| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Under the ownership of Jean-Louis Charmolüe (who remained in place from 1960 until 2006 and who just died in January of this year). Gorgeous, brick-edged, soft brambled fruit, cassis and bilberry tinged with hedgerow, undergrowth, truffles. 100% 1st wine at this point, as Dame de Montrose arrived in 1986 - and yet the quality of the structure and tannins is still clearly on display. (Drink between 2018-2040)
Montrose is well-known to modern collectors for their strong performance in 1989 and 1990, but I found two recent bottles of the 1982 vintage absolutely superb and among the best wines from this château I’ve ever had. The aromas are mature but not overly so, and the wine retains a pleasantly plummy fruit character, now accented with cedar, smoke, and leather notes. This wine seems to me to have at least another ten to fifteen years if cellared well. (Drink between 2023-2045)
Expressive and open, lively, forward, bright and shiny with clarity to the red berry and cherry fruit both sour and fresh alongside sweet tobacco, cedar and truffle. Lots of life still on the palate, beautifully textured with grip and hold. The chalky, crushed-stone, salty tang and graphite edges make their mark, almost raw, the tannins slightly grainy, but this captivates from the first sip and holds interest through to the long finish. Full and friendly with such a wonderful sense of place, given the lasting iron tang. (Drink between 2023-2040)
A wine that has long enjoyed a somewhat mixed reputation, the 1982 Montrose continues to drink very well at age 40; in fact, this tasting note reflects the best bottle I've ever drunk of this vintage. Exhibiting aromas of sweet berry fruit, cedar box and loamy soil, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with lively acids, melted tannins and a soft, subtly leather-inflected finish. While it isn't as concentrated or characterful as the brilliant 1989 or 1990, for example, it's a generous, open-knit wine that's far from being in danger of imminent decline.
Served blind initially. Subtle, dry but gorgeously smooth-textured with fully evolved tannins. Really fresh with great drive and energy - almost like a fully ripe Cabernet Franc. Savoury, leathery, firm yet round. Admirably long. No hurry to drink this.
The 1982 is nowhere near the quality of some of the Montroses made afterwards (1989, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008), but it has aged better than expected having developed more complexity and richness than barrel samples suggested. Sweet kirsch, black currant, crushed rock, and floral notes are followed by a full-bodied, opulent, fleshy wine displaying no hard edges. It still possesses beautifully pure fruit as well as good body, but it should be consumed over the next 5-8 years.
The wine reveals a healty dark ruby/garnet color, followed by a fragrant,sweet nose of black fruits intermingled with new oak and floral scents. Full bodied and opulent, with dusty tannin in the finish, this gorgeously proportined , rich, concentrated wine can be drunk now or held for two decades.
The Montrose ’82 has never been able to hold a flame to either the 1989 or 1990. Here at 30 years of age it has a slightly enervated bouquet: a little dusty with earthy black fruit that has mutated into secondary aromas; leather and sous-bois. The palate is balanced but not complex and feels like a runner who has completed one lap too many. There remains a pleasant Merlot core lending this Saint Estephe with approachability, but overall, it is missing both tension and pedigree. Tasted November 2012.
Focused, minerally. Gorgeous, round and velvety textured yet with very convincing freshness. This was a stunning bottle. True. Great combination of St-Estèphe rigour and 1982's richness. Not heavy. Tasting it was like a brush on the cheek with a feather. Lovely!
