Dame de Montrose 2018

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose has a sweet black cherry and crème de cassis scented bouquet, scents of violet developing in the glass. It is like an exaggerated version of the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with thick tannin. There is real volume and density to this La Dame de Montrose, the Cabernet Sauvignon expressive and imparting a graphite like note, despite being proportionately less than the Merlot in the blend. This is a very well crafted La Dame de Montrose that is going to give 15 to 20 years of drinking pleasure. Drink 2022-2042.

Composed of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, harvested from September 17 to October 5, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 La Dame de Montrose delivers a profound nose of baked plums, blackberry preserves and raisin cake with touches of dark chocolate, licorice, Chinese five spice and sandalwood. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, it fills the palate with ripe, generous fruit, backed by firm, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy.

Very dense center palate to the La Dame this year with purity of fruit and round, velvety tannins. Juicy, too. Sexy. Reminds me of the 1989 Montrose!

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Deep, textured and beautifully perfumed, La Dame has so much to offer. Dark red fruit, wild flowers, cedar, sweet tobacco and anise give La Dame striking aromatic presence to play off its rich, layered fruit. Powerful and very Saint-Estèphe in bearing, La Dame is gorgeous in 2018. I won't be surprised if the 2018 turns out even better than this note suggests.

52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample.
Black-cherry colour with black core. Fragrant with violets and cassis. So aromatic. Very fine tannins, many layered, dry but not at all obstreperous. Rich in the darkest of rocky black fruit, really ambitious and successful. Deep, long and remarkably juicy. Almost silky on the finish. (JH)
Drink 2025-2038

Very deep purple in colour, with a perfumed nose of blueberry, rose and incense. The palate is powerful and rich, with pure cassis and dark chocolate. The fruit has a heady ripeness that pairs well with a rich, dense and chalky structure of tannins, making this very much a mini Montrose in style. Dense and firm yet voluptuous in fruit, this has imressive drive and length on the finish.

Production was down substantially for Château Montrose, who has moved all to organic farming as of 2019. Starting with the second wine of this great estate, the 2018 La Dame De Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit aged 12 months in 30% new French oak. Fabulous notes of black cherries, espresso, graphite, and earth all flow to a richly textured, fleshy yet structured second wine that has ample tannins, beautiful purity, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from short-term cellaring.

(52 Merlot, 39 Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 Petit Verdot, 4 Cabernet Franc) | 14.8% alc | 3.7 pH Very cultured and smooth, with a noble feel which feels very connected to the Grand Vin. A delicious wine with a classical framework, but more density in the mid-palate than I can remember, there is a lot of flavour here and while the Grand Vin often ‘steals’ from the second label, leaving it wanting, in 2018 it is clear that this is a mightily successful wine.