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Montlandrie 2020

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Castillon - Côtes de Bordeaux
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon

The Côtes de Castillon vineyard was very much a "labour of love" of famous Pomerol winemaker Denis Durantou of Eglise Clinet. His first vintage here was 2009. Sadly, the 2019 was the last vintage harvested by Denis (and the best) but the rise and rise of Montlandrie continues under the care of his daughters and wine-maker Olivier Gautrat. This 11 hectare vineyard has 25 year old vines - 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% of a new clone of Cabernet Sauvignon that Denis planted in 2009. Always modestly priced, this is a wine that gives brilliant value for money and is a star of this emerging appellation.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Vignobles Denis Durantou

Label

Tasting Notes

The 2020 Montlandrie is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it features powerful notes of crushed red and black currants, boysenberries, and garrigue, plus suggestions of fallen leaves, Sichuan pepper, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with mouth-coating black fruit, supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a refreshing lift.

93
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, March 2023

Intense and concentrated, blueberry and blackberry fruits lifted by strands of saffron and oyster shell, austere on the finish, good stuff. 40% new oak, harvest September 18 to 25, 45hl/ha yield, 3.6ph. Noemie Durantou winemaker alongside Olivier Gautrat.

93
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, February 2023

The 2020 Montlandrie is one of the more showy wines from the Durantou's this vintage. It is quite plush and sensual with scents of crème de cassis, crushed violet and a hint of star anis. Nicely defined, though their Lalande-de-Pomerols demonstrate a little more class. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fleshy and generous, a little sweeter than the Les Cruzelles with a pure, quite intense finish. Fine - it just needs a couple of years in bottle. Drink: 2024-2035

89
Neal Martin, vinous.com (February 2), February 2023

The 2020 Montlandrie is a promising wine for aficionados who can keep it for a few years in the cellar. It has aromas of blackberries, iris, spring flowers, blackcurrant and blueberry, followed by a medium-bodied, concentrated and layered texture on the palate with a denser character than previous vintages. It’s harmonious with a clean and precise finish.

92+
Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate, April 2023

Very salty and tangy with some white pepper, too, as well as lots of blackberries and blueberries. Medium body with delicate yet firm tannins that show intensity. Firm finish.

92/93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2021

Harvested between 18th and 25th September, the 2020 is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine will be aged in 40% new oak. Deep ruby in the glass with a rich nose of ripe black cherry and iron. The palate is chewy with a rich tannic structure that frames a powerful core of red fruit. Long and smoky on the finish with a real drive of dark cherry and plum. A worthy successor to the excellent 2019.

91/94
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2021

75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Cask sample.
Ripe and full with notes of dark fruits, damsons and spice. Gourmand and generous on the palate but with a freshness that runs all the way through. Tannins chalky and firm but fine-edged providing plenty of length on the finish. Energy and balance as well. Clearly a success this year. Should be GV. (JL) 14.5%
Drink 2025 – 2034

16.5
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2021
Read more tasting notes...

The 2020 Montlandrie was picked September 18–25 and matured in 40% new oak. It has an exuberant, ripe bouquet, a mixture of red and blueberry fruit, crushed violets and potpourri aromas surfacing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, sweet and sensual, although I find less complexity on the finish compared directly with its siblings, La Chenade and Les Cruzelles. Still, this will give several years of drinking pleasure. Drink: 2025-2035

88/90
Neal Martin, vinous.com, May 2021

The 2020 Montlandrie is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot was picked between the 18th and the 22nd of September, and the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon were picked from the 23rd to the 25th of September. It has an alcohol of 14.5% and is aging in French oak barrels, 40% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with vibrant notes of crushed blackberries, fresh, juicy black plums and mulberries, plus hints of bay leaves, cardamom, ground black pepper and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate possesses impressive freshness with a solid backbone of soft, rounded tannins and bags of ripe black fruits, finishing long with a peppery kick. 53,000 bottles are expected to be made. 2025 - 2039

92/94
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, May 2021

Denis Durantou estate up on the limestone plateau of Castillon, now vinified by his daughter Noémie Durantou. Deeply coloured, ruby in colour with fleshy fruit, not giving a whole lot away right now, but this is a fairly discreet vintage in many ways. The dominant impression is of a rough linen and wet stone texture that reflects its limestone soils. Width and depth as it opens in the palate, serious for now but with plenty to give. A yield of 45hl/ha. 3.6pH.

Drinking Window 2023 - 2035

93
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, May 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.