. Opened it 2 hours beforehand and carafed it. Nose is fantastic, fruit is joyful in the mouth and the lenght is really surprising for the vintage. Can be kept for at least another 10 years as of now. I just love this Château, as well as the second growth, "La Dame de Montrose".
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby in colour with purple highlights. A sweet and balanced nose with jammy fruits, bell pepper, menthol, earth, leathery barnyard like animal and oak notes. Medium to full bodied, smooth structure with ripe fruits, high extracted. Tannins are distinct but will most probably be integrated. It leaves an impression of a 3-4 years old "young" wine with its fruitness,clayey earthy notes and vivid acidity on the palate. Not refined by a strong structure. Its long finish along with some spices,earthiness and black fruits shows us that this wine has a potential to age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep, purple tinged alizarin crimson cherry red. Limited nose of black fruits. Mid-weight smooth entry filling out on mid palate with lots of lovely ripe fresh fruit. Tannins are not obtrusive but fine and quite ripe; a gentle coating. Fresh acidity and long finish. Lovely now with plenty to go for over next 5 - 8 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for an hour before drinking. LOTS of structure. Pretty nose and pretty on the palate, but hidden behind the structure for the most part. Classic cassis and cigar box on both the nose and the palate. The nose is also giving up some floral hints and some chocolate flavors on the palate. Longish finish. Wait for this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not as muscular as I was expecting, less tannic and more open. Olives, bitter chocolate and tobacco with balanced oak, crunchy acidity and excellent length. Should age well enough.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Classical Bordeaux with a luxurious bouquet with coffee and cassis. On the palate a lot of cassis and other black fruits, a touch of pleasant sweetness, some green bell peppers and a touch of chocolate. The tannin is of good quality and still holds a promise for this wine. Although already drinkable, still very youthful. Next bottle not before 2017.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Open, sexy, seductive. Kirsch, coffee, dark chocolate, indian spices. Slight sense of sweetness on the palate. Not very complex, yet very, very tasty. 17.5-18/20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
It needs aeration in bottle, before you get the best of it. Intoxicating nose with a deep core of cassis surrounded by complex aromas of olives, leather, pencil shavings, and mocha. The palate is smooth and balanced and the long finish reveals complex aromatic notes. A bit young, of course, but approachable. Drink from now and until 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flott kompleks aroma av kaffe, lær, blyant, mørkebær ++. Smaken følger aroma. Med flott fylde, balanse og en god lang finish! Gode viner som denne fra 2004 er akkurat hva jeg søker i en Bordeaux, med sin klassiske stil treffer den veldig godt i min gane! Bare en flaske igjen og på tide å fylle på litt....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Surprisingly approachable, and starting to show some evolution, although the black, dense fruit will be much better once it has started to mellow and the structure backs off a touch. Impressive.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A nice 375 which is not quite ready. Opened for 4 hours, decanted for one. Showed no green tastes or odors, but had a tannic bite that only partially dissipated. Medium body, some evidence of complexity that might emerge. Moss, mushroom, wet oak scents with rough velvet medium body taste,. Not as much classic Montrose smokiness or subtlety. Clearly the vintage is a string factor but it deserves more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much more expressive on the nose than previous bottles. Consistently beautiful as before and never seemed to have closed down. Should really leave the rest for them to mature...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Only had a small taste of this, but found it far more accessible and enjoyable than I expected. Typically, Montrose is a wine I only appreciate with age on it, but this already had some secondary characteristics showing. Nice tobacco, earth and mint on the palate seemed to hint at the wines exciting future. Glad I own some.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank at wineC. Decanted for 1 hour prior.....not nearly enough as it kept unfolding in the glass. This wine belies the 04 vintage. Dense and deep red in colour. Lots of expression coming off the nose- spice, dark fruit, and some tobacco. The palate is smooth and velvety. Tannins are there but intergrating and not intrusive. This wine is delicious now but will obviously improve with further age. Considered as wine of the night along with 2000 Haut Brion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
there is great expression in the bouquet; of game, currants, mint, dark fruit and some light barn scents, rounded, balanced, shows dark plums and berries, chocolate and earth, graceful acid flows off the finish, velvety tannins, delicious in youth, drinking well now with decant or a bit of air, was perfect with NY steaks and cheesy fried zucchini, dark fruit and mineral laced Bordeaux
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Très classique, très droit avec des tannins supers élégants et un nice "mouthfeel". Meilleur que l'année dernière mais j'attenderais pas bcp plus. Très typique, pas super complex (cuire, poivron, tabac) mais tout de même un très bon vin. Super comme apéro avant la grosse débauche chez nous. Ca donne un buzz.
989/1000
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Improved since last bottle (a year ago). Deep red. Complex nose with lots of dark fruit. Pure and elegant. Layers upon layers. Super body with dark fruit and refined tannins. Long finish that lasts and lasts. Still very young and will improve for several more years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Drank alongside a 2004 Smith Madrone Cabernet and they were remarkably similar. Leather, green pepper, tobacco, black fruit and earth on the nose. Still quite backward and tannic, but quite well made and constructed. Another 5 years will do it good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2+ hrs prior to first taste. Very pretty and clear dark fall red color. The deep, rich, and expressive nose shows black and red fruits, mint, cedar, a touch of barnyard, and loads of gravel. On the palate, this starts with a fine tannic entry and light wood notes that are accompanied by blackberries, black currant, and cranberries with mocha and barnyard that seemed to gain steam with air. Good freshness. Very elegant in composition but with good intensity. This old school wine is dusty and gravelly in nature with a fine, silky texture, bright acidity, sound structure, and good length. Paired well with grilled lollipop lamb chops. Young but approachable now, though for my palate I will probably wait a couple of years before popping another. 91 today but with time this should gain another point or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux 2004 Dinner at 3418 (My House): An outstanding Montrose. It's certainly accessible now, but don't expect a mature wine. The most elegant of wine of the tasting. Classy. Juicy. Nice weightlessness. One of us ranked it #1 of the tasting. The rest of us ranked it #2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chateau Montrose vertical (Tower Club): Alcohol :: 13% Beautiful dak ruby red with light purplish rim, not a sign of bricking or brownish. The nose is quite with smoke, pencil lead, tobacco, cedar, ash, blackcurrant, blackberry and touch of spiciness, this is indeed very expressive. High acid entry with good dose of new wood but quickly buffered by sweet dark fruits at the background. A little bit lean but this has lots of power beneath. Light to medium level of fine grained, but a little bit hard tannin for better grip with dark chocolate and roasted coffee bean bitterness toward the long lingering finish with spicy aftertaste. With time, this wine showing more lushness and completeness. Good to drink now and will last at least another decade or more. 88
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bon sans être grand. Nez évolue grandement après l'ouverture de la bouteille. En bouche, c'est un peu décevant. Peut-être que davantage de fruit pour accompagner l'incroyable masse tannique (quoique bien fondus les tannins) aurait conduit à un meilleur équilibre.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super tannic even for my tannin lovin palate. Nicely balanced with restrained dark fruit and touch tar or smokiness. Hint of coffee. Wish it had a little more fruit but otherwise very nice. Well made. From 375.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice nose of black fruit, pain d'épices, mineral, licorice, ... beautiful mouth of black fruit, ripe tannins, lots of freshness, nice concentration... very typical nice Bordeaux, very approcheable 2001 style
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind from a decanter. Clear, deep garnet/ruby. The nose is clean, with a little animal (barnyard). The nose is developing, with aromas of black fruit and sweet spice. The palate is dry, the acidity is medium but the tannins; alcohol, body, flavor intensity and length are medium plus. The wine seems vey well made and balanced. It is smooth and elegant, with no rough edges. Overall, it is a very good wine which can be drunk now but has potential for ageing quite a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beefy, brawny and tannic, this powerful, cassis and gravel filled wine is on the austere side of the style range. With rusticity to the tannins, the wine finishes with cassis, cranberry and minor hints of green flavor. This St. Estephe wine is well suited to fans of more traditional, old school styles of Bordeaux wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Montrose Vertical Tasting 1989 - 2005 (Work in Progress) (Switzerland): Intensive deep red. Nose of pepper, herbs and flower with hints of green peppers. Tannins and tartiness are presenta at the same time wonderful flavors of dark berries and currants. This wine is still quite youthful. Not a blockbust but a nice claret. Give it a few more years to develop. Drink 2015-2030.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375. Popped and poured. Nose of tobacco, cedar, graphite, red currant, mocha, blackberry, mint, bell pepper, anise. On the palate, black currant, sour cherry, earth, tobacco, anise, cedar. Great complexity and structure. Finishes with smooth tannins and great acidic kick. Drink or hold in 375. Hold in 750 or larger.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep reddish almost purple color. Gamey nose with smoke and black fruit. Full bodied and youthful. This enters with tons of cassis/black currant with some tobacco elements floating about. This is, for the most part in a big brooding phase. It began to show some elegance as the night went on and it took on air in the glass, but it is still a young muscular wine and it not going to be yielding anytime soon. Chalky tannins add to the glorious black fruited finish. The acidity is really what keeps this in balance as it does brighten the fruit just enough to make this a thorougly enjoyable bottle especially with food.
Great wine which will get even better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark, huge nose, strong grip…a lot going on cassis, tobacco, and many other elements I can’t recall 2 days later on a night of many BDX wines. Great now but a lot of potential for this to shine for another 10+ years. Challenged the '71 Latour for my WOTN
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted an hour after decanting. Deep purple. Nose of bramble, mineral and fruit. Great fruit with black current, blackberry, raspberry, black olive... there is a lot going on here. Long, earthy finish with fine tannins that are not overpowering. I really should have waited but this is very drinkable now especially with this evening's grilled ribeye. It cuts the tannins perfectly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really lovely. Wish I got more of this. It really shows its class and pedigree. It's quite closed down upon opening, but after a half hour or so of decanting really opens up nicely. Will hold onto my last two bottles for a few more years though.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop and poured and surprisingly open (relatively) consider I last opened one 2 months ago. Nose was present and nice. Dark sweet fruit with tons of earth, tobacco, cassis, smoke, minerals. Tannins are strong but smooth, and (for me) doesn't distract from this really excellent wine. Much better than the 06 Rancia opened earlier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux at the Monterey (The Monterey): Splash decanted, took several hours to open up. Finally showed an intense nose of charcoal, roasted coffee, and cassis. Big chalky tannins on the palate, but plenty of cassis and currants, finishing with layers of coffee, charcoal, and a grilled meat element. Dark and burly, but great fruit mixed in. Impressive, and distinctive in a tasting of Pauillac. Initial green pepper note blew off with air. Really enjoyed the flavor profile of this although not as complex as Mouton or Pichon-Baron.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark purple. Decanted for an hour, nose is still closed but start to reveal more and more (mainly black forest fruit and mineral) during the next 1.5 hours. Very very tannic and I think it still need a few more years to reveal its full potential. Nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured a small amount. Put the rest in the decanter and drank over 2+ hours. Ruby color, just barely rusting at the edge. Nose predominantly of barnyard, but with black fruit developing with air. Palate showed dried blackberry and black currant initially, but the fruit ripened and sweetened with time. The tannins were high and pretty dry. The lively acidity was a good counterbalance. Definitely mouth-coating. Finish was long. I don't think anything is to be gained by drinking immediately after opening. Was only getting better throughout the night at this age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop/poured and Vinturi'd twice into the glass. Good nose but not revealing much otherwise. Deep and richly dark fruited, has a nice sweetness but restraint. Tight on the palette with strong tannins. It does show class and elegance, but not its time yet. 90
Day 3 - held up poorly, became a little watery and flat. Hope the rest of the case will improve on this. 86
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep Crimson with a blackcurrant-y nose and just enough brett to make it interesting. Blackberries and blueberries on the palate, velvety tannins and medium length finish. Nice balance of acidity, sweetness and tannins although I don't think the structure is there for prolonged cellaring. Enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark ruby red with aromas of ripe blackcurrant and a touch of bonfire smoke. Full and ripe entry with rich black fruit but feels a little hollow in the middle. Elegant and well balanced but lacking that something extra.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark red fruit smell, light oak. A lot of fruit and some more oak on initial taste. Nicely balanced but just not quite special enough (especially at this price) and a touch austere to warrant a higher score. 89, maybe climbing to 90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice dark fruit and oak on the nose. A bit of more oak than fruit. Good mouthfeel with more of the same and a very pleasant long finish. Could use a few more years on its side but don't hesitate to open because it is still showing well right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lovely wine. A bit muted on the nose, but more happening on the palate. The fruit is restrained, which I really like. It is a great representation of this region at a reasonable price. Fiirm on the finish after a decant of an hour or so, but great balance. I'd say it will drink well for many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened it up and let it breathe thru the bottle for 4 hours. The nose was very muted and was devoid of detecting much. Wine did not show much as it expressed pencil lead, tobacco, cola & very soft tannins and not much in the way of fruit. Wasnt impressed, had a bottle of Stolpman before which was far superior than this. Have another bottle, may not let it open as long next time to see if that will produce more complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
opened for 2+ hours, whole lot of green vege & dirt on the nose, the dirtiness continues to the palette & it could be quite disturbing if not the sweetness of fruit lifted the experience. Being brought up drinking Oz wines, really can't appreciate Bordeaux that much.... yes it's interesting but not in a positive way
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
These guys know what they're doing in lesser vintages don't they. Superb wine. Previously drank from a 375 earlier in the year and found this hard to judge; but this bottle was magnificent. Took time to open up and evolved from funky barnyard, to graphite minerals, and then black cherries. Rich roasted black fruits on the finish that coated the mouth and just stayed and stayed. Lots of thick drying tannins in this wine, it should be one to cellar and enjoy its evolution for decades. Drank this in a 2004 bracket that included L' Eglise Clinet (91), Cos d'Estournel (88), and Lynch Bages (90), and this Montrose beat them all by a greater margin than the points strictly suggest.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Twin Cities Wine Club: Bordeaux (Tracy's): Very Dark red color. Nose shows cement, mineral, funk, cassis, oak. The palate is consistent, concentrated, long finish. Stellar wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark cherry ruby color. Nose is very nice with classic Estephe notes; stone, wet clay, camphor, and cherries. Palate was smooth with red berries, leather, raspberries, minerals, and a touch of spice. Firm acidity on nice finish with dusty tannins. Although this is a very solid wine, I think it will not match the other comparable classic Bordeaux year of 2001, which I think is terrific. The wine simply lacks the silky touch and sweeter fruit needed for a higher score - in my opinion. This perhaps could improve with age as the dusty tannins recede (?).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Also, along with Cos, riper than the Leovilles, but with oak note and more gravel and brambelly fruit. Reminds me of a 6 year old Ridge Zinfandel -- say Lytton with all its Petit-y power. Which probably would piss off the owners of the Chateau if they read this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose - vanilla, sweetness, but slightly subdued. Palate - cherries, redcurrants, texture really rather smooth. Refreshing acidity. Tannins will fade within 5 years. Classy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine takes time to open up. Green pepper and plum on the nose. Bright red fruits and cedar on the tongue with fine grained tannins and nicely balanced acidity. Hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Mørk rød med antydning til rødbrun kant. På nesen er det eik, plumme, kirsebær, lær og noe blyantspiss. Medium+ kropp med klare, men myke tanniner. God frukt. Lang ettersmak. Bør ligge noen år til før de er drikkeklare (4 år +).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Intense ruby-garnet, vibrant hue. Promising. Nose is still in the red fruit phase, with notes of cloves, cinnamon, leather. Archetypical Bordeaux Medoc, complex wine in the middle of its development, not too big, actually medium-bodied. The whole experience reminds of dark wood-panelled drawing rooms with leather sofas. Value/money= 6 (wine is too expensive for what it delivers)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for three hours using a funnel. See Previous notes. The tobacco and spice were at the vanguard, especially next to the Las Cases. An enjoyable and velvety wine. Drink 2011 -2030.
Consumed with the '98 Las Cases (94 pts) and the '06 Novelty Hill (93 pts). The Montrose was my second favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for two hours. Almost black core with a garnet rim. Gorgeous nose of black currant paste, St. Estephe spice, tobacco leaf, wet earth and a little blackberry. There's a hint of leather on the end. A judicious amount of concentration with a finish that is 30+ seconds. Evident tannins that are round and there's a little velvet as well. I've always enjoyed this '04 Claret. Usually a great value and really drinking nicely. This could age for another twenty years. There are some outstanding '04 Bordeaux and the pricing for that vintage was not so steep. Drink 2011 - 2030.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Première expérience avec ce grand vin. La robe est assez foncée, le nez est très expressif ce qui me surprend, sur les fruits noirs, les baies sauvages, boisé luxueux, torréfié un tantinet, un peu animal. Assez viril. En bouche, c'est massif, ample, ça explose de saveurs, velouté à souhait, structuré tout en étant sauvage et très racé. Finale longue. Belle bouteille.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375ml. Initially very mute nose, and after a couple of hours in the glass showing plum, cherry, cedar and pencil. Firm, fine tannin structure and healthy acidity. A little dry on the back end, but solid complexity on the palate with cherry, cedar, and spice character, and a lengthy mocha and slate finish. A fine bdx, primary but somewhat approachable now. Still needs 5yrs or so to be near it's optimum drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe (Rodwell House): [tasted blind] mid-deep black-red, the nose shows more evolved tertiary notes with undergrowth and woodsmoke. Slightly rustic the wine is earthy with a more classic coolness to it, dotted with some fruits. The tannins feel wider yet firm suggesting a lesser year supported by its crispy/crunchy acidity. Medium-bodied, the wine reflects that earthy almost cigar box St Julien character, but lacks overall intensity. Medium length. 2004 or perhaps 2002? some rot?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From 375. Popped and poured. Nose of tobacco, cedar, red currant, mocha, earth, blackberry, mint, black cherry, anise, bell pepper. On the palate, sour cherry, black currant, earth, tobacco, red currant, blackberry. Very complex. Finishes with smooth tannins and lively acidity. This is in a good place right now. Drink or hold. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
already drinking well > this came as a big surprise to me, big structure, big flavor and a long finish, this is a great Cabernet wine, scoring 93-94 on first day, dropping to 92-93 on 3th day
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On opening nose was tight and quite tannic. After about 2 hrs of decanting opened up and was quite nicely balanced with a nose of currents, cedar and pencil lead. Quite good but doesn't thrill.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Minneapolis Wine Club Does Bordeaux; 1/22/2010-1/23/2010 (Kevin's House): The fourth time sampling this wine. A little funk on the nose that blew off. Mostly showing gravel, cassis, and some vegetal qualities. The palate was not as impressive with previous bottlings. Medium finish and overall a really 04 value at $44 a bottle. I would encourage cellaring this one for 2 to 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
En carafe pendant 3 heures. LE nez est un peu discret au début, avec un peu d'agitation on détecte des arômes de pain grillé, de fruits noirs, de café et de terre humide. En bouche, la texture est superbe, soyeuse mais aussi ample en même temps et l'équilibre est très bien en ce moment. On goute le cassis et du Moka. Les tannins sont très charnus et la finale immensément longue. Un peu jeune encore pourra tenir la route encore bien des années, un superbe St-Estèphe ne devenir!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark ruby red...Nice aromatics which included cigar box, minerals, blackcurrant, leather and a hint of pepper..Palate: Dark fruit, pencil shavings, sandlewood, leather and minerals all of which was well balanced..complex with a nice mouthfeel..Long finish which lasted 45 seconds..Pretty much restrained at this time and needs time in the cellar to evolve. A classic montrose but would be patient with this one...Cheers!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I have tried this wine for 4 times. Very nice cigar box boquet, well balanced, early matured classic young bordeaux. Possibly the bottle tried by Alex H was flawed, suggest you give one more chance for this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
French Wine Sale (Crystal Wines): Hard , dusty with sawdust , earthyness and dried leather. Extremely austere wine with lots of bitter roots. Dry and whithery with lack of fruits.Will time soften this...not too sure. It might but really hard to drink right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Earthy nose with ripe cherries, slightly tight on opening but opened up in the glass. Quite powerful on the palette, but with elegant black fruit, slight olive and good spices (perhaps even some anise). Tannins are there but quite smooth. Needs more cellar time to fully sing but delicious already (all the 04s Bdx I've had recently have been quite rewarding). 92 Update - couple hours in the glass later, the finish became longer and very, very tasty. 93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Powerful, clean, ripe, and yet refined. It shows leather, lead pencil, cassis, and some bittersweet tobacco, all in a sleek, tight, structured, balanced package. If I could find this in the $50 range, I'd buy a ton of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2 Hours in the decanter. Elegant nose of ripe blackberry, dark earth, cedar. leather and white pepper. Great balance of strucure and fruit on the nose. A little less giving on the palate - still quite primary and not showing the naunce of the nose. Not harsh or tannic, but not fully evolved either. A great off vintage wine and will only get better with another 5 years of bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Intense blackcurrant and boysenberry nose with some green bell pepper, smoke, animality and earth. Fullbodied palate with firm tannic grip and good acidity to back up the dense fruit. Pencil shavings towards the astringent finish. Very good St.Estephe expression. Will need time for the palate to unravel.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatically- cherry, Pete soil, caramel, rosemary, pine, raspberry, and cellary root. very elegant on entry with a medium size mid, and a semi course finish. Great front pallete density, very dark purple color. Try again in 5 years. good stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted a good 6 hrs. Initially the nose was rather shy, just owing some aromas of grilled nuts. With time, classic St.Estephe damp earth was detected as well as traces of plumy fruit. Odd thing was that I never smelled any new oak, as I often do in young Bords. I wouldn’t so much as call the wine shut down, but it certainly was showing a restrained side last night, making me really work had to discern the wines plumy charms. Yet make no mistake, this is a well made wine that carried a terrific texture and was very balanced. Tannins are but strong on the back half, but that should be expected at this point in the game. Not nearly as open as a recent taste of the 04 Pontet Canet and in need of perhaps a good decade of patience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This had an unusually evolved bouquet already. Floral notes, with leather,mineral, earth and a hint of oak. Thought the palate was bit lacking, med-light weight, dark fruit but a solid enough finish to believe it has the foundation to age well. Really enjoyed it and think this has the potential to be something special. 91++
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
nose: classic montrose with lots of power behind the nose, but with a bit of that st estephe grace possesing beautiful tones of pencil shavings, cedar box, rich cassis tones, cranberries, old rawhides, leather, and dark cherry tones. absolutely beautiful right now, and can only get better
taste: nice medium/full feel with rich cassis tones, leather, pencil shavings, cedar box, cranberries, and dark cherry tones
overall: count me in the group that is really praising this wine. There is something special lurking underneath this very young wine, but its outstanding right now. This may not be on the 03, 00, and 90 level, but this is right in that second tier of montrose and is an amazing value. Great classic profile that is very fluid on the palate with a cassis attack and a leather+pencil shaving finish. This wine certainly has 94/95 pt quality in it when it comes around, the hard part is to keep your hands off of it in the mean time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From a 375ml bottle. Another impressive effort from the very underrated 2004 vintage. Agree with others that the nose is definitely slow to come around but eventually does show good fruit and a pencil shavings note mixed with a little bit of funk that I love from St. Estephe. This wine is very similar to the 04 Cos d'Estournel and I don't think I would be able to tell the two of them apart in a blind tasting. Flavors show mostly oak with just a bit of fruit and are quite tannic and the tannins have a dusty quality to them that leave a very dry finish. This wine has a long life ahead of it and all the pieces to come around quite nicely. 91-93 based on both how it is now and the potential to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very Impressive! Classically styled. This wine reminds me of the old west. The nose is slow to come around but very complex and quixotic (pertaining to romantic qualities). With coaxing the wine reveals scents of smoke, beef, and leather with sweet red fruits –cherries and red grenadine. The tannins have a very dusty feel- a bit chalky. It is no doubt smooth and shows excellent balance. Right now the merlot in wine is really dominating the palate with its lush feel. If this wine can hold itself together for another 15 years to let the secondary nuances gain power it will be approaching extraordinary. I know this not a first growth and it is what it is, but I really enjoyed it and think for the vintage it is underrated and spectacular. –back up the truck.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted by vinoblm on 6/13/08 after 4+ hours decanting--couldn't resist. This will be a glorious St. Estephe in a few years; notes of oak, earth, blackberry, firm tannins, with who knows what else to come!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Last time I tasted 1 glass but this time we tested the whole bottle...almost 5 hours.
This is the wine of the vintage for me, complicated wine, the nosing changes every 30 mins, many scents included little mild creamy, light to medium toasted-oak, red fruits, rose, flowers, mineral and herbs.
Medium-bodied, beautiful texture, cloning of 1982, easy impressed...a little bit to young.
Nice aftertaste...it's not great but it's really good...better buy a case.
Drink 2010 - 2022....91+/100....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Ember (Ember, Bangkok): The most opened 2004 wine of the night ! Very forward, at least when I had it. Concentrated floral, blackberries, cassis.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Inky color. Nose of coffee, tobacco, cedar, black currant, and mint. On the palate tobacco, spice, cedar, chocolate, espresso. Extremely tannic and angular on the finish. A lot of stuff lurking there in the background. Needs more time but has the right stuff. Acceptable value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some 2004 Bdx at a Tasting in Mid-March: If I thought the 04 Smith Lafitte was tannic, this stole the prize away. Very closed nose of cedar and chocolate and camphor/menthol. More menthol/camphor on the palate with a very tight structure underneath which isn't giving much away right now. Long finish and tannic. Closed but this will be great when ready. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At Nicolas, drank with great beef with Bordelais sauce. Beautiful Zwiesel 1824 Bordeaux stems. Good wine, but very young, slightly closed even after a 3 hour decant. Dark, inly colour, great nose of almomst new-worldly sweet blackcurrants (like the yellow Hacks sweets), but mingled with very Bordeaux leather, forest floor and tobacco leaf. E got a little mintiness. Quite a bit of lurking oak on the edges as well. Palate was a lot more subdued, with rather secondary flavours, like tobacco, cedar wood and spice. Grippy tannins and decent finish. Rather good balance and structure, as you would expect from a class St Estephe. Went lovely with my beef and E's red lamb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
his wine was showing quite well, probably my favorite wine of the evening (tasted blind). Deep ruby color with blackberry aromas. Medium bodied with a thick layer of tannin blanketing the fresh acidity. Way too young, Should be held for 5 years before trying again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed at Perilla in NYC with Mike Capilouto - completely intoxicating nose, rich taste with earth, steel and blackberry. The finish goes on and on. I paired this with grilled hanger steak and what a combination that was. Obviously will improve with more bottle age but drinking really nice right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Oak and dark fruits in the bouquet. Very good concentration. A lot of cassis and tannin. But it all is beautiful. This wine definitely needs a lot of time to show its real merits. 8 – 10 years from now to start with. In my score part of the estimated final score is already calculated, because I was already very much impressed. But it might even gain a few points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ch. Montrose Dinner (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Deep inpenetrable purple. Good nose of red fruits but quite closed. Nice oak in the mouth in a California style but crowded out by the tannins. The fruit hardly pokes through at all. Not much length. Hard to judge at this stage of its life.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium bodied. Ripe currant, cedar and tobacco on the nose. A little thin on the mid palate. Oak not fully integrated. The finish is ends with drying tannins. I'm looking for sub-$100 04s to buy by the case; this won't be one of them.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dense, glossy, blackish red hue. Quite accessible nose, full of impressions: a whiff of horse stable, very elegant toasty oak notes, smoke, stone and minerals, sweet virginia, figs and more subtle notes of bacon, meat, red wine sauce, beetroot and flowers. We even find the smell of pruning a plum tree - something like bitter almond. Overtones of red apples and peaches. Great complexity, to say the least... The taste is dry, tannic, silky, with high, fine acids. Very stylish and enjoyable. Maybe a tad thin on the midpalate at the moment, but that might cure with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened for three hours, not decanted. What wonderful nose, it just fills the glass with cigar, tobacco, ripe dark fruit and cassis. Follows up a bit lighter on the palette, the weight and structure in the mouth not as pronounced as the nose. A medium length finish. It will be good to see what this does in a number of years, but it's certainly a pleasant bottle now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had next to the 1989 and I feel like this could be there someday. I can't believe how nice this is drinkinhg for such a young wine, the 2004's seem really open for business
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is more like it. This is what the 2004 Sociando Mallet strives for but does not quite achieve. It seems like a more traditionally styled Montrose, with ripe tannins and bold black fruit that bites you back. Deep black purple color. It is to St. Estephe what Mouton is to Pauillac in a good vintage. Nice finish. This is a quality Montrose, although, at $60ish, they are pushing my limit as to what I am willing to pay for this wine. I'll probably buy a couple more to keep in the cellar for at least another ten years. Rating: 90 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting Group Dinner - Steaks & Montrose (Dave's House): This reminded me a lot of the 2001. Medium weight, with the classic Montrose dark fruit/coffee/mineral flavor profile. Still relatively open at this point in its evolution. This wine doesn't have the power of the 03 (nor the price tag), and seems very true to its terroir. Wait at least 5 more years before trying again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another Tuesday Night in Minneapolis (Montrose 82, 86, 89, 90, 95, 01, 03, 04): Opened but not decanted about two hours before serving. This is a much more traditional offering than the 2003. The nose gives a stern dose of dark fruit, leather, mineral, and flowers. On the palate this gives dark fruit with dried herbs and mineral in a pleasing but stern and straightforward style. Extremely tannic. Great length on the finish. Some called this slightly green, but to me it was a great lean style of Bordeaux that I love. Glad I've got a case of this hidden away.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Obviously young, but all I could find in a local liquor store that looked interesting. Had alongside a 98 Karl Lawrence, which was an interesting comparison. Opened and let sit for 5 hours before drinking. Still took a couple hours to really open up. Nice notes of tobacco and dark fruit with some oakiness coming out to play after a couple hours. Well balanced, but obviously needs years in the cellar. Medium to long finish, and surprisingly approachable. May be one of the last truly affordable vintages of Bordeaux and this is a nice bottle for the vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Basically seemed like a mix of old world Bordeaux with new world characteristics with nice deep fruit present. May be closing down. Interesting wine with excellent potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Some nicely sweet, juicy fruit. Peppery with sweet cherry, menthol and lots of tacky teeth coating oaky tannins. Hot with dark tar, tobacco and a long finish. Nice classic profile, good complexity, but ultimately lacks depth in the fruit. As it warms up and opens, it's also widening. It's a lot of tannin, but the fruit is rounding out. B/B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
5/12/2024 - Maphill01 Likes this wine:
First of three from auction, pristine cork. Decanted off moderate sediment. black fruit, black cherry, cedar, and lots of graphite and wet gravel. Medium bodied, medium+ acidity and chewy tannins. Early maturity, drinking well now with minimal decant. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2024 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I love this vintage of Montrose. It is a beautiful claret that is singing right now. While it will benefit from a decant, it is drinking wonderfully straight out of the bottle. This is a classic Bordeaux that does not disappoint. Wonderful.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/15/2024 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another 2004 horizontal (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Bonus glass from the other table. In contrast to the VCC, this bottle was clearly correct, thus convincing me that the one I tried a couple of weeks ago was indeed faulty. Forest fruits and oak on the nose. Really lovely on the palate, with oodles of red fruit and plenty of framing structure and tannin - another 10 or more years of pleasure to come from these, I'd say.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2024 - Paul D wrote: 92 Points
Jonathan’s 2004 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): This again has lovely, pure, almost noble blackcurrant fruit on the nose, as sense of smoke and mineral too, cedar. Quite youthful. Medium/full bodied, dark fruit, cedary, fresh acids with some grippy tannin still on the good length finish. Excellent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2024 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 2 (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Spot on, a far better bottle than in March, less austere and more pliant, without the hint of greenness that some thought was present. This is nicely open, with rich and deep seam of dark blue cool fruit, very moreish indeed. After the last bottle I wasn't sure this could ever deliver but this is emminently drinkable whilst staying on the side of straight-laced. Delicious. My #2 WOTN.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2024 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jonathan's 2004 Bordeaux Check In (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London, UK): Smoky, rich mulled wine syrup nose with cinnamon and star anise. With air some blueberry coulis some salty caper. With air hints of Madeira treacle cake and suggestion of wilted tart, sand under ripe red fruits that reminds me of rhubarb. Classy and by a whisker my wine of the night.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2024 - Jamieson12o Likes this wine: 92 Points
2004 Bordeaux at Blacklock, City, with NLWTS (Blacklock, City): Cool nose, bit green, pretty elevated. A spectre of some (minor) TCA? Palate follows suite. Very drinkable. In a good place in terms of weight and development; good concentration still. Tiny bit short on the finish and the aforementioned greenness would be the only criticism I could level.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2024 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 1 (Blacklock City): Deep and dark. Initially quite closed on the nose, however it is fruitier on the palate, fine acidity and some salty tangy notes. Whilst this never strays far from austerity, a good swish and a bit of time does allow it to unclench a bit, show a few curves amongst the straight lines. I found it more exciting that the Calon-Segur it was paired with, but it’s still rather foursquare and not very pliant. Needs more time basically, though doubt it will ever truly blossom! We started these before food arrived, which I suppose is objectively best, but food improved this and the Calon dramatically.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
3/25/2024 - NickA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Jonathan's 2004 horizontal (Blacklock City): Didn't show as well as a bottle a year ago, and I wonder if the green, leafy nose was in fact evidence of TCA (although no-one else mentioned it, and I decided to stay quiet). Juicy but slightly chewy on the palate, with more tannin with air, a saline estuarine quality and fruity but clipped finish. As with the Calon, better with food.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2024 - Eric wrote:
2004 Bordeaux at 20 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 3/23/2024-3/24/2024 (Atlanta, GA): Mmm, roasted, horse, dark, stern, cranberry, menthol/pine, yum, firm, chewy, very elevated acidity, spicy. I love this sort of beastly beast of a wine. My #1 and the group #1. Correctly guessed as Montrose.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2024 - Psdycp wrote: 92 Points
Good purity of blackcurrant, fragrant cedar, herbaceous and undergrowth on the nose. Palate is smooth and polished. Good elegance on a medium-bodied structure. Nice length. Finish is persistent and minerals. Ready to drink now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2024 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux 2004 - 20 Years On - 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted. Observations: 1) 2004 is a mediocre vintage overall, with many pleasant wines, but without the depth of better years. 2) At the top, the vintage produced some classic, old-school wines with lots of freshness and fresh fruit. 3) At the lower end, many wines lacked fruit and ripe tannins, resulting in some astringent and slightly drying wines. 4) An alarming number of Right Bank wines (5 out of 16, no Left Bank wine) were oxidized, including some heavyweights like Petrus, Evangile or Figeac. An unacceptably high proportion of faulty wines. 5) I’m not sure that the 2004 are currently in a good phase, many of my scores were lower than in previous tastings. The question is if it’s just a weaker phase or the beginning of the end. 6) At the top and the only wine >95pts was a layered Le Pin (rated 96pts), with a charming Vieux Chateau Certan, a surprising Issan and Clos l'Eglise, as well as an elegant Lafite sharing second place (all rated 94pts).
TN: Late in the tasting, I didn’t take detailed notes anymore. Muted on the nose and palate at first, the wine opened up nicely on the palate with a bit of air. Lots of fresh red berries took the centre stage, framed by minerality, herbal and earthy notes. Good structural frame. I guess with the right amount of air, this could be even better.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2024 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 94 Points
Glass: Riedel Sommeliere Bordeaux
Popped and poured, drunk over two days. Clear, deep ruby color. Clean, mdeium+ intense, developling nise. Fine oak, red fruit, green pepper, spices, cassis, menthol, herbs. Fresh, complex and deep.
Dry, medium+ ripe acidity, medium+, ripe tannin. Lots of deep fruit, some green notes, green pepper, fine toasting flavors. Beautiful texture, juicy, creamy and balanced. Some nice tension and pressure! Still very young. Long, fruity and spicy finish. Potential for decades 94+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2024 - asparagus Likes this wine: 91 Points
very classic bordeaux, just entering into its secondary phase. where the fruit is receding but the secondary charectersitics are starting to dominate. cedar, graphite. lovely
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
12/31/2023 - Time traveller Likes this wine: 95 Points
Put this one away for a time such as this! Actually thought I had already consumed it and was delighted to find it hidden on the back row. Took it out let it stand for a day to make sure the sediment settled. Opened it to let it breathe and cork was pristine. Decanted it using aerator and let it take in the air for 4 hours. Beautiful color, alluring nose, lingering on the palate. Thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. Great finish to 2023 in more ways than one!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2023 - nigelb Likes this wine:
Still very powerful and dense.Packed with fruit but somewhat austere at present. Tannic backbone indicates many years ahead
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2023 - Luke275 Likes this wine:
Nice wine. Still youthful with cassis notes, but maybe needs more time to gain further complexity?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
My sixth tasting note on this wine. While it is not the most concentrated claret of Montrose, it is drinking beautifully right now. I have really enjoyed the 2001 and 2004 vintage of Montrose while my 2000, 2003, 2005 bottles mature in the cellar. If I decide to purchase any Bordeaux beyond the 2020 vintage, it will only be lesser vintages so I am not dead before they become drinkable. The 2004 Montrose is a great wine!
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
12/23/2023 - SLB83 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good bottle. Opened a few hours in advance, then drank over 2 hours. Excellent wine. Not a stellar year, but this is perfect for drinking now. Great with some slices of comté cheese.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2023 - SaltWine wrote:
Lovely nose. young tannin structure. Keep
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2023 - Argrath wrote: 93 Points
(Bdx 2004 "2ème cru"-tasting)
Full and fresh nose. Oak and perfume. Black currant and hints of bell pepper and leather. Deep and concentrated.
Medium-fullish body. Very balanced. Herbal. Very classic with black currant, cedar and pencil shavings. Quite oaky, but tasty. Savory freshness.
On the verge of 94 pts. All the 2004 tasted were in the 92-95 pts spectrum. A bit high? Perhaps, but we like the classic style.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double-decanted around two hours before drinking, which was fortunate as it contained a lot of sediment and was robustly tannic. The nose was gorgeous from the off, though, energetic and sensual with graphite, smoke, cedar and the woody vestiges of the wine's elevage. Even after two hours being open the wine remained fairly taut and coiled on the palate, its character dark-toned, mineral and refreshing (12.8% ABV), the fruit nicely concentrated and the tannins playing a (prominent) supporting role. Great stuff, likely better still in five years.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2023 - ccn wrote: 88 Points
Quite disappointing -- relatively mature but not particularly long, volume turned way down. Perhaps this bottle was off?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2023 - ccn wrote: 91 Points
Drinking this after a 1990 sociando made me realise how young this still is.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2023 - Hendmo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep ruby with a hint of garnet, plenty of sediment. Fully mature and ready, but still had some residual tannins on first pour that smoothed out with an hour in decanter, so give it a bit of time. Nose and palate were classic St Estephe with cassis, slate and tobacco. Complex and savory. This was delicious, but leant a bit more towards the mineral and tertiary side of things, so is at its best with food (preferable steak). Very enjoyable.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2023 - vinhonotte wrote: 91 Points
2004 Horizontal Dinner (Tunglok Peking Duck Novena): Deep ruby, with visible fading and browning edges. Very earthy, barnyardy nose, and some greens. Similarly reductive on the palate whilst the tannins are chewy, then brine, hay, some red and black cherry and salad leaves. Really feel that this bottle will need more years to show its full potential
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2023 - Lype Likes this wine:
Nose with green bell pepper and ripe notes. On the palate ink flavors, which to me is characteristic of St. Estephe, complemented by green bell pepper, mushrooms and pepper mix. A clear presence of round and sweet oak spice, which to me is not the best direction. Tannins are ripe and round, the finish is quite long, sweet with green elements. Approachable now but I would wait for the sweet oak to settle and integrate. Day 2 oak has integrated much better showing the great potential of this debated vintage, which probably will not reach the same heights as the strong vintages such as 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996 or 2000. This will, however, come around sooner, say in 3-5 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2023 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
Bu au resto AVV Comme chez soi de Bromont
avec les FOUDUVIN!
Le nez est sublime et complexe.
Beaucoup de fruits et d'herbes.
En bouche, c'est super beau et complexe
mais avec une retenue et une belle finesse.
Les tannins sont assez fondus et la
finale de longueur moyenne.
Superbe aussi,
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful bouquet with dark and red berries and sweet spices. On the palate ripe dark and red berries, juicy and soft acidity and tannin, good chocolate. Beautiful and mature wine which is in its drinking window now. Beautiful balance and no hurry. 93 - 94
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2023 - El_Dougo wrote:
Slow ox at an outdoor bbq. Not very memorable but judging by reviews it was clearly the wrong environment to taste this beauty. No rating looking forward to trying again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/15/2023 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for two hours in the morning, poured over dinner. Dark ruby colour, some fine sediment. Leafy black currant, dark cherry, plum, light bell pepper, light chocolate, tobacco, graphite, complex spice notes, and a mineral aspect, with good acidity, fine, well-integrated tannin, and great persistence. Medium-bodied, with solid concentration. Very balanced and highly drinkable after another hour or so. Much improved compared to a bottle I had about a year ago. The early morning decant seems to have done the trick. Drink (with generous aeration) or hold.
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2023 - swade wrote: 93 Points
I pause to think
And drink a tipple
Cherries, earth and nickel
Pebbles shine and river deep
Still some grip
"Miles to go before I sleep"
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/20/2023 - Romol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. This bottle was a little less impressive than my last one a few months ago. Still a good wine, though. Ready to drink. 92 pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2023 - LIE-user Likes this wine: 94 Points
And there it is. While my last encounters with the Montrose 2004 about 7 or so years ago were rather neutral, now the wine is ready for some fun. It has reached it’s prime drinking window.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2023 - pbaek wrote:
Dark red color. Wonderful nose of blue fruits, stones, tobacco. Cool, dark-fruited palate, mineral driven. Very expressive, relaxed, on its way to maturity. Classic St. Estèphe. Thank you, Steffen. Wednesday@Steffen
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2023 - sterben Likes this wine:
Great cork and fill. Upon opening mainly some beginning tertiary notes with light forest floor, not too much fruit. Opens up with air and when tried on day 2 much more open and some cassis/plum. Medium length, still rather tannic. As of now needs decanting.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2023 - Ksquare Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby. Dark fruit, hidden under spices, minerals, warm stones. Palate is blackberries, spices. Good balance but doesn’t seem to be showing complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2023 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 1+ hour. Another great bottle, although this bottle was a little less impressive than the last bottle. Ready to drink. 92-93 pts. at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2023 - cch1966 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Notes of Black currant, pepper, cedar, leather and herbs. Still fresh and with smooth tannins. Well balanced wine. Mid+ finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2023 - djs Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nice drinking window. Three hour decant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2023 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very good indeed. Classic classed growth elegance with structure and weight of fruit to give an all round great glass of wine. Dark fruits: mulberry and blackberry, along with some deeper tar and spice notes and leather. Still quite primary but with very nice tertiary notes. This is a classic and beginning to drink well now. Mid plus weight, medium tannins and a nice freshness. Long and complex. 2004 was not a great vintage, but Bordeaux did well and they are drinking earlier than the stronger vintages.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2023 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Has evolved some from a bottle 2 years ago. Drinking well now, great cassis fruit and some mushrooms in the background. The vintage shows through a little, but this is still and excellent wine. Drink now, and over the next 5-10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (6)
12/30/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Couldn’t resist popping open another bottle. This one with only a 20 minute decant. It took a bit to blow off some of the funk but in the end, it is a wonderful expression of left bank Bordeaux with classic aromas/flavors of black currant, damp earth, cedar, tobacco, anise, and crushed stone. Lesser vintage Bordeaux doesn’t mean lesser quality. It just means accelerated maturity so you don’t have to wait as long to enjoy it.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spot on with my tasting note from April on the ‘04 Montrose. Get ready for 11 more reviews as this was bottle #1 from a new case. It is drinking great now but needs a good 1+ hour decant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2022 - maaike2 wrote: 92 Points
Short note from De Kersentuin Wijn Club 19-12-22: I do not know what to think: enormous power with good acidity, but in the beginning slim. I do not know if this will end up as a balanced wine. Benefit of the doubt 92, but in 5 years or more it could be 89 or 94!?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2022 - Renevin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nez sur les fruits noirs, étables, tabac. En bouche tout est en équilibre, bien balancé. Tanins fondus, note de cuir. Tres agréable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2022 - wkphang wrote: 80 Points
Pretty disappointed with this, the nose has only a small hint of leather and mushroom.
Fruit is almost non existent.
Tannic still rough and loud for a 18 year old, not smooth on the tongue.
Perhaps it has went over the peak and accelerating downhill.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (5)
11/6/2022 - MRichman wrote:
Lots of iron, blood, mineral, dried herbs. Good maturity but still young-ish. Lacks a bit of concentration in the middle. Very good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2022 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Tuesday Night Double Blind $80+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Super dark core with thin garnet rim; graphite, black fruit, slight prune, bramble and earth, funk, black truffle, a juicy finish, some green, somewhat rugged; really good, '03 Poyferre?
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
8/27/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 91 Points
Third time with this wine. Blind. My notes are very similar in the 90-92. Probably the vintage here is the reason as one would expect much more from this producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Very dark red color. PNP, drank a couple glasses over 2 hours plus at the Ranch. Love that nose with saddle leather, funk, pencil, cassis and black raspberry. The palate is a bit more stern today, pencil, cassis, dry but round austere tannins, full bodied, earthy, tart black currants and black raspberries, and leather. 92+pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2022 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Carafée deux heures.
Nez discret de mine de crayon, de cèdre et de cerises. Le vin montre une belle texture veloutée, c’est savoureux, avec un beau fruit. C’est un peu austère, avec une bonne structure tannique, d’un style très classique. Une profondeur et une plénitude impressionnantes pour ce millésime en demi-teinte. La finale minérale et précise complète bien cette belle réussite. 92-93 pts
Une des propriétés les plus constantes et fiables de tout le bordelais.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2022 - curtr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decant 1.5 hrs. A dark brooding wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2022 - ccn wrote: 91 Points
1 hour decent, from magnum.
I found this more primary / less open than the last bottle (a 750). Very pretty and balanced, with strong potential. Hold 5-10 years before drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2022 - Hazeo wrote: 94 Points
I love this wine. It is fine example of classic Bordeaux loaded with earthy mineral-y goodness. It’ll be good for a few years still so there’s no rush to drink up. That said for my taste this is at a peak that’s hard to resist.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2022 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 94 Points
Red fruit is dominant present on nose, developping different layers. medium to full bodied on pallette, tannins developped very well, perfectly in balance now. long finish. perect in its drinking window now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2022 - zimmy07 Likes this wine: 93 Points
classice Bordeaux.... not the best vintage but this wine was in a great spot. forest floor, gritty tannin, blue fruits, with a polished mid palate. I had no decater where I wa, so popped cork for 2-3 hours. This can go longer for sure, but not sure much more time will make this much better and I like my wines with age.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2022 - PSPatrick wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours before I poured myself the first glass, and followed over a period of another four hours, with limited development. Dark ruby colour. Dark and red fruit, black currant, dark cherry, dark plum, bell pepper, light chocolate, light coffee, graphite, and complex spice notes that include cinnamon and clove, with lively acidity, fine, firm tannin, and good length. Solid concentration, and good balance. Very good, but not great, and I liked the more persistence and better structured 2004 Grand-Puy-Lacoste I had the other week even better.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2022 - Andice wrote: 92 Points
Drinking v well now on PnP. Resolved but no risk of fading off soon. 3 quarters tertiary and a quarter of primary fruit. Impressive longevity for a meh vintage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2022 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. I didn't expect much of this vintage. This was really a positive suprise. A very good Montrose. Ready to drink, I would recommend to decant it at least 1 better 2 hours. 93 pts. at the moment.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2022 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a great drinking window right now after a few hours of air. Dark fruits, leather, barnyard, medium acid and tannins. Finish could have been longer but still damn good for what it was. Very nice with our lamb dinner
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
5/22/2022 - Nick72wine wrote: 93 Points
This is drinking very well currently with a little air, nose on Pyrazene, leather, slightly toasted oak, menthol, fruit is in the background, autumn leafy forest floor.
The mouth Is classic Claret, in a vintage like 2004 nothing is overdone, old school tasting wine, well integrated, minty, a bit of greenness and beautifully lifted mid palate thanks to the acidity and tannins which are well interwoven. Very decent length.
Great match with Hungarian hunters mushrooms in cream with medium Paprika ,Asparagus and lengthily marinated Flank Steak on the BBQ.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Once again, 2004 Montrose does not disappoint. Both the 2001 and 2004 Montrose are singing right now in a great spot in their maturity. Neil Martin is right when he says that slightly off vintages in Bordeaux from strong producers make classic clarets. I loved it so much that I purchased a case of it from Vinfolio today. Great value too. Delicious!
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2022 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clear deep ruby; clean medium plus nose of barnyard, fall cracked leaves, menthol and blackberries; dry; medium plus acidity; medium plus tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with beautiful florality; long finish; drink now or in 10 years; really elegant, classic Bordeaux
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2022 - Tao wrote: 94 Points
From 375 ml, personally, at this moment, I prefer these over the vintage 2001, the vintage 2004 is a lot more open for the business, the bouquet is absolutely sublime, consisting of rich amounts of oriental spices, leather dark fruits and a hint of earth! The palate is equally impressive, rather fulfilling, packed with rounded ripe dark fruits with a lengthy finish, very impressive and satisfying!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2022 - J'agnes Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cork was good with a little seepage. Last bottle of a case of 12. Colour still vibrant ruby/ garnet - little bit of brick around the edge when swirling - very narrow clear rim and quite limited sediment. Nose is quite forward - very Bordeaux for sure - black fruit and smoky leather. Palate is elegant - understated but muscular. Nice dilute blackcurrant - very refreshing with some fine grained tannins coming through on the finish. Not sure this would de one to keep long term as I suspect the fruit is only going one way and there are plenty of tannins still to resolve.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2022 - Kmmk wrote: 85 Points
Opened for wife's birthday dinner.
Medium to deep ruby colour with no bricking. Superb nose of ripe fruits and peppery notes. Decanted for sediment but aired it for about 30 minutes since first taste was a little muted. Opened up after that but fruit was almost non-existent and bitterness (not tannic astringency) was very pronounced. Woodsy notes were strong as well. Medium-bodied with light to medium finish.
Overall, it was a disappointing wine. Can't see this improving over time and it possibly may be past its peak.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Much better than my last experience with this 2004. Nice complexity and lenght.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2022 - SaltWine wrote:
A serious wine with black fruits on the nose. Remaining strongly tannic with blue fruits on palate. Needs at least another 3 years and possibly more.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2022 - OttawaB wrote: 90 Points
Colour: Red bricking, garnet.
Aromas: Dark ripe black berries, plums, forest floor, some balsamics and black tea. Also getting dried berries and cassis, incense. Nice aromas, but not intense. Just mellow …. Chill.
Flavours: Elegant wine, with berry and cherry flavours, some cassis, dried berry fruit. Sweet fruit attack (dry wine) with no bitterness. Mineral component as well on mid palate. Some spices and an herbal component (forest floor, brush).
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium minus acids, drying but not overpowering tannins. Still some decent structure here. Medium length to finish.
Overall: Nice wine, with some balsamics and black tea creeping into the finish. Mildly drying tannins and waning acidity approaches some flabbiness on the finish. Just a tad past the point I like.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2022 - thebonnydooner wrote: 92 Points
Nice colour, beginning to show some brick. Nose is lovely, pure bordeaux with lots of earth, currant, dark cherry, fragrant but not super intense. Palate is medium bodied, very nicely balanced, sweetish earthy currant and black cherry fruit, medium tannins, good acidity, soft enough and drinking well right upon opening. Will give some air before dinner, but does not appear that needs a serious decant. First impressions are that this is a really solid showing, fragrant, yet sturdy, quite powerful and balanced. Excellent.
After two hours in the bottle - all the notes above were confirmed - excellent wine. Rest tomorrow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2022 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
First try with the Private Reserve wine preserver. Will do a ps re how it worked. 10th bottle from a case bought en primeur. Nose is touch of farmyard (which I like) giving way to blackcurrant and tobacco. Plenty of fruit and even more tannins, suggesting a long future. Very persistent finish. A top wine in a bit of a sub par vintage. P.s. the wine preserver is excellent although you need to use twice as much as instructed.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2022 - Raizes Likes this wine: 92 Points
黑醋栗、乌梅、甘草、雪茄叶,还有一点点生青和泥土气,香气从始至终都很优雅和古典,只是略显消瘦。入口后酸度和果味都变得更加活跃,集中度非常好,喝起来状态也很年轻。在回味中,烟熏味和太妃糖的持久度令人印象深刻。
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2022 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Fully mature, with restrained dark fruit, forest floor, tobacco and earth. Medium bodied. drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2022 - fc1910 wrote: 92 Points
One bottle I brought from my wine cellar abroad to my home,
perfect condition, one of my very favourite Chateauxs cause of the tannin structure,
so pnp the day after,,
full load of dark, fresh, ripe black fruit, some forest floor , maybe slightly flowers, leather and so on,
very good intense grip, lively tannin is teeth fogging still, cassis, the basket full of it, well structured with a lot of elegance, but would not call this finesse here, mineral aromas as well, mouthful of wine, very good length, a pleasure to pair this with iberico chop!
Will live another decade+ easily, **(**), around 91-93? potential
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2022 - CWang wrote: 94 Points
Extremely perfumed in the nose and very savory but still somewhat tannic and tight on the palate, long finish; truly enjoyable at this stage compared to the previous bottle tasted in 2016, however, a few more years to go before reaching full maturity.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2021 - Kim Gerner wrote: 92 Points
New years eve dinner (At home): typical left side Bordeaux. Typical green pepper
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/30/2021 - laralh wrote: 89 Points
Solbær, litt lakris og krydderpreg, avslepne tanniner. Bra lengde.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2021 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Christmas Claret: Ever so slightly corked, initially quite subtle but enough to,dull all its edges.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2021 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 92 Points
consistent bottle. right in drinking window. see previous notes. drunk it over 2 days. could benefit from 2 hrs decanting
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2021 - vincentnip wrote: 90 Points
深紅,微香,木味(堅果味)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2021 - Wine_Bear Likes this wine:
Beautiful nose of black fruit and currants. Lovely classic bordeaux.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2021 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep, complex, fresh dark fruit, cedar, liquorice, pencil, roast aromas and menthol tones. Medium bodied, this bottle is still evolving. Many attributes of a great wine "shining through", but won't reach the fame of the big vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2021 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 93 Points
P&P. cedar nose, little pepper with black fruit. nice red bordeaux color. long finish with fuits. nice balance fully integrated. more elegance then Pontet Canet opened at same time which had more power but less elegance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2021 - Kris G wrote: 92 Points
The first impressions give paprika, pepper, licorice and sour cherry. After some time it also shows a mineral aspect, black fruits, tobacco and smoke. The fruit is borderline ripe and has a small green touch to it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2021 - Wineson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very well at the moment
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2021 - Vinogan(s) wrote: 92 Points
Initially a lot of bell peppers and black pepper in the nose, but the mouth was luckily totally different. After a while the nose also changed. Graphite, red fruit, nice filling, tobacco and black fruits too.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2021 - bethel31 wrote: 90 Points
Dark fruits, tannins fully settled. Not too bad for the difficult vintage
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2021 - Vinum_04 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This has really settled into itself. This seems to just be entering peak and will most likely hang here for a number of years. Excellent showing - leather and earth on the nose, black fruits, medium-full weight, long finish.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2021 - HarveyManfrenjensenden Likes this wine: 92 Points
3 years since I last cracked open one of these and it has improved considerably during that time. Still some years in it but I suggest drinking up if you have a few. As always, it's a wine of great finesse from Saint-Estephe.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/11/2021 - swade wrote: 93 Points
Full and beautiful tonight. Red currants, loam and with licorice accents. Great with grilled filet mignonette this evening. Balanced and solid length. Years to go. 93
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2021 - vide Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well, what a wonderful wine. The 2004 vintage is holding it back, but the quality of Montrose (of course always pronounced for us Brits with a hard "t") shines through.
I preferred the much maligned 2007, but nonetheless there is quality here.
It is possble that there must be an intellectual bond between these wines before points can be attributed. And that bond bond may relativise the attribution.
mt
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2021 - Jacek P wrote: 94 Points
deep garnet-purple colour, opens with incredible power, full bodied, rich intense with fantastic finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2021 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic bordeaux from magnum. Just lovely and fully ready to go.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2021 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice classic bordeaux .... medium acid, medium tannin, medium fruit. Dried berry fruit and spices. Medium weight but still a bit of ooomph. Leather, cedar. Nice and smooth.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2021 - thejaffer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Bordeaux —Sweet Tobacco. Drink now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2021 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow! This is so much better than the last time I had it out of a 1.5L a few years ago. Fully mature and drinking fabulously. Tasted blind, I thought it could be from '96 or '00. Incredible nose, black fruits, classic and utterly delicious. I called it as Pauillac, but once revealed it became obvious St. Estephe. The smaller format must have helped this evolve faster.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2021 - jmoon wrote: 90 Points
Good enough, but just not that great even after 2 hours in the glass with a 1 hour decant (I should have tried pop n pour that could have worked). Quite tight, reserved, a bit sour, lacking interest or energy. The shy kid at the back of the class. 04 is a bit all over the place, i suspect the slightly stern St Estephe needs more warmth more than some.
Edit: checked this hypothesis as a fyi, this is the highest scoring growth in SE, equal to Beasejour, Cos, and others like Calon lagging.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2021 - nigelb wrote:
Not happy with this wine. Other CTs think it is ok to drink but I will leave it until 2024. Not much to recommend it at present.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (8)
2/7/2021 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 93 Points
Leather and spice dominate on the nose. On the palate, very pure. Dark fruit. Leather and pencil shavings. Tannins have smoothed out nicely but still have a little way to go. Nice length which I haven’t had in previous bottles. My only criticism is that I feel it lacks a little extra layer of complexity but I think that is just the vintage.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2021 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Every bit as good as my last btl, and even slightly more secondary. On the nose: soft cedar, blackberry, blueberry, charcoal, soft cola. On the palate: excellent acidity, blackberry, tar, char, soft vegetal.notes, fantastic density..more soft charred mear, blackberry and dense, grainy tannin on the finish. This will soften with age, but it's already so good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2021 - grossie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened Jan 20 2021 to celebrate the inauguration. A very nice bottle of bordeaux. Classic and classy with medium red fruit, a bit of smoky oak, good finish. Nothing hard, acitidty is firm, tannins have faded. Could be longer, but that's the fault of this vintage. A very nice wine overall.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2020 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby in color. Damp forest floor and moss on the nose. An unexpected amount of black raspberry and sour cherry on the palate. The palate also shows some cedar and pencil lead. Full bodied with a medium finish. Tannins are pretty well integrated. All in all, a really nice wine from an off vintage.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Very dark red/purple color. PNP, drank 2+ glasses over 3 hours. This exceeded all expections tonight. It was open and giving with the nose offering simply gorgeous earthiness, bright red fruits, pencil and violets, wow this was vibrant and engaging. The palate has a mix of red berries, cassis, tobacco, and lovely dark cherry on top of the earth, pencil and floral notes. Silky texture, lifted and full bodied; the tannins are polished and suggestive that this has the structure to go for the long haul. Another very impressive wine from a supposedly mediocre vintage. Bring 'em on. No rush at all.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2020 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
On day two.
Deep dark center, red rim with some signs of age.
Cassis, stewed plums, polished leather, toasty.
Smooth, blackcurrant, cream, toasty oak, modest tannins, some acidity still, excellent length.
Great Montrose. Drinking very well now. Has a little greenness, but it works. Good now, will be good for the next 5+ years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/5/2020 - Geoff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Same as last years's note. Special wine, very pleasing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2020 - Paul D wrote: 91 Points
2/12, excellent cork. Decanted 1 hr.
Deep ruby core, narrow pale ruby rim. Nose shows cool dark fruit, touch of mineral and smoke, slight meaty edge. Medium bodied, an elegant middleweight with cool dark fruit to the fore, a touch of gravelly undertow, quite linear but supple with fresh acidity and a good length, harmonious finish. Very enjoyable, beginning to drink well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2020 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle showed brilliantly last night; timid nose a la 2004 but the texture was on and on the palate it was smooth milk chocolate and integrated complete fruity and peppery image. Finish is still a little on the tart and short side, indicating a drinking window that is by now means peaking but also not a wine for the ages. I love this style and keep feeling joy about these leaner more classic 2004 medoc wines. This time we paired it with rotisserie chicken instead of dry aged beef with sauce bearnaise. Much better.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2020 - Albrecht66 wrote:
Korken war hinüber, musste hineingestossen werden. Wein ist noch großartig. Eher Säure als Tannin. Rote Frucht, Johannisbeere. WCASE.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2020 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Pine tree, big structure, long and intense, big core of fruit, more primary than expected. Impressive and promising. Rating for now.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2020 - AndrewR wrote: 81 Points
Thought this was generic CdP.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2020 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really solid wine. Perfect st estpehe nose gravelly, minty and earthy. Dark currant and cedar, mildflavor of toasted coffee grounds. Finish was a bit lacking but 04 wasn’t a powerful vintage. Most 04 I have been trying are solid. Sleeper value vintage. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2020 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
My 9th bottle from a case bought en primeur. Lovely big complex nose of plum, cedar, blackcurrant, floral notes and more. Still plenty of tannins that will reduce over time and the wine, whilst beautiful now, should improve further. I'll wait a couple of years for the next bottle. One of the very best wines of this average vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2020 - Larslatour wrote: 94 Points
Mature, a lot of black fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2020 - mukden wrote: 90 Points
YES. Still hard to judge . V young . Deep dark colour. Not much development. Marked heat at 13%. Wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2020 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for sed 1 hr before drinking. Lots of fine sediment. Modern style Bordeaux with nice core of red fruit on nose. Some good secondaries going on, leather n graphite. Soft tannins, food friendly. Classic bord back end. Nice now, seems like lots of life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2020 - rnellans wrote: 91 Points
Mistake serving this immediately after a lush Oregon pinot....quite the contrast and not really enjoyed by the guests. Red fruited, more lean..nice nose but lacks balance and fruit on the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2020 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
A good vintage for Montrose. Opened at 16.00, double decanted and then consumed at 19.00, which worked fine.
Previously 1975, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2013.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2020 - Wine_Bear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still Stunning
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2020 - Wino133 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is really singing now - first taste immediately after opening but it will have an hour of air before it gets consumed with dinner.
Really good balanced set of notes, the secondary stands out on the taste - perhaps a little too strongly, but overall this is well constructed and impressive. A lot of the primary is fading as you'd expect given the age.
About 90 minutes in, no substantial changes. Nice wine, drink soon
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2020 - Perthor01 wrote: 89 Points
on the way down....and a bit boring
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2020 - g-man wrote: 91 Points
Did not decant, opened and let sit for an hour. Nose of iodine and bell pepper with a palate showing strong tannin, red fruit bur slightly thin. After 3 hours it rounded out and put on weight with the tannin and fruit coming into balance. I have one bottle left and will wait maybe 5 years to hopefully hit it closer to maturity. The points are based after the 3 hour mark. I really doubt it will exceed that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2020 - Wineson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2020 - pgertsch wrote:
Hat schöne feine Tanine Renate mag ihn nicht besonders
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2020 - cliftonng wrote:
There is cassis, plum, graphite and cigar box on the nose and it is also quite floral. The palate is rich, with some sweetness, viscosity and a good amount of tannins on the finish. This has entered the drinking window and seems to have a long life ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2020 - nigelb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Has improved. Good intense fruit. Grip. Long finish. I haven't given up hope yet!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2019 - euroyup wrote: 92 Points
Kept under condition 2 since september 2008 or 2011 until september 2012, after which under condition 1 (see my profile). No formal notes. Quite a lot of tannins still, a bit more fruit than my bottle of half a year ago, quite complex, which showed the class of this estate. This bottle could have been kept for another two till five years. 92.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consumed from a 1.5L mag that was decanted for 2 hours. Montrose from great vintages ages at a glacial pace. However, in average vintages like 2004, it can be more approachable in its youth. This is entering its early maturity window. While by no means fully mature, it is drinking great now with secondary characteristics emerging with a swirl of the glass. Very good now and will be excellent with 5 more years in the cellar.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2019 - Hanibal wrote: 90 Points
suffered greatly from being head to head vs the cali cabs
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2019 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
At Trou Normand with Peter.
Deep dense color, red rim with signs of age.
Wonderful classic claret nose. Cassis, stones, slightly funky.
Very expressive to taste, good mature fruit, well integrated. Great length.
Lovely. Drinking well now, but will last for 5 to 10 more years and develop more complexity.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2019 - SLIMES Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good but too heavy for the food I'd selected at La Trompette. Some sediment. I must decant the next one in advance. This will go for some years yet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/16/2019 - Geoff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very fine example of Montrose. Has everything you'd expect with perhaps just a little less omph than spectacular vintages. Aging well with lots of fruit, smoke, secondary notes, ameliorated but still present tannins. No hurry here to drink up.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
11/15/2019 - Kriz wrote: 92 Points
Very classic. And that makes it a beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2019 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent to previous tasting note.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2019 - grossie Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lovely wine, ready to go. Great fruit, slightly smokey profile. Like many 2004s it doesn't have as much depth or length as one would expect from a better vintage than that. Drink up!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2019 - jreis wrote:
Lovely smoky black fruit and feral underbrush on the nose. Tannins have softened significantly, but still present, particularly on the finish. Palate is a beguiling mix of smoky blackberry fruit, crisp, mineral laden acidity with just a hint of salty soy. This is just missing the texture and depth of the great vintages of Montrose, but is a smashing success for 2004. Ready to drink, but no hurry.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2019 - dankgummy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Elegant, smooth, beautiful Montrose. Not a showstopper but wonderful for what it is.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2019 - RN wrote: 91 Points
Last drank this about 4 years ago. 45min decant. Changed a lot. Lost its intensity, youth and vitality. Replaced by an intergrated, secondary but somewhat softer palate. Still delicious. I thought this wine could have a longer drinking window but this bottle indicates it’s ready to drink now. I will try another ‘soon’.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2019 - AlbAnd Likes this wine: 91 Points
Frutti rossi e terra di bosco al naso, confermati al palato. Pronto da bere. Finale persistente. Corpo medio.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2019 - Thomas123 wrote: 94 Points
So delicate and fine. Beatiful soft tannins. Dark berries, cedar, forest floor. Everything you want from a mature left wing bordeaux. Oak gone, fruit waning. Don’t wait much longer. But right now: very, very nice: If this is a weak vintage....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2019 - Henda wrote: 92 Points
Noe reservert på duft, men åpner seg raskt i glasset. Klassisk Bordeaux-nese med snev av cedertre, mørke bær og tobakk. Elegant og lett syrlig i munn med myke tanniner og medium lang avslutning. Utvikler seg positivt over nærmere fire timer hvor grafitt, røyk og utviklet aroma tiltar på duft. Bygger seg også opp i munn med tett konsentrert mørk frukt. Denne drikker meget bra nå.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2019 - Vmaster007 wrote: 93 Points
The wine has evolved and is drinking very well at the moment, it can hold up a few more years without problems, but it is in its drinking window
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2019 - nigelb wrote: 89 Points
Limpid, brick red in colour. Pleasant fruit on nose but weak. Fruit is there on palate but soon pushed back by tannins which are fine in texture but plentiful and dominant due to lack of depth of fruit. Lacks body. There is some length of savoury flavours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2019 - AAF2012 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ripe red fruit, cassis and leather on the nose. Incredibly balanced palate and tannins nicely resolved. Delicious! And a bit unexpected, considering the less-heralded vintage. The relatively short (by Bordeaux standards) 15 years of cellar time seems just right for this one. Structure, silky, balanced. Maybe a wee bit "simple" compared to the bigger vintages but who cares, it was just pure pleasure to drink with very few flaws. Opened and poured without a decant. Drink up.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2019 - popopdrops wrote: 89 Points
Behag fra første glass, behag, men ikke stor, og ikke nær 2003.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2019 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
PnP at a restaurant, and was ready after a few minutes in the glass. Very dark fruit profile, the tannins are resolved, and has medium body and acidity. It's fairly lean in texture, and the fruit has a bit of hardness (like I find in 05's), but has excellent structure and balance. Plenty of graphite notes typical of St Estephe, with a little leather as well. Overall, a fine example of mature claret, sophisticated, but not intense. Drinking well now or over the next 5 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2019 - euroyup wrote: 92 Points
Kept under condition 2 since september 2008 or 2011 until september 2012, after which under condition 1 (see my profile). Color: dark purple, no orange rims. Nose: fine mix of underbrush, toast and smoke. Taste: red fruit, but quite closed. With some drying tannins and an acidity that was not always well integrated. It impressed rather dead than closed. At the second day more open, with more fruit, a silky texture and a nice, civilised balance. Still I have some doubts about the way this bottle has been kept before I bought it. At the first day 89, at the second (91-)92.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2019 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Earth, leather, cassis, it’s all there. Lovely elegant dark fruit glides silkily from entry to finish. May not have the extra oomph or concentration of blockbuster vintages but the 2004 Montrose is simply excellent classic Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2019 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Wait another 5-10 years
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/1/2019 - dnnk88 wrote: 91 Points
Aromas of plum, cassis, herbs, soil, with slight vegetal and cigar box tertiaries and tinge of wet socks. Quite intriguing. Tasted dark fruits, cassis, earth, gravel, mint leaf - structured and rather elegant. Slight white peppers and minerality on the finish. Classic Bordeaux. Definitely more lively than my last bottle, with lively tannins. Open now, and sooner than later.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2019 - Fruitsrouges Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and served. Restrained but complex nose of cassis, violet, cedar and vanilla with well balanced, integrated tanins, full body and med+ finish. Drinking well now can develop further. Will hold my last bottle until 2021
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a case bought en primeur for £30 a bottle delivered! Seems great value now. Lovely blackcurrant, mocha and bramble nose. Was marketed as old fashioned claret and has lived up.to the hype. Some leanness on the palate with graphite and leather. Very long finish. At it's best now and will plateau for several years. Later anise and undergrowth. Lovely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2019 - lelandinmichigan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Note is from after tasting a few days ago.
The wine was ready to drink. It had a broad variety of quality, from soft smooth tannins, to sophisticated barnyard/fruit/bordeaux flavors. Very good wine. It was significantly more nuanced than the other botttles at the table (mostly in the $20-30 range). Not sure I'd pay the extra money for the slight increase in nuance, but it was nice to see it existed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2019 - the godfather wrote:
Purchased on release and mildly corked : (
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2019 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 91 Points
black cherry, coarsely grounded black peppercorn, tobacco and coffee beans, bitter chocolate. Good concentration, nice balance, finish is slightly bitter and short. Excellent wine that did not stand up to our rib eye with sauce béarnaise and fried whole potatoes. But on its own, oh, it's very nice and just the wine for me. Someone before me wrote that it had rustic characteristics. I agree, but only if you with rustic do not mean barnyard or stable, nor tannic and unforgiving, but rather, straight, honest, and, not the most silky of palates.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2019 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
In nice place, dark dense earthy fruit with some good spice. Bit rustic, but drinking nicely.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/17/2019 - dchain Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Dark ruby. Touch of separation. Nice nose, blueberry, cassis, leafy, a bit grainy and tannic, aftertaste of oak and puckers your mouth with overextracted tannins. Poorly managed wine making and selection has ruined something that could have been quite pretty and expressive. Better in much more recent vintages under new management.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2019 - Baltazar wrote: 90 Points
A slight disappointment the first day, as I thought this would be more open and expressive, but alas - no. Discernible black currants, earth, cedar as it should be, but subdued and not really coming out. Cool fruit wrapped in noticeable tannins. A step up the next day, both on the nose and palate. The fruit is sweeter and more well rounded, and it gives away more on the nose. Needs at least two more years, perhaps four or five.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2019 - Battersea James Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful, classic Bordeaux nose of leather, cedar, pencil shavings etc. Palate continues in the classic style. Still got a solid red fruit backbone and well integrated tannins. Fantastic flavours. Only disappointment is the length - more medium bodied. Interesting to see if this changes with additional bottle age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2019 - vpoms wrote: 92 Points
Clear, very deep ruby. Clean nose of medium intensity with aromas of blackberry, earth, leather, mushrooms, cedar, cooked plums, wet wool. Wine is developing. On the palate it is dry with medium plus acidity, medium, silky tannins, medium alcohol medium body, medium plus flavor intensity of leather, meat, mushrooms, cooked, prunes, plums, cedar. The finish is medium plus. Very good wine, drink now or can be aged further.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2019 - spineguy Likes this wine: 87 Points
Lacked concentration. Muted fruit. Perhaps the bottle was exposed to heat or just not much going on here. Pleasant. No better the second night.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2019 - Hazeo wrote: 92 Points
Still the lovely classic Bordeaux having bulged little. Early maturity, with some secondary notes coming through but this bottle seems to be light on the leather and minerals that I enjoy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2019 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Just singing after 2 hours of air. Enjoyed this next to a 2004 Les Forts de Latour and a 2004 Lafleur-Petrus and for me, this Montrose was the clear winner.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/29/2018 - rnellans wrote: 92 Points
Not the powerhouse Montrose I'm used to. But delicious for drinking now. Floral and red fruits. More elegant and great balance. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/29/2018 - dnnk88 wrote: 90 Points
Classic Bordeaux. earthy, spicy, slight smoky, oak, vanilla, mineral, pencil. Elegant, semi intense, easy to drink and balance. Long warm finish. However, didn’t quite develop after decanting. Drink now; feel there is limited developmental potential. (same notes for 2nd try on 31 Dec)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2018 - wconnolly Likes this wine: 88 Points
Not the best Montrose ever but very approachable and a great value. Nose consisted of damp leaves and forest floor. A little bit funky on the palate... no surprise given this was only open for two hours before serving. Plenty of plum and cassis on the palate with a bit of mushroom. Moderate to light tannins. Drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2018 - cobbpa Likes this wine: 93 Points
Interesting experience. I had a corked bottle of this a few months back, and this was from the same shipment. Opened it to take to dinner, and got heavy funk on the nose. Pumped it, put it in the fridge, and took a different bottle to dinner. Fast forward to the next day, after pulling the stopper out for a couple hours....
Great bottle of Bordeaux. Fresh earth, touch of brett, spices, fresh dark red fruits, and lots of sage & tobacco. Gorgeous nose, all of which flows into a delicious midweight & silky wine on the palate. Clearly present tannins in a long, balanced finish that adds other classic cedar & cigar notes.
Plan to give it some air. Or a few years--it has plenty of time left.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2018 - Dale M wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 4 hrs. Ah yes, another great 04 which was the only sanely priced Bordeaux vintage until the 11's came round, I had to chuckle as they were bought on some super sale at Binny's in 2008 for $39.99. Ok, the wine: a wee bit of Montrose funk added character to the dark plums, a slight smoky hue, and well integrated oak spices. All at the table found this elegant and feminine, very easy to drink. In fact, served blind, I think I would have guessed a semi traditional Cote Rotie. Clearly, this is on a long, but gentle upward trajectory, and another 5 years plus could only add value. 10 years should see it in the zone. Very fine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2018 - isdblm@lsu.edu Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice as expected and hailed. Drink over the next two or three years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2018 - Escher Cellars wrote: 93 Points
- Brick color - Very dark crimson, delicious front-to-back. Bold and complex upon opening then layer upon layer of complexity yet smooth tannins throughout the night. Drink now or maybe next 2- years.
Cheers.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/16/2018 - Blacksmith450 wrote: 92 Points
Classique, frais, sérieux, suave..... J'aurais dû en acheter 2 caisses à l'époque !
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2018 - Orso58 Likes this wine: 92 Points
"Annual Bordeaux tasting"
Clear medium red colour, shows little development
Red fruit combined with spice, some oak/vanilla, but generally well integrated in the wine.
Smooth, but also firm tannins, clear indications of a not too ripe vintage. The fruit is beautiful throughout the palate, where especially the concentration on the mid palate points too a great wine.
A very good effort from Ch. Montrose, starting to drink very well now, but should still improve for the next 10-15 years.¨
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2018 - WinemakerJosh wrote: 94 Points
There was a fair amount of Brett in this wine, mostly on the nose. It was not enough to ruin the flavor. Intriguing wine that did not seem to be over the hill.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2018 - Winemaker51 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful aromatics of damp earth, slight Brett, minerals, oak and blackberries. Medium bodied, but good fruit concentration, considering the vintage (2004). There are some green tannins (a 2004 thing too) that I´m not sure will be completely resolved. You can offset that with a good steak or lamb. Yes, I´m sure it will improve and yes, one hour or more decant helps. drink now till another 3 to 5 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2018 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
(Non) Blind 2004 and Older Bordeaux (Meritage): A small pour. I love the Montrose elegance that is quite evident here. This was a beautiful, although young Montrose. If I owned any, I would think about opening them in 5 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2018 - btock wrote: 91 Points
First of three bottles. 3hr double decant. Intense purple fruit and mineral/granite core. Just giving a hint of where this may go with time. Not a behemouth, but rather just coiled tight at the moment, very promising drinking ahead. Hold these and enjoy what's bound to be a great St. Estephe over the next couple decades.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2018 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
Grippy finish right now but otherwise very promising. This easily needs another 5yrs before its really a pleasure to drink but I love the concentration and class. If I was younger and going deep on BDX, it would be Montrose. Something to admire now and a great back vintage to scoop up if you're a younger person.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2018 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux 2004 and Older (Meritage, St. Paul): Honestly, this kind of got lost in the shuffle tonight and I didn't give it much time which is a shame. I've always like the '04 and I have a lot of it. This has a lot going for it and I think it drinks just fine as long as you're not trying to do it next to a bunch of old wines. It benefits from air and has a lot of graphite, tobacco and cassis. 91+(+)pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2018 - Sir-Harrie wrote: 92 Points
Schöne dunkelrote Farbe. In der Nase schöner Duft nach Kirsche und Vanille. Im Mund rund und harmonisch, schöne Frucht nach Kirsche mit Vanille, etwas Schokolade. Tolle Struktur mit mineralischen Noten. Tannier gut eingebunden. Schöner, warmer Abgang.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2018 - Flennerz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with friends and pasta! Opened about an hour before comsumption, didn't decant on this occasion. Silky smooth, rewarding and complete without being mind-blowing (I don't think many 2004s are); I'd love to have a few more kicking about but sadly not.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2018 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
An easy afternoon with close friends; Pomerol and St. Estephe (@ FD): In the bouquet some barnyard, dark berries, cocoa, chocolate and vanilla. On the palate a firm amount of acidity and beautiful rustic flavors. Autumn forest impressions as well. Dark chocolate and firm, good bitterness. Beautiful wine with tannin that promise a future of 5 – 7+ years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2018 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
7th bottle from a case bought en primeur plus a couple at tastings. Unacceptable levels of bottle variation from the same case, from corked, slightly corked and not quite as good as it should be, to a couple of really good bottles. Good luck! This is a really good one. Good blackcurrant and oak nose, complex palate includes graphite, leather and plenty of mostly soft tannins. Tends to impress as very soft at first and then hardens up with food. Very long finish. Excellent now and could improve for a few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2018 - fc1910 wrote: 90 Points
First sip some weeks ago was by coravin, now opened the whole bottle, still young, the nose is showing aromas of herbs, some soil, slightly tobacco, on the midpalate more elegant than concentrated, with some slow ox quiet balanced and harmonic, for me more red than black fruit, earthy though, long finish, this is a very good Montrose, but there are better ones from other vintages, may and will improve over the next decade+, **(*+ -?), 89-91+ potential
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/27/2018 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
In a nice place. Lovely. Well balanced, floral, cigar box, earth, some dark fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - whybuyone Likes this wine:
This is a solid 2004. I would say it's just entering the drinking window and would benefit from several more years of aging. Nice wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2018 - ron m wrote:
Very good - from 375. Classic nose, dark berries, pencil lead, iron, some damp leather. Harmonious and in a good place.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2018 - isdblm@lsu.edu Likes this wine:
Giving now in impressive blend the predicted complex of flavors. Much evolved from the four earlier instances since 2010.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2017 - Wineson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Juniper and oak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/7/2017 - Andrewbdc wrote:
Bordeaux Left Bank: The Famous Four (The Wine Society, Stevenage): 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot.
Medium garnet.
Clean nose, medium (+) intensity aromas, cassis, prune, green herbs, mint, cedar, earth. Developing.
Dry palate, medium acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium body, medium (+) firm tannins, medium (+) intensity flavours similar to the nose, medium (+) finish.
Very good quality, quite mature St Estephe, drinking now and over the next decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2017 - MRichman wrote:
Lots of iron, stiff red and black fruit. Angular. Needs time. Hold.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2017 - Rich S Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Medium to dark crimson color. Nose of black plum and black currant, cedar, a bit of earthy/soil and touches of pyrazine. Very nice. Still very fruit driven on the palate but mature fruit. Medium acid and tannin. Seamless on the palate with a long finish. Really lovely wine. Will hold remaining bottle for another 5 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2017 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Open for business and drinking amazingly, but by no means mature I think. Probably still has a decade of life to go. Deep black fruit with a lovely balance of lush and austere, earthy, minerally, brooding, elegant and sophisticated wine. I do sometimes like the more lush fruit style but this type of Bordeaux hits the spot every time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2017 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, this reminds me of ‘10 Latour Martillac - has the same overt blackberry fruit and nice acidity providing that freshness. This is a bit more rich, dry and classy but they are similar. I love this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2017 - Sandro Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened the bottle ½ hour before tasting, but not decanted. Red dark colour, cassis, in the palate medium bodied, fresh, well balanced and just perfect tannin to support the balance. This has very nice developed and it has just reached the beginning of the drinking window. A beautiful Montrose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/29/2017 - JChan wrote: 93 Points
Aromatic with dark fruits. blackcurrant, leather, vanilla on the palate. Very ripe, tannin dissolved. Drinking very nicely. But finish is not long. Drinking very good now, but it can still be kept for few years. Relatively better than Montrose 2006 at the moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2017 - conviction buy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bt decanted, quite ready out of the bottle but breathing brought an additional floral aroma. Cassis and smoked oak dominated. Medium concentration but a lovely effort given the vintage. Tannin still slightly grippy but blend well with fruits and acidity. Airing yield a lovely and needed floral note that complete the wine. Not a wow wine, but enjoyable in a quiet afternoon with some background music.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2017 - Escher Cellars wrote: 92 Points
Some sediment, no need to decant but aerate did help. Lovely dark cherry with slight smoke and charred barrel overtone. Depth but 2-3 more years might help bring it all together. Cheers.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2017 - Poisey wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Ink, earth, iodine, red berry fruit and leather. Smooth but powerful with a decent pepper and herbaceous finish. Lacks concentration of great vintages but very enjoyable and interesting. Ready now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2017 - Serge Birbrair Likes this wine:
still on a younger side but is getting there.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2017 - Honeyburst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very consistent with previous note. A notch less vibrant but still classy. Dont buy. Leave the bottles for me to buy "cheap"
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2017 - mukden wrote: 90 Points
YES-ISH. So there is some development here, but it is still a young wine. The colour is deep dark red and from the carafe the nose seemed really good Bordeaux (oak, pencil stuff). In the glass it seemed to have less substance, thinner somewhat. There was still good aromas and a non-Bordeaux-like a/c hotness (its 13%) and some tannins (young ones). A good wine, but not yet a great wine. Young. Wait.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2017 - David J Cooper wrote: 92 Points
Medium red, dark edges. Meaty red fruit, currant and coffee bean. Most intense nose of the night. The flavours are a bit less intense and the finish is very acid driven.
Great nose and a very nice wine for an 04.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/25/2017 - BSA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Believe we opened four bottles. They were all consistently really good. Pretty vibrant and with some tannins that still could need some work. But really enjoyable at this time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2017 - Honeyburst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Man has this improved over the years and I expect it to continue doing so. Very classic Bordeaux thats integrating tannins really nicely now and finding harmony with the fruit. Still young and vibrant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/15/2017 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a mixed bag - classic nose, not too tannic or rustic, but something bugged me. It just hasn't really gone anywhere yet, and will it get anywhere great? I had chose this over a top West Australia (Diana Madelaine) and regretted it because if Bordeaux isn't offering me complexity, rather it is offering me smooth, very drinkable and classic flavours, at this price I would rather have the power and ripeness...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2017 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Opaque core with garnet rim; green pepper, dark chocolate, wet earth, screams Bordeaux, black currants, darker fruit, plush mouthfeel with the right amount of chew to the tannin, some holly, very nice balance; well stored bottle; tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2017 - Bernt Olav wrote: 93 Points
Samme som forrige 2/13/2017
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2017 - Sotto325 wrote: 90 Points
Surprisingly delicious, somewhat monolithic Montrose. Pours from the bottle as a dark,dark purple red, viscous Cabernet flow, with hints of dark cherry, plum and clay smoke on both the nose and palate. Not as regal or delineated as Montrose can be in finer vintages and certainly that rich single note does not devolve into sinews of smoke, clay or cherry. But there is no green, stem or acid in this 2004, so drink with aplomb. No decant needed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2017 - wineforth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark. Big blackcurrant, dark fruits, cedar, complex nose. A touch of green edge on the palate doesn't detract. Still plenty of tannins. Very long finish. Drinking well and will continue to improve and repay keeping for several years. The score is likely to increase.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2017 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Second Sunday Group: Montalcino (Leon's): Courtesy of F, who had decanted this ahead of time though I am unsure of the time. Dark in color, showing no visible signs of age at this point. Aromas of dark fruit- currants and blackberry- along with tobacco and a hint of charred bell pepper. Full-bodied; still somewhat firm tannins. Red and dark fruit flavors, a bit of mushroomy earth too. Good length on the finish. Has a "rustic" feel to it- think along the lines of Sociando Mallet, though certainly not quite to that extent. I'd give this a few years yet, perhaps to 2020+.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2017 - ccn wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well, still further potential. Nice structure. Pencil shavings.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2017 - mtaczak wrote: 91 Points
A bit hollow in the mid palate, even after three hours in a wide decanter, but still super classic in style, perhaps a bit austere. Minerality shines, with more savory than fruity notes. Hold 3-5 or decant 4+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2017 - Bernt Olav wrote: 93 Points
Luftet en time før konsum. Mørk farge med ugjennomsiktig kjerne. Kraftig og bred aroma med fin dybde og preg av kaffe, lær, solbær, Mahogny/møbelpolish, mm. I munnen er den medium+ fyldig og med tydelig tannin i finish. Smaken følger aroma, fin balanse, dybde og god lengde. Fungerte godt til ande confit. En veldig god klassisk 2004 BDX.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Saturday night blinds (Chez Nanda, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is raw and powerful with dark red cherries, cranberries, pencil lead, bitter chocolate, tobacco, leather, spice box, and cedar notes. Even now, it is still somewhat tight, but shows off what is a deep and top notch Bordeaux.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and high tannins. The tannins are still taught and youthful while the feel has some power behind it along with dark red cherries, cranberries, pencil lead, leather, cedar, and spice box notes.
Overall: This is still nascent. But, everything is there for this to be something quite special in another 8-10 years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2017 - Nanda wrote: 96 Points
A stunning showing. Full, gorgeous nose of plums, earth, mineral, cedar, tobacco leaf, and spice. Medium-to-full body is singing after several hours in the decanter. Young but no need to hold these any longer. In total harmony and showing nice evolution of flavors.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2017 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
My last bottle of the vintage I dragged along with me to Florida. Really has come around from seven years ago. Black cherries and raspberries on floral nose. Deeper fruits on palate with good spice, leather, softening tannins. Very solid finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/18/2016 - JonathanP wrote: 92 Points
Slow ox for a couple of hours and then a double decant before serving. Nose of plum, cassis, dark cherry, cedar, leather, dusty earth and graphite. Quite refined on the palate but there is a hint of rusticity in the tannins, which are starting to resolve. Medium bodied. Great length, intensity and balance. While enjoyable now with a decent airing, I feel this needs 5-7 years of cellar time to open further and show its true potential. A solid St Estephe from a lovely vintage.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2016 - heidoanddave Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful nose and ready to go after 3 hour decant.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2016 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last of two bottles. Everyone loved it. The fruit and tannins were in line with a great long finish. Great wine at for me a great price.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2016 - Vinum Deorum wrote: 84 Points
Aromas of stables, dirty hay, sweat, bell pepper, wet fur. On the nose it is absolutely disgusting. On the palate it is slightly better but a bit flabby though. Tanins are green and rough. A very unripe and unbalanced wine. This is a wine I found really unpleasant, especially given its reputation.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (3)
8/16/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid Bordeaux. Good balance not too tannic but hints of earthiness. Finish is a bit short but a good solid wine
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/30/2016 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and served. The wine is pretty open and well into its drinking window.
Very much the classic well made claret this promises to be and a testament to the great winemaking of the estate. Light leather, light pepper, light herbs. Mineral and firm on the palate, good tannin but in no way chewy and this drinks very nicely now albeit has a good life ahead of it. Really impressed and its wine like these that make us buy Montrose year in year out.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2016 - Peck Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark red with a nyance of brown edge
Complex on nose
Dark berries stall leather
I rate it even higher on nose
Lots of tannins and fruit ,coffee Much power bald big body
Will get better a few years and hold 15 y
P
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2016 - Paul D Likes this wine: 92 Points
1/12. Decanted 1hr. Deep ruby core, narrow pale garnet rim. Youthful nose, blackcurrant, vanilla, touch of cedar. Nice purity. Medium bodied, ripe blackcurrant fruit, vanilla, touch of cedar again, fine, still slightly firm tannins, nice fresh acidity, just a touch of savour beginning to emerge on the very good length finish. This is excellent and while youthful its refined tannins allow it to be approached now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2016 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 94 Points
Noch relativ junges Rubinrot. Dunkelbeerige Nase, etwas feuchtes Heu, Teer & Lakritze... Toll am Gaumen, wunderschöne Säurestruktur, forsche, wenn auch seidige und gut integrierte Tannine, immer noch hervorstechende, süssliche Frucht. Ein erhabener, grosser Wein mit ewigem Potenzial und monumentalem Finale... 93
Tag 2 - ja, ich kann nur bestätigen, dass dies ein grosser Wein ist. Alles runder, kompletter und grösser. Heute würde ich auf Verdacht 95 attestieren, um fair zu bleiben ein Mittelrating von 94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2016 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
A stunner. Best bottle yet. Lovely at this stage. So much going on in this wine. Probably one of my top 5 from 2004 Bordeaux.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2016 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely loved this wine. Intense fruit with great structure. Refined, silky tannins. Will improve for another 5 years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2016 - Kris G Likes this wine: 95 Points
sublime wine, very elegant, extreme precise acids, lovely black fruit, smoke, freshness, very easy WOTN
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2016 - CWang wrote: 93 Points
Like the bottle tasted in 2013, the nose was still fabulous, extremely floral and fruity that is; not as tannic and tight on the palate, lots of dark fruits, wood spices, and softened tannins, yet, still not quite there, probably needed a few more years at least; medium-long finish; overall, 92-93 points at this stage.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2016 - amateur62 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted together with Pontet-Canet and Gruaud-Larose from the same vintage. Decanted two hours. Still very young, on the nose blackberry, cherry, on the palate freshness and present but superb tannins. Lasts very long. It already shows the attitudes of a big classical Bordeaux with elegance, but will need another 10 to 20 years to show the potential it has. 95-97 points.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2016 - SteveVermeer Likes this wine: 90 Points
A very nice wine for the vintage. With a little more fruit it would bump up to a more classic score. Great with the steak off the grill.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2016 - For the Love of Wine wrote: 96 Points
WTDS at Kevin's: Classic St Esteph wine! Forest floor nose, giving way to violets and lavender with some air in the glass. The wine is in a good place now, with fruit, tannins and acids all seamlessly integrated into a deliciously complex wine. Cassis and blackberry transformed into dark cherry, plum and herbs and spice. This is a sexy, subtle wine, definitely not in your face. If you enjoy the elegance of aged Bordeaux wines, this one will definitely not disappoint! I would open now or wait, as I think this wine has plenty of life still in it. A very good and surprising wine for a supposedly off vintage!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/25/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
WTDS Wednesday Afternoon (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red-purple color. Slow-O for 3 hours and splash double decanted. Drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. It was fun to check in on this after about 2 years. Really showing nicely now. Love the nose, classic, funk - most of which blows off, earthy, dust, pencil lead, cassis, saddle leather. The palate is full bodied, good concentration, plenty of black fruits, cassis, dark raspberry, a little plum, mineral, pencil, leather, earth, round tannins, long finish. Delicious. My #2 WOTN.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2016 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Dusty, forest floor, mushrooms, touch of cedar, spice, anise, rich with good lift, grip, balance; distinct gravelly minerals, really nice classic left bank. Wine of the flight at Monopole blind tasting night of Bordeaux. Still fresh, good now, but can wait another couple to 10 years to try again.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2016 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
This is a good example of a great producer in a below average vintage. The pedigree really shines through. Improved from when I last tasted it. Such lovely, caressing fruit, so refined. The last glass had glimmers of greatness; 94+pts.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/9/2016 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dyp rød med oransje kant. Noe lukket nese med rødbær, plomme, pepper og svart te. Litt lukket i munn også, men veldig kompleks. Røde blomster, solbær, harpiks, lær, sedertre, tobakk og kirsebær. Flere lag, lang og dyp. Finkornede tanniner, frisk og balansert med god lengde. Trekk for konsentrasjon. 91
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2016 - swade wrote: 93 Points
I let this breathe up in a glass for 3.5 hours. Burgundy shoe polish color. Red currants and an earthy muskiness waft out of the glass. This is like kissing a baby. Beautiful. Spherical in the mouth. Red currant, tart, mid-palate licorice, riding an iron-tinged spine - the finish awash in gravel. Saturating, with a plus finish. Fine sediment contrails follow the last drops to the neck of the bottle as I pour it off. 93
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2016 - Sotto325 wrote: 90 Points
Despite early predictions that many 2004s would be stemmy and unbalanced, many have evolved into solid, shoulder vintage Bordeaux. This is a big wine and even in a 375, not ready to show all of tis stuff. The muscular, deep purple, cabernet-led smokey style is dominant, and the hint of cherry, tree bark, earthiness and brambly fruits is just that-- not expressed but lurking. Decant and/or wait.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2016 - EMAZurich wrote: 92 Points
2 Stunden dekantiert. Sehr tiefes, dunkles Rubinrot. Schwarzer Kern.
In der Nase erhabener Cabernet. Johannisbeeren, Lakritz, Teer. Tiefgründig. Nase 95!
Am Gaumen eher sperrig. Eigentlich tolle Struktur. Tannine sehr präsent. Schwarzbeerige Frucht, nur ist diese im Moment eher im Hintergrund... Es regiert die Säure! Hmmm, ich hoffe auf Reife!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2016 - wineforth Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very dark colour. Big cassis nose giving way to some barnyard. Lots of soft tannins. Typical of the vintage slightly lacking mid palate when drunk with food. 6th tasting over as many years. Best bottle scored 94 in 2013 but there has been a lot of inconsistency from the same case with one corked and one sub par bottle. Will continue to improve for a few years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2016 - Baltazar wrote: 92 Points
Quite expressive and complex nose of floral/vegetal notes, iodine, minerals, meat and shoe polish. Firm but sweet fruit, quite structured and finishes on a note of anise.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2016 - jonanator wrote: 91 Points
Lovely wine. Feminine and elegant. Nicely mature now and will hold for many years. In a good spot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2016 - jigy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nez animal, cuir et de torréfaction. En bouche c'est soyeux et assez long.
Très agréable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2016 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
63 % de cabernet-sauvignon, 23 % de merlot, 10 % de cabernet franc et 4 % de petit verdot.
Un nez animal au début.
Super velouté et assez long en bouche.
Un très beau Bordeaux de facture classique.
Excellent.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2015 - nigelb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rather disappointing cf last time's score of 94. Lacked fruit and depth. Hopefully just an adolescent phase.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2015 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
Xmas wine selection. Three years since last bottle. Nose still blossoming. A classic Montrose, with aromas of rich dark black cherries, cassis, stone, leather. Palate more traditional albeit from vintage, with red and black fruits, a bit tougher tannins than the stellar '01. Long finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2015 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Dark red. Great intense nose of earth, smoke, dark fruit, black currant, floor wax and more. Palate not so much. Light with a dry finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2015 - Wineson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent nose with juniper and oak. Very smooth on the palate with some tannins on the finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2015 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #104; St. Estèphe (By BS): Concentrated bouquet with beautiful dark berries like cassis, vanilla and luxurious toasted oak. On the palate dark forest fruits like cassis and blackberries, cedar, luxurious oak with a firm toast, licorice and beautiful acidity. The tannin is round and a bit drying and still has a good bite. Overall a complex and beautiful wine with depth and a great length. Young maturity stage now. No problem cellaring this for another 5+ years. 92+
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2015 - Yapdiver Likes this wine: 92 Points
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like juniper and naphtha. It tastes like juniper berry, lingonberry and sloeberry. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture even though we aerated it for 4,5h before serving. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/15/2015 - mjdixon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice left bank example with depth and finish
Great smell but not one of the very top Bordeaux.
Maybe there are better vintages?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2015 - Wine_Bear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine was properly stored from purchase upon release until consumed. Fantastic bouquet, beautiful color, outstanding wine. Full of dark fruit, berries, cassis, cherry, layers upon layers. This is a great wine now, but will improve over the next 5 years, maybe more. Great experience.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2015 - Glifberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mörka bär, mint, cigarrlåda/tobak, stall...
Behöver rejält med luftning
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2015 - ladormeuse-wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
I love this wine. I have a preference to mix of grape variety.
deeply tannic. This wine will be better in few years.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. The body is medium/full. The wine has medium acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2015 - deverett wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful Montrose, still full of primary dark cassis fruit, creamy oak, graphite, black olives and oak. An outperformer for the vintage really and amazing value for money. Should continue to age superbly.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2015 - kwangeurng Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant for 2hours. Very good. Value for money. หอม พร้อม
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/13/2015 - Sotto325 wrote: 90 Points
The 375 is ready with a decent hour's decant. This St Estephe displays a mature, disciplined Bordeaux profile, holding back a bit on the warmth and cassis in favor of more wood, smokey mist and a bit of dark cherry. The nose is classic Cabernet and the wine does not contain an excess of St Etephe smokiness. For a 2004, a very well made wine-- of course it will never flower into a 2005.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2015 - jonanator wrote: 92 Points
From double magnum. In a great place right now but I think this might still improve for a few years (but could be because of the large format).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2015 - Periko Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brief note: Plenty of tipicity and showing some tertiary notes like cedar and cigar box aromas. Elegant yet still with tannins to resolve, losing fat, medium bodied with a long finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2015 - djarcara Likes this wine: 92 Points
Traditional Bordeaux. Medium body. Purple with a touch of bricking. 13% alcohol. Tobacco, earth, leather, and an ever so slight hint of green pepper on the nose. The tannins are still pronounced and could use some time to further settle down and let some secondary flavors push more forward. Cassis, plum, and leather flavors. A bit dry on the finish, but lovely stuff.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/2/2015 - MarkMich wrote: 94 Points
This is my favorite 04. Just drinking great right now and should last for years. I only wish I could find more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2015 - LIE-user wrote: 92 Points
Time, time and time. This needs more time. Right now it's a little bit disappointing. But I let half the bottle in my cellar and drank it the next day, and then it started so show real deepness and complexity.
Therefore let this one in your cellar or give it really a lot of time after decanting.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2015 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very well. Aromatic nose of black fruit, spice, and a little coal. Palate is mostly smooth with some coarse tannins in the background, but loaded with plush dark fruits and a little funk, charcoal/ash flavor I associate with St Estephe. Moderate length finish. In it's drinking window for sure, at least from 375ml. Better than recent '01.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2015 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Reminded me of what I love about Bordeaux. Gave this a quick decant, but it was drinking wonderfully from the get-go. Lots of earthy tobacco on the nose, with soft blackberry and cherry. Perfectly balanced on the palate, with just the right amount of acid to keep things lively and good depth showing more earthy notes and lots of dark fruit. On the palate, the tannin has mostly receded, but the finish is still long and the nose is memorable. Paired with a 40 day dry-aged nat cab rib eye.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2015 - mnoljo wrote: 90 Points
A two hour decant. a wonderful minty tobacco nose. Still solid tannins. Notes of earth and hints of black fruits Well balanced but a some what short finish
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2015 - LIE-user wrote: 91 Points
In my memory, the last bottle (1 year ago) was better. Right now it lacked a little roundness.
I still believe that in 2-3 years this will be better.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2015 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I enjoyed this wine. It has a green, leafy character a bit for an aromatic, along with a brewed coffee note. Cedar, currant, chalky and it seemed quite young to me. What the hell do I know, I guess, as I rarely drink Bdx so take my note FWIW.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2015 - vinodolphin Likes this wine: 93 Points
The fruits, tannins finish are coming together nicely. It is hard to believe that this is going to get better but I think that it might. I just passed on a chance to get the 2005 for $130. A bit pricy for me but rumored to be much better than the 2004.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/20/2015 - jonanator wrote: 92 Points
This was drinking well, but I think the best is still yet to come. Since the last time I tried this, this has evolved and gotten better. Beautiful length on this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2015 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum the 2004 Montrose is beginning to drink very nicely, bursting from the glass with a youthful and expressive bouquet of red and black fruit, hints of tar and licorice as well as Montrose's lovely rich, truffle and tobacco soil tones. Juicy, supple and delicious.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2015 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
31 Vintages of Château Montrose: 1928-2010; 5/2/2015-5/3/2015: Good structure her, indeed. And it sports some finely mature fruit. More tannins and less acidity than the ’01, this one is verging on being angular at the moment. Wait, but will reward eventually.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2015 - wihong wrote: 89 Points
Color: Dark inky purple with bright amber rim. Aroma: Gamy, dark cherry, blackberry, eucalyptus, mint, leather, violet, anise, great complexity. Taste @ entry: Good acid, cinnamon. Cedar and pencil lead with air. Mid-Palate: Gritty tannin, strawberry, white pepper. Finish: Dark cherry, citrus peel, juicy, vanilla. slight alcoholic finish. Nice Bordeaux with good acidity concentration and length, but tannin still not fully soften.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2015 - pinotwok wrote: 92 Points
Schon sehr zugänglich und besser als erwartet. Dunkle Beeren, Kirsche, Cassis, Cigarbox, Rauch, Asian Spices. Elegant und mit Struktur, harmonisch, kein bisschen dünn, immer noch kräftiges aber sehr gutes Tannin im Abgang. Trinkt sich jetzt gut, hat sicher noch einige Jahre vor sich.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2015 - yofog wrote:
A perfumed, expressive nose of minerally blue fruits, gravel, pipe tobacco, then plenty of volume on the palate. Really delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/26/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Horizontale Bordeaux 2004: Un nez un peu animal au début (tout de suite je pense Montrose?), séveux.
La bouche est bien droite, large, structurée, assez tannique, avec une fraicheur qui vient le rendre aimable. C'est long, un peu austère, terreux, mais j'aime beaucoup ce style authentique, classique, sans fioritures qui évoque aussi Montrose. Très belle matière pour un tel millésime. Besoin de quelques années, mais il offre déjà un excellent vin pour la viande rouge. 92 pts
Mon préféré du groupe ce soir, mais je me demandais si le 3e (H-Bailly) ne pourrait le dépasser dans quelques années...
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2015 - felixp Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very pure and elegant wine. Dark fruits, cassis and a touch of tobacco. Nice length, rich and satisfying. Whilst 04 Bordeaux might never be an immortal vintage, it has produced many exceedingly pleasant wines that are drinking beautifully at a tender age, and this wine is a prime example.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
Burdigala - certainly more interesting the '04 Cheval, this had lovely mature flavors of charcoal, dark fruits, gravel and tobacco. Nice complexity on the finish. A rare Montrose that can be drunk at age 11.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
I liked this and the market appears to under-rate it. Good upside potential with more age. Light spice and smooth dark fruit on the nose. Jammy, with nice fruit and acidity, this has a long life and will be approachable young with its smooth tannins.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2015 - Dalex wrote: 92 Points
nutmeg and all sorts of other spices. relatively open and probably at an optimal time to drink. This was quite lovely, lightweight for left bank bordeaux, and had tons of delicate flavors behind it's cab profile.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2015 - Hazeo wrote: 91 Points
Much more mature than previous bottle a couple years ago. More red fruited and quite elegant, but disappointingly also seemed flatter and less interesting. As one taster noted while it has some tobacco and cassis notes it lacks some of the funky charm I enjoy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2015 - Smooth Jazz wrote: 86 Points
Very tannic out of the gate
Needed close to an 8 hour decant to come around
A bit too extracted and ripe for my taste
Not terrible but not anything to seek out either
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2015 - kmacSF wrote: 93 Points
Nice balanced Bordeaux, excellently crafted.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Medium bodied and starting to display secondary characteristics of tobacco, earth, cassis, spice, and forest floor, the wine is focused on its subdued tannins, dark cherries and earthy profile.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2014 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Blind Dinner at Browntrout (Browntrout - Chicago, IL): Served blind. Clayton brought this, and we spent time as a group talking through what we thought this was. I think Tim was on the right path - thinking it was Bordeaux from a coolish vintage. I've always thought that Montrose was one of the most distinct wines in Bordeaux, but I certainly wasn't thinking this when it was revealed. This had a lot of firm and fresh berries, and earth but lacked the funky notes that I've come to associate with this Chateaux. Nevertheless, I liked this a lot.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2014 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
Blind Dinner at Browntrout (Chicago, IL): Served blind. Well, this was embarrassing. Huge black nose had me peg it as some sort of new world syrah -- and the bit of blue fruit on it didn't help either. The palate was definitely a bit more restrained, and there was a strange note of licorice on the finish as well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2014 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 93 Points
More confirmation that the '04 vintage is often underrated. Deep purple and concentrated. Aromatic complexity that took 2 hours to develop, with blackcurrant, crushed rock, mineral, a bit of leather, tobacco, and oak spice. Nice ripe primary fruit. Oak well-integrated at this point. Silky, round, and medium-bodied. Tannins will benefit from softening over time. Medium-plus finish. An excellent value for a Montrose. At least 10 years cellaring potential, but can drink now.
9 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
12/6/2014 - originalverkorkt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very muskuline and reserved with lots of tannin at the moment. Shyer than expected. Dark fruits, cherry, cassis and a touch of tobacco. Nice length and richness but the next bottle has to wait a couple of years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2014 - yenda Likes this wine: 92 Points
still young but drinks extremely well. typical st. estephe. masculine yet smooth
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2014 - Drankard wrote: 91 Points
Just purchased from PC and in excellent condition with a taped up label. Still primary with excellent balance that should cruise in the cellar another 15+ years. This needs time to develop.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2014 - LWI wrote: 91 Points
Black currants and cherries, some smoke on the nose. Medium bodied, fresh, tannic. Wait at least 10 years
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2014 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
This is nice now. Nose is very expressive compared to the palate. Throwing a lot of sediment. Flavors of cigar box, dark fruit, some berry flavors. Very smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2014 - Don and Pam Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just coming into it's own. Decanted for about an hour and beginning to open. Smooth
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2014 - Simply Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Young but starting to drink; wonderful fruit balanced with a still tannic base. Very nice depth and palate presence. Interesting qualities to the flavor profile but not much in the way of layered complexity which I would expect of a great Montrose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/12/2014 - edjBoca Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is still young....
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2014 - Redguy wrote:
Decanted 3 hours. Well balanced and complete though just in early adulthood. Equal measures fruit and scorched earth with a lovely tannic frame and good acidity. Still waiting for the chiseled features and complexity of maturity. A fine claret that should drink well for another decade.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $60+ (Bin 75): Opaque core with thin dull carmine rim; green pepper, leather, currant, cigar, fruit cake; surprisingly softer tannin, very drinkable, classic Cabernet based Bordeaux, darker fruit, nice richness in a lesser year which I'd describe as a Bordeaux drinker's vintage.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2014 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nydelig vin, svaret bær, floral, animalsk, nedlepne tanniner. Hvorfor vente?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2014 - brianngibson wrote: 93 Points
Definitely drinking in it's prime. A great bottle of wine; wish I had more. Graphite, cassis, red plum, cherry, medium long finish, with silky smooth tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2014 - the godfather wrote:
Very good, on the massive side and verging on over extracted but seems to be in a good place
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2014 - Kris G Likes this wine: 94 Points
beautiful wine, needs lots of air to come open, but after that process is completed it becomes great, I would recommend to open it 1 day ahead, close the bottle again after 3 hours and than store it at a fresh place overnight, rich and long middle part, just not reaching the level of the 2003
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/5/2014 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Another good showing with gravel, cherry, blueberries, dust and spices. Very New World in style and big. Should go for another decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2014 - AlexB70 wrote: 94 Points
Very nice! Started to be ready, probably not completely at his peak, will be good for long time...
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2014 - RN Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is impressive for a 2004. Double decanted then and left for 45mins before drinking. Gorgeous fruit with cassis, graphite etc along with nice tannin structure making for a soft, velvety wine. Drinking nicely now but years ahead of it. Many picked it as a 2000. Stood up well against some other big name 2nd growths from much better years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
6/5/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 92 Points
From. 375. Classic St. Estephe with slightly rough edges but then opening up to show its silky texture, some wood.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2014 - Yagil wrote: 91 Points
Haut-Brion & more (Buchery de Bariloce restaurant): Dark red-purple-black
Classic Medoc aroma with notes of black fruit & leather.
Full bodied, firm tannins, high acidity, well structured, black fruit, leather, cedar and some green veggies. Enjoyable finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux Offline (Rincon 38, Mpls, MN): Very dark red-purple color. Decanted for 2 hours, followed two 2.5oz pours over 2 hours. More primary up front, black fruits, cassis, blackberry, subtle earth, ripe pretty fruit, graphite and oak. The palate is big, full bodied, tart fruit, becomes more earthy, tobacco, graphite, wood spice, tart red berries, long finish. This suffered a bit in comparison to the wines with 10 years more age, but shows all the promise to be every bit as good in 5-10 years. 91(+)pts.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/5/2014 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 88 Points
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe (Rodwell House): Mid to deep black-red, the nose is brooding with spicy oak, black fruit, damp clay, dust and lightly roasted herbs.
Mid to full-bodied, the entry is fresh and silky in texture with freshness and a lively acidity making the wine spring along. A long finish with powdery tannins and a core of toasted herbs, smoke, recently defrosted blackcurrants, liquorice and tobacco.
A classy wine with good concentration, not that gutsy in the mid-palate, still needs time. The oak spices leave a drying note on the finish, and the wine lacks some complexity but is delicious all the same!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2014 - brianngibson wrote: 93 Points
From Coravin. Let this open up in the glass with lots of swirling. Graphite, cassis, mineral, red plum. Drinking nicely now but can go another 5 years and easily be in its prime.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2014 - LIE-user wrote: 93 Points
Reaching first ripeness, but still very young. Even now a real pleasure after some hours of decanting. But will get even better in 3-5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2014 - Yapdiver Likes this wine: 86 Points
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, liqourice, a hint of mint, red berries and leather. It tastes like red berries. The body is medium/full. The wine has coarse texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.
This wine needs to be stored for at least another 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2014 - Arcturus wrote: 91 Points
2 hour decant. Nose of old basement- dust and concrete, a hint of tobacco, no fruit. Much better on the palate. Meaty with tongue coating tannins which gained weight throughout the night. 91+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2014 - Miceri Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark red; classic Bordeaux nose; nice, elegant, fruity, well-balanced, tannins; good and classic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2013 - Vmaster007 wrote: 91 Points
Great after 3 hours of decanting. It can age easily. I will taste again in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2013 - MarkMich wrote: 94 Points
4 hour decant served with grilled ribeye. Red fruit and stone on the nose. Mocha, cherry, barnyard and slate on the palate. I love this wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2013 - Pascal Likes this wine: 88 Points
Youthful and borderline aggressive, this pre-teen can be locked in his room for another 5 years easily.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2013 - michigan66 Likes this wine: 93 Points
opened this up for a Christmas dinner.
at the first 2 hours it was very intense and not welcome, but then it opened up nicely.
a dark fruity, long nose with nice palate and tannine, then showing some vanilla assets, overall dense and perfect balanced.
a great wine with potential for many more years - happy to have 35 bottles left in my cellar!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
12/6/2013 - j30 wrote: 92 Points
Opened up nicely with a wonderful, complex nose. Blackcurrant, green pepper, white pepper, mint, dry leave, graphite, savory note and purfume. Lots of strength in the mouth, concentrated dark fruit, and still lots of tannins and acidity. Medium, spicy finish. Delicious now but can hold effortlessly.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2013 - vancouvermatt wrote: 91 Points
Drank from half bottle.... and the wine was still relatively fresh & young. Definitely needs more time. Notes of black fruit, pencil lead, and graphite and leather.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2013 - maxima wrote: 93 Points
Le plus élégant et complexe des 3 St-Estèphe de la déguste au Rouge Bouef de Granby le 22 nov 2013.
Rond et velouté avec de beaux tannins et une longue finale vaporeuse.
Excellent comme à l'habitude!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2013 - cjmb67 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great wine, but very young still. After a short decanting, and after an hour in the glass, it was still very closed. Tannins galore. I'll open my other bottle in 10 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2013 - yenda wrote: 94 Points
still young but already delicious
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2013 - cvargas wrote: 91 Points
Needs time. 2-3yrs?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2013 - vinole wrote:
S FL WS Group Summer Offline (Market 17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL): From magnum with no decanting. Dark cherry and currant fruit, medium body and acidity, with a little earth and a hint of dill. Jack got bell pepper notes which was a big turnoff for him. This did not show as well as expected, but I think this will improve with more time in the bottle (more air or decanting would likely have been beneficial as well).
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2013 - JustinHandlin87 Likes this wine: 92 Points
One whiff and you know this is from the Medoc. I brought this to a nice BYOB restaurant and I was unable to decant before, but this could definitely age for another 10+ years. Medium+ tannin structure with a medium+ acidic backbone. Well rounded with a long finish. Notes of black fruit, leather, cedar and some green veggies. Beautiful wine that went perfect with the lamb I had for dinner. I think this could develop into a 94-95 pt wine with some time.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2013 - EyeDoc wrote: 92 Points
Actually in a pretty good place right now. Throwing quite a bit of sediment. This is deeply concentrated and developing a bit of tertiary flavors while retaining some good fruit. No heat nor astringency. Very nice.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2013 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
Great mid-palate and finish. I was very impressed with this wine, it is clearly putting on weight (albeit still lighter than the bigger Montrose vintages). One to look for, a potential ‘under the radar’ vintage, although this does not come close to the quality of the 2005 – which imho remains the best value great Montrose vintage to buy.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
7/6/2013 - Cheungtp Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wanted to give it a try and see where the 2004 Montrose is at. Still quite primary, dark purple core. With a decent amount of aeration time, aromas of graphite, blueberry, licorice, menthol, earth, and a hint of oaky vanilla reveal themselves in the glass. Although it's less powerful and opulent than the 2003 vintage, the 2004 Montrose is still a very solid, well structured/balanced claret. Close to full bodied mouth feel, with notes of sweet prune and burnt wood. Soft, round chewy tannins and medium acidity, keeping a fresh finish with tobacco smoke, leather and tiny drop of orange peel.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2013 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 93 Points
(Bordeaux tasting, WineGate)
Clear, deep purple color color.
Clean, medium+ intensity (it could be pronounced if the wine was decanted), dense and complex, thick core of blackcurrant, blackberries, plums, capsicum, freshness, vanilla toasted oak, liquorice, raspberry marmalade (in terms of preserved freshness rather than cooked fruit), pencil shaving and ink. Young
Dry palate, medium alcohol (13%), medium + acidity, medium + body, medium intensity and medium tannins. A basked filled with black skinned fruits (cherries, berries and currants, plums), vanilla, toasted oak again, balancing between acidity and tannins with the fruit in the middle holding it together. Young
Premium price (100€), outstanding quality, it can be drunk now (with hours of decanting) but will clearly age for many years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2013 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Bordeaux 2004 (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Beautiful and a bit rustic bouquet with dark forest fruits and smoky oak. On the palate juicy fruits, some vanilla and other sweet spices. Quite expressive and with a firm dose of alcohol. Possibly the wine did not get enough time to breathe, because -although it was beautiful- for Montrose it was a bit disappointing.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2013 - jkoenen wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux 2004 - an overview (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Dung, toast, leather, black fruit, good freshness on the palate. Very tasty and enjoyable wine, great nose. 17,5-18/20 (group scores: 90-94)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2013 - WMWG wrote:
Earthy, dusty, gray 'montrose' nose. Tannins are still there, although this is well-balanced. Tobacco, leather, green peppers and black pepercorn were coming through after about 2.5 hours in the decanter. It didn't seem to change much beyond that. Seems somewhat closed-down, lacking in wow factor compared to other vintages I've had. I'll hold on to what I have to see where it goes from here.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2013 - tyvoodoo wrote:
2004 Bordeaux Tasting: Deeply pitched nose with sweet black cherry, sexy and opulent. Flinty mineral aromas, mixed with a purity of fruit that is hard to put into words. Baking spices, bit of oak toast, forward and holding nothing back. Powerful and masculine in the mouth, dense and layered but not heavy. Great acidity carries the fruit and oak, tannins round out on the finish. Bright and lengthy, seductive and drinking great now. It will be hard to keep my hands off the others.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2013 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 90 Points
Quite elegant on the palate, with well integrated notes of dark berries, smoke and some cedar/graphite. Tannins were surprisingly hard and did not really evolve through the meal. Dinged a point or two for a clipped and thin finish, but all in all an exemplary St Estephe that could reward a few more years' patience.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2013 - kwaky Likes this wine: 92 Points
Work Wine Tasting (Office - London): Dark purple in the glass, a good nose of tobacco and cassis. On the palate, this was much more of a show-off compared to the Giscours. It really showed the weight from St Estephe. Tannins are well integrated, but the balance is very good and this should last for quite a while yet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2013 - Cinsault86 wrote: 93 Points
rett fra flasken, klassisk nese, men ikke særlig fruktdreven. Litt lær, sedertre og jordlige toner. Frukt mot bjørnebær. I munnen ikke samme fruktkonsentrasjonen og modningen som 05, fin syre og en mer drikkeklar vin enn de øvrige. Fortsatt primær. Særlig flott syre. Medium+ tanniner. Dekantert 6 timer; Mer moden og varm frukt samt den gjennomgående moccaen, strålende syre. 92 p ved åpning, 93p etter dekantering. Dag to i dekanter, en mer spennende nese med litt indian spices ut over den klassiske Bordeaux nesen. Strålende balanse, fremstår ikke røff, men viser flott givende frukt mot blåbær. Drikker fint.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2013 - Tavastgatan wrote: 91 Points
Deep and dark fruit. Already smooth in texture. But not that interesting actually.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2013 - ovenmitt wrote: 89 Points
Medium dark. Nose smelled of green pepper, black pepper and tobacco. Much the same in taste with dominate green pepper with some cracked black pepper and a leather taste on the finish. If I didn't
T know better I would think this had a lot mor cab franc in it... Balance was good, but tannins were still a bit hard. Enjoyable but not great.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2013 - -E- wrote: 91 Points
Klar, dyprød med hint av rosa i kanten. Solbærbusk, bjørnebær, jord, urter og kaffe med et søtlig vanilje på nese. Mørk, meget tett og tørr frukt med et svakt urtete preg. Mild fruktsødme. Frisk og saftig syre. Fin lengde med noe grove tanniner. Litt rustikk, men fin vin. La gjerne ligge.
91-92 P
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2013 - Ericsson wrote: 88 Points
Bordal aux Trois Tours à Bourguillon: Décanté environ 45 min. Grenat sombre, tirant sur le violet. Nez violent de goudron, de cuir. Etonnamment l'attaque en bouche est plus molle, peu de complexité, monolithique, tanins herbacés. Sans doute n'est-il pas dans sa meilleure période, un peu décevant pour tous, à revoir dans 5 ans.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2013 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple, extracted, thin purple rim; tons of Bordeaux funk on the nose along with luxurious cigar, mahogany, leather, blackcurrant, cassis, opulence showing its nobility, surprisingly very open [for its age and only 2 hours of air]; classic Left Bank Bordeaux, balanced, rich and not overripe, very drinkable. Really surprised how good the Cos and Montrose from '04 drink young since many other chateaux struggled.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/6/2013 - t018214 wrote: 91 Points
Deep garnet color. Soft tannins, and still some fruit. Even though it was basically a good wine, I did not find it to be very pleasureable and I actually considered it to be a disappointment. Of course this complaint is one that is relative to my expectations. Stored undisturbed for 8 years at 11-14C.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2013 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Even though we had no time to decant and drinking it on the slopes, granted at the beautiful Zum See in Zermatt, the wine shone and for a 2004 Bordeaux it shown very well. The nose took 30 mins to develop but post that it was classic, light pepper good fruit and very open. On the palate none of that green bits we usually find in 04s. Good length of fruit, ripe notes, light on the oak and very very enjoyable. Granted it needs some more depth but this is one of the very few 04s we really liked. Time will do it justice. 92-93 for now
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
3/30/2013 - Lord Rodney wrote: 91 Points
Classic bordeaux with dry structure lots of Iodine . Good with lamb
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2013 - md20 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dunkle Farbe. Wein mit kräftiger Struktur. Es ist alles vorhanden, was es für einen guten Bordeaux braucht. Zum Spitzenwein fehlt die Rundheit. Für meinen Geschmack ist der Wein momentan gut trinkbar, aber noch nicht auf dem Punkt. Sicher ein Kauf wert. Wird noch zulegen. Probiere die nächste Flasche in drei Jahren.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2013 - Redguy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 3+ hrs prior to tasting. Shows inprovement from bottle a year ago... has now reached early maturity. Gravelly and dusty as before but with more fruit and intensity than I remember and better integration. Good structure and acidity... lovely stuff. Med+ body with a firm and clean mouthfeel. Doesn't have the flesh or weight of some subsequent vintages... more classically styled. Re-bottled last glass and threw it in vacuum bar. Consumed next day and showed even better with more depth and intensity. Quality wine at a great price that should improve and drink well for a decade at least. 92+
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2013 - Dsen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark concentrated, tighter than the Leoville Barton.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2013 - yenda Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine looks Ruby colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Dust, and Mineral. It tastes like Dust, Mineral, Clove, and Mint. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2013 - aaronwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Has potential but still too young. Brought to a restaurant and was unable to decant. Started to open up by the end of the meal. Recommend decanting.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2013 - MemorialWineFan Likes this wine: 89 Points
First nose was of meat right after uncorking. Over time the wine blended and became better and better. Would recommend a 1 hour decant prior to serving.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2013 - MarkMich wrote: 93 Points
Aromas of red fruit, cassis and wet stone. Medium bodied and a nice balance. This has come along way since my last bottle. Cherries, with hints of mocha and anise on the palate. Medium length finish. This is a very nice claret that will improve with more time. I like this a lot and would by more if available.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2013 - CWang wrote: 92 Points
Extremely floral (mostly irises and roses, with some violets and lavenders) in the rich perfumed nose shortly after opening; but still tannic and tight on the green (mostly herbs and licorices with some fruits) palate even after breathing in the open bottle for hours; the finish was also rather short like Lascombes 2004 tasted last week; definitely needed a few more years to integrate all the good stuff prior to maturity; but already enjoyable to drink, so 91-92 for now (94-95 for the fabulous nose alone, and yes, I was afraid of losing my sense of smell, again) with great cellar potential; will probably pop the next bottle in 3-4 years.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2012 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
As with the '04 Lalande last month, dramatic improvement from my two previous tastings. Terrific nose just now showing maturity, with roasted cherries, stone, tobacco, leather. Medium bodied, with dark raspberries, spice, minerals. Still a more classic year for Montrose and it cannot compare to the insane '90, but I believe the aromas of this wine are better than the '96, although the palate falls just short.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2012 - isdblm@lsu.edu Likes this wine: 93 Points
Getting much better as time proceeds--
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2012 - ecrogers wrote: 93 Points
Had this with a nice filet of beef. Opened it 2 hours beforehand and carafed it. Nose is fantastic, fruit is joyful in the mouth and the lenght is really surprising for the vintage. Can be kept for at least another 10 years as of now. I just love this Château, as well as the second growth, "La Dame de Montrose".
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2012 - Ilker Ozdemir wrote: 89 Points
Deep ruby in colour with purple highlights. A sweet and balanced nose with jammy fruits, bell pepper, menthol, earth, leathery barnyard like animal and oak notes. Medium to full bodied, smooth structure with ripe fruits, high extracted. Tannins are distinct but will most probably be integrated. It leaves an impression of a 3-4 years old "young" wine with its fruitness,clayey earthy notes and vivid acidity on the palate. Not refined by a strong structure. Its long finish along with some spices,earthiness and black fruits shows us that this wine has a potential to age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2012 - jonanator wrote: 90 Points
Loads of structure. Restrained nose hiding behind the structure. This one needs a lot more time but should be a very nice bottle in five years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2012 - nigelb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep, purple tinged alizarin crimson cherry red. Limited nose of black fruits. Mid-weight smooth entry filling out on mid palate with lots of lovely ripe fresh fruit. Tannins are not obtrusive but fine and quite ripe; a gentle coating. Fresh acidity and long finish. Lovely now with plenty to go for over next 5 - 8 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2012 - yenda wrote: 93 Points
well, consistent from previous encounter a year ago - still young, but moving into the adolescent phase and uterly delicious
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2012 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Decanted for an hour before drinking. LOTS of structure. Pretty nose and pretty on the palate, but hidden behind the structure for the most part. Classic cassis and cigar box on both the nose and the palate. The nose is also giving up some floral hints and some chocolate flavors on the palate. Longish finish. Wait for this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2012 - deverett wrote: 91 Points
Not as muscular as I was expecting, less tannic and more open. Olives, bitter chocolate and tobacco with balanced oak, crunchy acidity and excellent length. Should age well enough.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2012 - St Paul wrote: 92 Points
Very deep almost black in color. Velvet and seductive. Lovely. Need more time to open up a bit more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2012 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Classical Bordeaux with a luxurious bouquet with coffee and cassis. On the palate a lot of cassis and other black fruits, a touch of pleasant sweetness, some green bell peppers and a touch of chocolate. The tannin is of good quality and still holds a promise for this wine. Although already drinkable, still very youthful. Next bottle not before 2017.
6 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2012 - jkoenen wrote: 91 Points
Cos-Montrose Battle (Restaurant Bottles, Sas van Gent): Open, sexy, seductive. Kirsch, coffee, dark chocolate, indian spices. Slight sense of sweetness on the palate. Not very complex, yet very, very tasty. 17.5-18/20
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2012 - Maestro wrote: 91 Points
It needs aeration in bottle, before you get the best of it. Intoxicating nose with a deep core of cassis surrounded by complex aromas of olives, leather, pencil shavings, and mocha. The palate is smooth and balanced and the long finish reveals complex aromatic notes. A bit young, of course, but approachable. Drink from now and until 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - vcgagnon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Superbe vin. Très bon maintenant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2012 - Bernt Olav wrote: 93 Points
Flott kompleks aroma av kaffe, lær, blyant, mørkebær ++. Smaken følger aroma. Med flott fylde, balanse og en god lang finish! Gode viner som denne fra 2004 er akkurat hva jeg søker i en Bordeaux, med sin klassiske stil treffer den veldig godt i min gane! Bare en flaske igjen og på tide å fylle på litt....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2012 - pjaines wrote:
Surprisingly approachable, and starting to show some evolution, although the black, dense fruit will be much better once it has started to mellow and the structure backs off a touch. Impressive.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2012 - Sotto325 wrote: 89 Points
A nice 375 which is not quite ready. Opened for 4 hours, decanted for one. Showed no green tastes or odors, but had a tannic bite that only partially dissipated. Medium body, some evidence of complexity that might emerge. Moss, mushroom, wet oak scents with rough velvet medium body taste,. Not as much classic Montrose smokiness or subtlety. Clearly the vintage is a string factor but it deserves more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2012 - Hazeo wrote:
Much more expressive on the nose than previous bottles. Consistently beautiful as before and never seemed to have closed down. Should really leave the rest for them to mature...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2012 - slippytoad wrote: 95 Points
Lovely in almost every regard, needs decanting for over an hour though. Last glass was sublime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2012 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Acker BYO - Chicago (Sepia - Chicago, IL): From magnum. Only had a small taste of this, but found it far more accessible and enjoyable than I expected. Typically, Montrose is a wine I only appreciate with age on it, but this already had some secondary characteristics showing. Nice tobacco, earth and mint on the palate seemed to hint at the wines exciting future. Glad I own some.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2012 - RN wrote: 94 Points
Drank at wineC. Decanted for 1 hour prior.....not nearly enough as it kept unfolding in the glass. This wine belies the 04 vintage. Dense and deep red in colour. Lots of expression coming off the nose- spice, dark fruit, and some tobacco. The palate is smooth and velvety. Tannins are there but intergrating and not intrusive. This wine is delicious now but will obviously improve with further age. Considered as wine of the night along with 2000 Haut Brion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2012 - whits wrote: 92 Points
there is great expression in the bouquet; of game, currants, mint, dark fruit and some light barn scents, rounded, balanced, shows dark plums and berries, chocolate and earth, graceful acid flows off the finish, velvety tannins, delicious in youth, drinking well now with decant or a bit of air, was perfect with NY steaks and cheesy fried zucchini, dark fruit and mineral laced Bordeaux
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2012 - Daium wrote:
Très classique, très droit avec des tannins supers élégants et un nice "mouthfeel". Meilleur que l'année dernière mais j'attenderais pas bcp plus. Très typique, pas super complex (cuire, poivron, tabac) mais tout de même un très bon vin.
Super comme apéro avant la grosse débauche chez nous. Ca donne un buzz.
989/1000
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2012 - pskard Likes this wine: 94 Points
Improved since last bottle (a year ago). Deep red. Complex nose with lots of dark fruit. Pure and elegant. Layers upon layers. Super body with dark fruit and refined tannins. Long finish that lasts and lasts. Still very young and will improve for several more years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/24/2012 - jreis wrote:
Decanted and drank over 2 hours. Drank alongside a 2004 Smith Madrone Cabernet and they were remarkably similar. Leather, green pepper, tobacco, black fruit and earth on the nose. Still quite backward and tannic, but quite well made and constructed. Another 5 years will do it good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2012 - Redguy wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2+ hrs prior to first taste. Very pretty and clear dark fall red color. The deep, rich, and expressive nose shows black and red fruits, mint, cedar, a touch of barnyard, and loads of gravel. On the palate, this starts with a fine tannic entry and light wood notes that are accompanied by blackberries, black currant, and cranberries with mocha and barnyard that seemed to gain steam with air. Good freshness. Very elegant in composition but with good intensity. This old school wine is dusty and gravelly in nature with a fine, silky texture, bright acidity, sound structure, and good length. Paired well with grilled lollipop lamb chops. Young but approachable now, though for my palate I will probably wait a couple of years before popping another. 91 today but with time this should gain another point or two.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2012 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous note. This classic bordeaux continues to impress.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/30/2011 - THA wrote:
Bordeaux 2004 Dinner at 3418 (My House): An outstanding Montrose. It's certainly accessible now, but don't expect a mature wine. The most elegant of wine of the tasting. Classy. Juicy. Nice weightlessness. One of us ranked it #1 of the tasting. The rest of us ranked it #2.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2011 - Kris G wrote: 93 Points
beautiful wine, very long in the middle part
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2011 - yenda wrote: 92 Points
young yet very delicious and complete
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2011 - dferreir wrote: 94 Points
unbeatable at 40/bottle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 88 Points
Chateau Montrose vertical (Tower Club): Alcohol :: 13%
Beautiful dak ruby red with light purplish rim, not a sign of bricking or brownish. The nose is quite with smoke, pencil lead, tobacco, cedar, ash, blackcurrant, blackberry and touch of spiciness, this is indeed very expressive. High acid entry with good dose of new wood but quickly buffered by sweet dark fruits at the background. A little bit lean but this has lots of power beneath. Light to medium level of fine grained, but a little bit hard tannin for better grip with dark chocolate and roasted coffee bean bitterness toward the long lingering finish with spicy aftertaste. With time, this wine showing more lushness and completeness. Good to drink now and will last at least another decade or more. 88
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2011 - Domfrenette wrote: 88 Points
Bon sans être grand. Nez évolue grandement après l'ouverture de la bouteille. En bouche, c'est un peu décevant. Peut-être que davantage de fruit pour accompagner l'incroyable masse tannique (quoique bien fondus les tannins) aurait conduit à un meilleur équilibre.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2011 - texaswinelover wrote: 92 Points
Super tannic even for my tannin lovin palate. Nicely balanced with restrained dark fruit and touch tar or smokiness. Hint of coffee. Wish it had a little more fruit but otherwise very nice. Well made. From 375.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2011 - brianngibson wrote: 92 Points
Cassis, blackberry, and gravel.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2011 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Very nice nose of black fruit, pain d'épices, mineral, licorice, ... beautiful mouth of black fruit, ripe tannins, lots of freshness, nice concentration... very typical nice Bordeaux, very approcheable 2001 style
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2011 - TannicBeast wrote: 90 Points
Tasted blind from a decanter. Clear, deep garnet/ruby. The nose is clean, with a little animal (barnyard). The nose is developing, with aromas of black fruit and sweet spice. The palate is dry, the acidity is medium but the tannins; alcohol, body, flavor intensity and length are medium plus. The wine seems vey well made and balanced. It is smooth and elegant, with no rough edges. Overall, it is a very good wine which can be drunk now but has potential for ageing quite a few more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/24/2011 - the godfather wrote:
good, not great, needed food
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Beefy, brawny and tannic, this powerful, cassis and gravel filled wine is on the austere side of the style range. With rusticity to the tannins, the wine finishes with cassis, cranberry and minor hints of green flavor. This St. Estephe wine is well suited to fans of more traditional, old school styles of Bordeaux wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2011 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Montrose Vertical Tasting 1989 - 2005 (Work in Progress) (Switzerland): Intensive deep red. Nose of pepper, herbs and flower with hints of green peppers. Tannins and tartiness are presenta at the same time wonderful flavors of dark berries and currants. This wine is still quite youthful. Not a blockbust but a nice claret. Give it a few more years to develop. Drink 2015-2030.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2011 - GalvezGuy wrote: 93 Points
From 375. Popped and poured. Nose of tobacco, cedar, graphite, red currant, mocha, blackberry, mint, bell pepper, anise. On the palate, black currant, sour cherry, earth, tobacco, anise, cedar. Great complexity and structure. Finishes with smooth tannins and great acidic kick. Drink or hold in 375. Hold in 750 or larger.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2011 - Anthony Lombardi wrote:
Deep reddish almost purple color. Gamey nose with smoke and black fruit. Full bodied and youthful. This enters with tons of cassis/black currant with some tobacco elements floating about. This is, for the most part in a big brooding phase. It began to show some elegance as the night went on and it took on air in the glass, but it is still a young muscular wine and it not going to be yielding anytime soon. Chalky tannins add to the glorious black fruited finish. The acidity is really what keeps this in balance as it does brighten the fruit just enough to make this a thorougly enjoyable bottle especially with food.
Great wine which will get even better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2011 - rho wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for 30mins before dinner. Still young and very tannic. Hold for at least 5 more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2011 - SacramentoCharlie wrote: 93 Points
Very dark, huge nose, strong grip…a lot going on cassis, tobacco, and many other elements I can’t recall 2 days later on a night of many BDX wines. Great now but a lot of potential for this to shine for another 10+ years. Challenged the '71 Latour for my WOTN
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2011 - tantotinto wrote: 92 Points
Tasted an hour after decanting. Deep purple. Nose of bramble, mineral and fruit. Great fruit with black current, blackberry, raspberry, black olive... there is a lot going on here. Long, earthy finish with fine tannins that are not overpowering. I really should have waited but this is very drinkable now especially with this evening's grilled ribeye. It cuts the tannins perfectly.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2011 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Really lovely. Wish I got more of this. It really shows its class and pedigree. It's quite closed down upon opening, but after a half hour or so of decanting really opens up nicely. Will hold onto my last two bottles for a few more years though.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2011 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Pop and poured and surprisingly open (relatively) consider I last opened one 2 months ago. Nose was present and nice. Dark sweet fruit with tons of earth, tobacco, cassis, smoke, minerals. Tannins are strong but smooth, and (for me) doesn't distract from this really excellent wine. Much better than the 06 Rancia opened earlier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2011 - macker100 wrote: 90 Points
At Monterey. Same as previous 2010 note. No improvement after six months. Needs considerable cellar time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2011 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bordeaux at the Monterey (The Monterey): Splash decanted, took several hours to open up. Finally showed an intense nose of charcoal, roasted coffee, and cassis. Big chalky tannins on the palate, but plenty of cassis and currants, finishing with layers of coffee, charcoal, and a grilled meat element. Dark and burly, but great fruit mixed in. Impressive, and distinctive in a tasting of Pauillac. Initial green pepper note blew off with air. Really enjoyed the flavor profile of this although not as complex as Mouton or Pichon-Baron.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2011 - AHSpiritus wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic, but way too young!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2011 - EyeDoc wrote: 92 Points
Still young but coming around. This can be enjoyed now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2011 - lomowest Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very dark purple. Decanted for an hour, nose is still closed but start to reveal more and more (mainly black forest fruit and mineral) during the next 1.5 hours. Very very tannic and I think it still need a few more years to reveal its full potential. Nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2011 - dkoontz wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured a small amount. Put the rest in the decanter and drank over 2+ hours. Ruby color, just barely rusting at the edge. Nose predominantly of barnyard, but with black fruit developing with air. Palate showed dried blackberry and black currant initially, but the fruit ripened and sweetened with time. The tannins were high and pretty dry. The lively acidity was a good counterbalance. Definitely mouth-coating. Finish was long. I don't think anything is to be gained by drinking immediately after opening. Was only getting better throughout the night at this age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2011 - Hazeo wrote:
Pop/poured and Vinturi'd twice into the glass. Good nose but not revealing much otherwise. Deep and richly dark fruited, has a nice sweetness but restraint. Tight on the palette with strong tannins. It does show class and elegance, but not its time yet. 90
Day 3 - held up poorly, became a little watery and flat. Hope the rest of the case will improve on this. 86
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2011 - Sailquik wrote: 91 Points
Deep Crimson with a blackcurrant-y nose and just enough brett to make it interesting. Blackberries and blueberries on the palate, velvety tannins and medium length finish. Nice balance of acidity, sweetness and tannins although I don't think the structure is there for prolonged cellaring. Enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2011 - cookie7 wrote:
Still tong but shows lots of potential - easily bested a 2004 PLL tonight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/26/2011 - Fishboy wrote: 92 Points
Great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2011 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Very happy with this. Almost sweet. Lively.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/22/2011 - Biggsy wrote: 87 Points
Very dark ruby red with aromas of ripe blackcurrant and a touch of bonfire smoke. Full and ripe entry with rich black fruit but feels a little hollow in the middle. Elegant and well balanced but lacking that something extra.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2011 - Lord of the Bottles wrote: 89 Points
Dark red fruit smell, light oak. A lot of fruit and some more oak on initial taste. Nicely balanced but just not quite special enough (especially at this price) and a touch austere to warrant a higher score. 89, maybe climbing to 90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/19/2011 - CabIsKing wrote: 91 Points
Nice dark fruit and oak on the nose. A bit of more oak than fruit. Good mouthfeel with more of the same and a very pleasant long finish. Could use a few more years on its side but don't hesitate to open because it is still showing well right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2011 - JimN wrote: 90 Points
Lovely wine. A bit muted on the nose, but more happening on the palate. The fruit is restrained, which I really like. It is a great representation of this region at a reasonable price. Fiirm on the finish after a decant of an hour or so, but great balance. I'd say it will drink well for many more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2011 - ijayb wrote: 88 Points
Opened it up and let it breathe thru the bottle for 4 hours. The nose was very muted and was devoid of detecting much. Wine did not show much as it expressed pencil lead, tobacco, cola & very soft tannins and not much in the way of fruit. Wasnt impressed, had a bottle of Stolpman before which was far superior than this. Have another bottle, may not let it open as long next time to see if that will produce more complexity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2010 - Fatdoi wrote: 87 Points
opened for 2+ hours, whole lot of green vege & dirt on the nose, the dirtiness continues to the palette & it could be quite disturbing if not the sweetness of fruit lifted the experience. Being brought up drinking Oz wines, really can't appreciate Bordeaux that much.... yes it's interesting but not in a positive way
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2010 - Daium wrote:
Was RIGHT ON. 994/1000
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/18/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
What a great wine and showing well with cassis, raspberry, cedar and gravel. Medium and concentrated finish. Should go another 10 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2010 - Ho Bryan wrote: 92 Points
These guys know what they're doing in lesser vintages don't they. Superb wine. Previously drank from a 375 earlier in the year and found this hard to judge; but this bottle was magnificent. Took time to open up and evolved from funky barnyard, to graphite minerals, and then black cherries. Rich roasted black fruits on the finish that coated the mouth and just stayed and stayed. Lots of thick drying tannins in this wine, it should be one to cellar and enjoy its evolution for decades.
Drank this in a 2004 bracket that included L' Eglise Clinet (91), Cos d'Estournel (88), and Lynch Bages (90), and this Montrose beat them all by a greater margin than the points strictly suggest.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2010 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Twin Cities Wine Club: Bordeaux (Tracy's): Very Dark red color. Nose shows cement, mineral, funk, cassis, oak. The palate is consistent, concentrated, long finish. Stellar wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2010 - glg wrote: 87 Points
NEEDS MORE TIME. Has potential, but not showing it now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2010 - macker100 wrote: 90 Points
Dark cherry ruby color. Nose is very nice with classic Estephe notes; stone, wet clay, camphor, and cherries. Palate was smooth with red berries, leather, raspberries, minerals, and a touch of spice. Firm acidity on nice finish with dusty tannins. Although this is a very solid wine, I think it will not match the other comparable classic Bordeaux year of 2001, which I think is terrific. The wine simply lacks the silky touch and sweeter fruit needed for a higher score - in my opinion. This perhaps could improve with age as the dusty tannins recede (?).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Also, along with Cos, riper than the Leovilles, but with oak note and more gravel and brambelly fruit. Reminds me of a 6 year old Ridge Zinfandel -- say Lytton with all its Petit-y power. Which probably would piss off the owners of the Chateau if they read this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2010 - bmagic wrote: 91 Points
Nose - vanilla, sweetness, but slightly subdued. Palate - cherries, redcurrants, texture really rather smooth. Refreshing acidity. Tannins will fade within 5 years. Classy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2010 - bambam wrote: 90 Points
This wine takes time to open up. Green pepper and plum on the nose. Bright red fruits and cedar on the tongue with fine grained tannins and nicely balanced acidity. Hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2010 - pskard wrote: 92 Points
Mørk rød med antydning til rødbrun kant. På nesen er det eik, plumme, kirsebær, lær og noe blyantspiss. Medium+ kropp med klare, men myke tanniner. God frukt. Lang ettersmak. Bør ligge noen år til før de er drikkeklare (4 år +).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2010 - Barolo Raymond wrote: 89 Points
Intense ruby-garnet, vibrant hue. Promising. Nose is still in the red fruit phase, with notes of cloves, cinnamon, leather. Archetypical Bordeaux Medoc, complex wine in the middle of its development, not too big, actually medium-bodied. The whole experience reminds of dark wood-panelled drawing rooms with leather sofas.
Value/money= 6 (wine is too expensive for what it delivers)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2010 - LWI wrote: flawed
BdX 01/04 (Oslo): Corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/2/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for three hours using a funnel. See Previous notes. The tobacco and spice were at the vanguard, especially next to the Las Cases. An enjoyable and velvety wine. Drink 2011 -2030.
Consumed with the '98 Las Cases (94 pts) and the '06 Novelty Hill (93 pts). The Montrose was my second favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2010 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 92 Points
Young but approachable, with perky tannins yet to give way entirely to reveal a velvety black-fruited marvel, as they surely shall across time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2010 - Edv wrote: 90 Points
L'expérience est moins convainquante, ce vin doit vraiment vieillir encore, au moins 5 ans.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2010 - Matt Scott wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for two hours. Almost black core with a garnet rim. Gorgeous nose of black currant paste, St. Estephe spice, tobacco leaf, wet earth and a little blackberry. There's a hint of leather on the end. A judicious amount of concentration with a finish that is 30+ seconds. Evident tannins that are round and there's a little velvet as well. I've always enjoyed this '04 Claret. Usually a great value and really drinking nicely. This could age for another twenty years. There are some outstanding '04 Bordeaux and the pricing for that vintage was not so steep. Drink 2011 - 2030.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2010 - astroman wrote:
Expressive gravel like nose but palate still very tight. Need to lay down a while more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/12/2010 - Opusone99 wrote: 94 Points
Première expérience avec ce grand vin. La robe est assez foncée, le nez est très expressif ce qui me surprend, sur les fruits noirs, les baies sauvages, boisé luxueux, torréfié un tantinet, un peu animal. Assez viril. En bouche, c'est massif, ample, ça explose de saveurs, velouté à souhait, structuré tout en étant sauvage et très racé. Finale longue. Belle bouteille.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/19/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 91 Points
From 375ml. Initially very mute nose, and after a couple of hours in the glass showing plum, cherry, cedar and pencil. Firm, fine tannin structure and healthy acidity. A little dry on the back end, but solid complexity on the palate with cherry, cedar, and spice character, and a lengthy mocha and slate finish. A fine bdx, primary but somewhat approachable now. Still needs 5yrs or so to be near it's optimum drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2010 - rikipedia wrote: 86 Points
Terroir-istes International - France, Bordeaux, St. Estephe (Rodwell House): [tasted blind] mid-deep black-red, the nose shows more evolved tertiary notes with undergrowth and woodsmoke. Slightly rustic the wine is earthy with a more classic coolness to it, dotted with some fruits. The tannins feel wider yet firm suggesting a lesser year supported by its crispy/crunchy acidity. Medium-bodied, the wine reflects that earthy almost cigar box St Julien character, but lacks overall intensity. Medium length. 2004 or perhaps 2002? some rot?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 93 Points
From 375. Popped and poured. Nose of tobacco, cedar, red currant, mocha, earth, blackberry, mint, black cherry, anise, bell pepper. On the palate, sour cherry, black currant, earth, tobacco, red currant, blackberry. Very complex. Finishes with smooth tannins and lively acidity. This is in a good place right now. Drink or hold. Good value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2010 - Kris G wrote: 93 Points
already drinking well > this came as a big surprise to me, big structure, big flavor and a long finish, this is a great Cabernet wine, scoring 93-94 on first day, dropping to 92-93 on 3th day
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2010 - Slics wrote: 90 Points
On opening nose was tight and quite tannic. After about 2 hrs of decanting opened up and was quite nicely balanced with a nose of currents, cedar and pencil lead. Quite good but doesn't thrill.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/23/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Does Bordeaux; 1/22/2010-1/23/2010 (Kevin's House): The fourth time sampling this wine. A little funk on the nose that blew off. Mostly showing gravel, cassis, and some vegetal qualities. The palate was not as impressive with previous bottlings. Medium finish and overall a really 04 value at $44 a bottle. I would encourage cellaring this one for 2 to 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/22/2010 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club 1/22/10 (Kevin's House): Nose: Typical Montrose funk with some coffee undertones. Palate: Coffee and dark fruits combine very nicely. Well made.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2010 - maxima wrote: 92 Points
En carafe pendant 3 heures. LE nez est un peu discret au début, avec un peu d'agitation on détecte des arômes de pain grillé, de fruits noirs, de café et de terre humide.
En bouche, la texture est superbe, soyeuse mais aussi ample en même temps et l'équilibre est très bien en ce moment. On goute le cassis et du Moka. Les tannins sont très charnus et la finale immensément longue. Un peu jeune encore pourra tenir la route encore bien des années, un superbe St-Estèphe ne devenir!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2009 - Edv wrote: 91 Points
Fruits noirs, cerise et du cèdre, des notes de thym et de chêne, sur des tanins présents mais assez souples.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2009 - vinopa wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby red...Nice aromatics which included cigar box, minerals, blackcurrant, leather and a hint of pepper..Palate: Dark fruit, pencil shavings, sandlewood, leather and minerals all of which was well balanced..complex with a nice mouthfeel..Long finish which lasted 45 seconds..Pretty much restrained at this time and needs time in the cellar to evolve. A classic montrose but would be patient with this one...Cheers!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2009 - CCL957 wrote: 93 Points
I have tried this wine for 4 times. Very nice cigar box boquet, well balanced, early matured classic young bordeaux. Possibly the bottle tried by Alex H was flawed, suggest you give one more chance for this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/31/2009 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 92 Points
With L. Nice after a couple of hours aeration. Still too young.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2009 - Alex H wrote: 80 Points
French Wine Sale (Crystal Wines): Hard , dusty with sawdust , earthyness and dried leather. Extremely austere wine with lots of bitter roots. Dry and whithery with lack of fruits.Will time soften this...not too sure. It might but really hard to drink right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2009 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
Earthy nose with ripe cherries, slightly tight on opening but opened up in the glass. Quite powerful on the palette, but with elegant black fruit, slight olive and good spices (perhaps even some anise). Tannins are there but quite smooth. Needs more cellar time to fully sing but delicious already (all the 04s Bdx I've had recently have been quite rewarding). 92
Update - couple hours in the glass later, the finish became longer and very, very tasty. 93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2009 - Stephan O wrote: 94 Points
Powerful, clean, ripe, and yet refined. It shows leather, lead pencil, cassis, and some bittersweet tobacco, all in a sleek, tight, structured, balanced package. If I could find this in the $50 range, I'd buy a ton of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/13/2009 - jreis wrote:
2 Hours in the decanter. Elegant nose of ripe blackberry, dark earth, cedar. leather and white pepper. Great balance of strucure and fruit on the nose. A little less giving on the palate - still quite primary and not showing the naunce of the nose. Not harsh or tannic, but not fully evolved either. A great off vintage wine and will only get better with another 5 years of bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2009 - Grinner wrote: 90 Points
A very good classic "off-year" claret, plenty of time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2009 - avp wrote:
Intense blackcurrant and boysenberry nose with some green bell pepper, smoke, animality and earth.
Fullbodied palate with firm tannic grip and good acidity to back up the dense fruit. Pencil shavings towards the astringent finish.
Very good St.Estephe expression. Will need time for the palate to unravel.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2009 - Harrypotter wrote: 94 Points
Aromatically- cherry, Pete soil, caramel, rosemary, pine, raspberry, and cellary root. very elegant on entry with a medium size mid, and a semi course finish. Great front pallete density, very dark purple color. Try again in 5 years. good stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2009 - Miceri wrote:
Round smokey nose with a little bit of sharpness; light tannin, mulberry; more full bodied than Dame Montrose
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/2/2008 - Dale M wrote: 90 Points
Decanted a good 6 hrs. Initially the nose was rather shy, just owing some aromas of grilled nuts. With time, classic St.Estephe damp earth was detected as well as traces of plumy fruit. Odd thing was that I never smelled any new oak, as I often do in young Bords. I wouldn’t so much as call the wine shut down, but it certainly was showing a restrained side last night, making me really work had to discern the wines plumy charms. Yet make no mistake, this is a well made wine that carried a terrific texture and was very balanced. Tannins are but strong on the back half, but that should be expected at this point in the game. Not nearly as open as a recent taste of the 04 Pontet Canet and in need of perhaps a good decade of patience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2008 - Arcturus wrote: 91 Points
This had an unusually evolved bouquet already. Floral notes, with leather,mineral, earth and a hint of oak. Thought the palate was bit lacking, med-light weight, dark fruit but a solid enough finish to believe it has the foundation to age well. Really enjoyed it and think this has the potential to be something special. 91++
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
nose: classic montrose with lots of power behind the nose, but with a bit of that st estephe grace possesing beautiful tones of pencil shavings, cedar box, rich cassis tones, cranberries, old rawhides, leather, and dark cherry tones. absolutely beautiful right now, and can only get better
taste: nice medium/full feel with rich cassis tones, leather, pencil shavings, cedar box, cranberries, and dark cherry tones
overall: count me in the group that is really praising this wine. There is something special lurking underneath this very young wine, but its outstanding right now. This may not be on the 03, 00, and 90 level, but this is right in that second tier of montrose and is an amazing value. Great classic profile that is very fluid on the palate with a cassis attack and a leather+pencil shaving finish. This wine certainly has 94/95 pt quality in it when it comes around, the hard part is to keep your hands off of it in the mean time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 92 Points
From a 375ml bottle. Another impressive effort from the very underrated 2004 vintage. Agree with others that the nose is definitely slow to come around but eventually does show good fruit and a pencil shavings note mixed with a little bit of funk that I love from St. Estephe. This wine is very similar to the 04 Cos d'Estournel and I don't think I would be able to tell the two of them apart in a blind tasting. Flavors show mostly oak with just a bit of fruit and are quite tannic and the tannins have a dusty quality to them that leave a very dry finish. This wine has a long life ahead of it and all the pieces to come around quite nicely. 91-93 based on both how it is now and the potential to improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2008 - jordanj wrote: 93 Points
Very Impressive! Classically styled. This wine reminds me of the old west. The nose is slow to come around but very complex and quixotic (pertaining to romantic qualities). With coaxing the wine reveals scents of smoke, beef, and leather with sweet red fruits –cherries and red grenadine. The tannins have a very dusty feel- a bit chalky. It is no doubt smooth and shows excellent balance. Right now the merlot in wine is really dominating the palate with its lush feel. If this wine can hold itself together for another 15 years to let the secondary nuances gain power it will be approaching extraordinary. I know this not a first growth and it is what it is, but I really enjoyed it and think for the vintage it is underrated and spectacular. –back up the truck.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 95 Points
Shared w L after 5 hours decanting. This is the real deal!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 94 Points
Shared with Sydney and Brent on 7/5/08 after 4 hours decanting--see previous note. Really nice after 5th hour and especially on 2nd day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2008 - FieldingYost wrote: 95 Points
Aromas of anise, blackberry, and cassis. Layered and dense, with blackfruit, black licorice, and earth. Impressive. Decanted for several hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 94 Points
Tasted by vinoblm on 6/13/08; notes of oak, earth, blackberry, with firm tannins. Can't wait to see where this one goes in a few years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote:
Tasted by vinoblm on 6/13/08 after 4+ hours decanting--couldn't resist. This will be a glorious St. Estephe in a few years; notes of oak, earth, blackberry, firm tannins, with who knows what else to come!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2008 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote:
Drank on 12/22/07, with hardly any decanting--way too young to drink. What a waste!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/26/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 91 Points
Last time I tasted 1 glass but this time we tested the whole bottle...almost 5 hours.
This is the wine of the vintage for me, complicated wine, the nosing changes every 30 mins, many scents included little mild creamy, light to medium toasted-oak, red fruits, rose, flowers, mineral and herbs.
Medium-bodied, beautiful texture, cloning of 1982, easy impressed...a little bit to young.
Nice aftertaste...it's not great but it's really good...better buy a case.
Drink 2010 - 2022....91+/100....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 92 Points
Oh yes. this is what I'm waiting for. After go the wrong way to the idiot wine in 2002 then come back to the original old classic.
1st nose makes me smile, I get my boy back now...I miss this smell very much.
Mild oak, light toasted, natural scents, wood, earth and flower..so beautiful...
Medium to full bodied, good texture, complex reminds me 1982 last 12 years same score.
Nice and warm aftertaste. Still No. 1 to me for the 2nd Growth.
Drink now - 2020...91-92/100...I prefer the old classic label even the OWC too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2008 - loverboy wrote: 92 Points
Dinner at Ember (Ember, Bangkok): The most opened 2004 wine of the night ! Very forward, at least when I had it. Concentrated floral, blackberries, cassis.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2008 - GalvezGuy wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Inky color. Nose of coffee, tobacco, cedar, black currant, and mint. On the palate tobacco, spice, cedar, chocolate, espresso. Extremely tannic and angular on the finish. A lot of stuff lurking there in the background. Needs more time but has the right stuff. Acceptable value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2008 - mimik wrote: 92 Points
Some 2004 Bdx at a Tasting in Mid-March: If I thought the 04 Smith Lafitte was tannic, this stole the prize away. Very closed nose of cedar and chocolate and camphor/menthol. More menthol/camphor on the palate with a very tight structure underneath which isn't giving much away right now. Long finish and tannic. Closed but this will be great when ready. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2008 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
At Nicolas, drank with great beef with Bordelais sauce. Beautiful Zwiesel 1824 Bordeaux stems. Good wine, but very young, slightly closed even after a 3 hour decant. Dark, inly colour, great nose of almomst new-worldly sweet blackcurrants (like the yellow Hacks sweets), but mingled with very Bordeaux leather, forest floor and tobacco leaf. E got a little mintiness. Quite a bit of lurking oak on the edges as well. Palate was a lot more subdued, with rather secondary flavours, like tobacco, cedar wood and spice. Grippy tannins and decent finish. Rather good balance and structure, as you would expect from a class St Estephe. Went lovely with my beef and E's red lamb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2008 - Tom_B wrote: 94 Points
his wine was showing quite well, probably my favorite wine of the evening (tasted blind). Deep ruby color with blackberry aromas. Medium bodied with a thick layer of tannin blanketing the fresh acidity. Way too young, Should be held for 5 years before trying again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2007 - JOsgood wrote: 92 Points
Consumed at Perilla in NYC with Mike Capilouto - completely intoxicating nose, rich taste with earth, steel and blackberry. The finish goes on and on. I paired this with grilled hanger steak and what a combination that was. Obviously will improve with more bottle age but drinking really nice right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/12/2007 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Oak and dark fruits in the bouquet. Very good concentration. A lot of cassis and tannin. But it all is beautiful. This wine definitely needs a lot of time to show its real merits. 8 – 10 years from now to start with. In my score part of the estimated final score is already calculated, because I was already very much impressed. But it might even gain a few points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2007 - Goldstone wrote: 88 Points
Ch. Montrose Dinner (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Deep inpenetrable purple. Good nose of red fruits but quite closed. Nice oak in the mouth in a California style but crowded out by the tannins. The fruit hardly pokes through at all. Not much length. Hard to judge at this stage of its life.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2007 - rsepulve wrote: 89 Points
Medium bodied. Ripe currant, cedar and tobacco on the nose. A little thin on the mid palate. Oak not fully integrated. The finish is ends with drying tannins. I'm looking for sub-$100 04s to buy by the case; this won't be one of them.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2007 - DaleW wrote:
I found this hard and ungiving, others liked better. Oak and tannins,
I find short. Maybe just shut down, but I paid $59, would not do
again. B
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2007 - MRichman wrote:
Bordeaux 2004 horizontal (Frank's Steakhouse, NYC): Dense and a bit flat. Has a dark streak. A little difficult to judge now, this seemed to be starting to shut down. Brawny.
B++
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2007 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
Dense, glossy, blackish red hue. Quite accessible nose, full of impressions: a whiff of horse stable, very elegant toasty oak notes, smoke, stone and minerals, sweet virginia, figs and more subtle notes of bacon, meat, red wine sauce, beetroot and flowers. We even find the smell of pruning a plum tree - something like bitter almond. Overtones of red apples and peaches. Great complexity, to say the least... The taste is dry, tannic, silky, with high, fine acids. Very stylish and enjoyable. Maybe a tad thin on the midpalate at the moment, but that might cure with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2007 - Mark wrote: 91 Points
Opened for three hours, not decanted. What wonderful nose, it just fills the glass with cigar, tobacco, ripe dark fruit and cassis. Follows up a bit lighter on the palette, the weight and structure in the mouth not as pronounced as the nose. A medium length finish. It will be good to see what this does in a number of years, but it's certainly a pleasant bottle now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/11/2007 - the godfather wrote: 94 Points
Had next to the 1989 and I feel like this could be there someday. I can't believe how nice this is drinkinhg for such a young wine, the 2004's seem really open for business
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2007 - JimHow wrote: 90 Points
This is more like it. This is what the 2004 Sociando Mallet strives for but does not quite achieve. It seems like a more traditionally styled Montrose, with ripe tannins and bold black fruit that bites you back. Deep black purple color. It is to St. Estephe what Mouton is to Pauillac in a good vintage. Nice finish. This is a quality Montrose, although, at $60ish, they are pushing my limit as to what I am willing to pay for this wine. I'll probably buy a couple more to keep in the cellar for at least another ten years. Rating: 90 points.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2007 - Siggy wrote: 91 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Steaks & Montrose (Dave's House): This reminded me a lot of the 2001. Medium weight, with the classic Montrose dark fruit/coffee/mineral flavor profile. Still relatively open at this point in its evolution. This wine doesn't have the power of the 03 (nor the price tag), and seems very true to its terroir. Wait at least 5 more years before trying again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/7/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 92 Points
Another Tuesday Night in Minneapolis (Montrose 82, 86, 89, 90, 95, 01, 03, 04): Opened but not decanted about two hours before serving. This is a much more traditional offering than the 2003. The nose gives a stern dose of dark fruit, leather, mineral, and flowers. On the palate this gives dark fruit with dried herbs and mineral in a pleasing but stern and straightforward style. Extremely tannic. Great length on the finish. Some called this slightly green, but to me it was a great lean style of Bordeaux that I love. Glad I've got a case of this hidden away.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/31/2007 - drcbarroso wrote: 91 Points
Obviously young, but all I could find in a local liquor store that looked interesting. Had alongside a 98 Karl Lawrence, which was an interesting comparison. Opened and let sit for 5 hours before drinking. Still took a couple hours to really open up. Nice notes of tobacco and dark fruit with some oakiness coming out to play after a couple hours. Well balanced, but obviously needs years in the cellar. Medium to long finish, and surprisingly approachable. May be one of the last truly affordable vintages of Bordeaux and this is a nice bottle for the vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2007 - Cracker Barrel wrote: 92 Points
Very nice and surpisingly approachable, medium to full bodied, "classic" Bordeaux; manageable tannins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2007 - win wrote: 90 Points
Basically seemed like a mix of old world Bordeaux with new world characteristics with nice deep fruit present. May be closing down. Interesting wine with excellent potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2006 - MRichman wrote:
Some nicely sweet, juicy fruit. Peppery with sweet cherry, menthol and lots of tacky teeth coating oaky tannins. Hot with dark tar, tobacco and a long finish. Nice classic profile, good complexity, but ultimately lacks depth in the fruit. As it warms up and opens, it's also widening. It's a lot of tannin, but the fruit is rounding out.
B/B+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment