| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The second wine of Chateau Montrose. With new owners, a new wine-making team and new cellars at Montrose, this label has benefitted greatly from a more rigorous selection process at this famous Chateau. With the grand vin strongly Cabernet-based, this is 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.
Blackcurrants with crushed stone and slate. Lead pencil. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins and precision. Fantastic length and focus. One of the best Dames I have had. Organically grown grapes. 48% merlot, 46% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot and cabernet franc.
The 2020 La Dame de Montrose has slightly more alcohol than the Grand Vin. It has a lovely bouquet with predominantly black fruit, cedar and light briny scents, impressive focus and intensity for a Deuxième Vin. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip on the entry, quite fresh considering the warmth that summer, fine mineralité with a saline finish. There is a pleasant strictness at the moment, a very capable La Dame that should give 15 years of drinking pleasure.
It's no surprise at all that this Dame de Montrose is a superb effort, in a year when its bigger brother is a strong contender for wine of the vintage. Deep purple still in the glass, the nose hits immediately with tones of graphite, elegant blackcurrant and blueberry fruit and that intangible, savoury complexity that makes good Bordeaux so enticing. The cedary black fruit at the core has focus and precision, with vertical power and a little puppy fat that gives this drinkability despite the vintage and its relative youth. Chalky, grown-up and moreish, this is a resounding success and a wine you simply want to drink, oozing class and Médocain soul. Long and chalky on the finish, there's bite to this wine but you can drink this tonight with food, especially with a light decant. Equally, you can enjoy it for a decade or more, there is real substance underneath.
The second wine of Château Montrose, the 2020 La Dame De Montrose is terrific, with a sunny, forward, medium-bodied style as well as lots of ripe red and black fruits, notes of sweet tobacco, sandalwood, and spice, supple tannins, and outstanding length. Open and complex, it’s going to shine for 15 years if well-stored. The blend is 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, checking in at the same alcohol as the Grand Vin, 13.4%. (Drink between 2023-2038)
Lithe and fruit-driven with dark-fruit, mint and herbal notes. Tannins finely etched. Nothing forced. Natural feel and flavour. Clean, dry finish.
