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Dame de Montrose 2018

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon

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.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Montrose

Label

Tasting Notes

Very pretty blackcurrants and blueberries with floral undertones, following through to a full body with layers of ripe, polished tannins and a rich, flavorful finish. Needs time to come around and show itself. Try after 2025.

94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2021

La Dame de Montrose 2018 is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with notes of fruitcake, stewed plums, and dried mulberries, plus nuances of Sichuan pepper, spice cake, and new leather. The medium-bodied palate has evolving dried berry flavors, with a chewy texture and a firm finish.

90
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, February 2023

Visually gorgeous with bright plum colour. Black cherry and damson on the first sip, clear oak influence with flexible but far-reaching tannic structure. Some real tension and balance - no question that this has a long life ahead of it. Juicy also; for a second wine we are right up there.

93
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, November 2020

52% Merlot.
Tasted blind. Mild nose. Pure, streamlined wine. Lots of both acidity and fine tannin. Not a blockbuster and perhaps just picked slightly early? 14.5%
Drink 2028 – 2042

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2022

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

17+
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2019

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 impressive drive and length on the finish.

92
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2019

Looking first at the second wine of this incredible Saint-Estèphe Château, the 2018 La Dame De Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all brought up in 30% new French oak. Lots of blue fruits, sappy herbs, tobacco, violets, and graphite notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, concentrated, textured mouthfeel, and enough tannins to warrant 3-4 years of bottle. A beautiful second wine with lots of Saint-Estèphe character, it will have 15-20 years of longevity.

92+
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, March 2021

(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.

17+
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com, April 2019
Read more tasting notes...

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!

95/96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2019

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vivacious notions of redcurrant jelly, mulberries, juicy blackberries and stewed plums, giving way to suggestions of underbrush, wild sage and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with bright, expressive black and red berry layers, supported by plush tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. 2022 - 2038

92
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (End of Mar), March 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.