Editors notes
The result of rigorous selection at each stage of production, in both the vineyard and the winery, this great, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon wine is typical of the Saint-Estèphe appellation. Structured and tannic but with all the elegance and refinement of a Grand Cru Classé, with time it develops a delicate and complex bouquet.
Details
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Wine Type
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Vintage
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Variety
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Brand
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Location
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Cellaring
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Closure
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Alcohol Percentage
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Bottle Size
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Oak Type
Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
- Herbal
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Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
Food Pairings
- Pork
- Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
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Decanter
98"A serious wall of blueberry and blackberry compote, and a ton of savory Cabernet sinew and freshness. This is a great Montrose, inky, broad-shouldered and structured. It needs time to aerate and open in the glass, then you see the precision, the heft, the chiselling of the fruits with a ton of graphite, cigar box and campfire smoke - huge persistency. This will need a long time and will reward patience. One of the few where a 1986, 2016 and 2010 comparison makes sense."
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
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- Variety Cabernet Blend
- Vintage 2021
- Brand Château Montrose
- Cellaring 15 Plus Years
- Wine Type Red
- Alcohol Percentage 13.5% Alcohol
Chateau Montrose 2021-
James Suckling96 points
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Jeb Dunnuck95 points
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Antonio Galloni96 points
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Neil Martin95 points
$349.00 -
- Variety Cabernet Blend
- Vintage 2019
- Brand Château Montrose
- Cellaring 15 Plus Years
- Wine Type Red
- Alcohol Percentage 14.0% Alcohol
Chateau Montrose 2019-
The Wine Indepe100 points
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Vinous100 points
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Wine Enthusiast100 points
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Jane Anson99 points
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Decanter98 points
$549.99
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Saint-Estephe
Saint-Estèphe is a single-commune, red-wine-only appellation on the left bank of the Gironde estuary in the Haut-Médoc subregion of Bordeaux, France. It is the northernmost of the Left Bank Médoc communes (the other three being Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Margaux), as well as the coolest, thanks to its nearness to the Atlantic Ocean. Roughly half of the plantings here are Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives on the area’s warm, gravelly soils. Merlot, planted on more clay soils, makes up the bulk of the remainder. Wines from Saint-Estèphe are typically full of character, with intense aromas and flavours of blackcurrant, green capsicum, and red plums, alongside cedar and vanilla notes from the influence of oak. They are generally medium to high in alcohol, have robust tannins (which can soften with years of bottle ageing), and are medium- to full-bodied.
About the brand Chateau Montrose
Chateau Montrose is known today for its powerful, full bodied Bordeaux wine. But that is not what the property was originally known for. In fact, before Bordeaux wine was produced at the estate, it earned fame for being a hunting area.
That all changed when Alexandre de Segur, who also owned numerous, other illustrious Bordeaux properties such as Chateau Mouton, Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour, gave the property to his son, Nicolas Alexandre. At the time, the estate was known as La Lande de l’Escargeon. Alexandre did not keep the property long. In 1778, he sold it to Etienne Theodore Dumoulin.