CHÂTEAU MONTROSE

97-99 points

Neal Martin, Vinous

It has an extremely pure nose with black cherries & blueberry. Quite floral in style with hints of blood orange percolating through with time. The palate is very precise with exceptional mineralité and tension. Very focused, superb concentration, with what is becoming Montrose’s trademark sense of symmetry and sustained aftertaste, this could be the finest Saint-Estèphe in 2022.

Long seen as the First Growth of St-Estèphe, for reasons that extend far beyond the hiring of two ex-First Growth directors. Montrose makes wines that show a classic, muscular and long-living interpretation of the appellation. A sum of painstaking detauls that have helped to make a wine, long known for its ageing ability, fleshed out, polished, & given every chance of success. Hard not to get excited about what is going on here these days.

The Bouygues family have been the owners of Montrose since 2006 and they have overseen extensive development of the estate, most notably the 10,000sq-metre cellars completed in 2013 which dive six metres below ground and are replete with green techniques, from geothermal energy to photovoltaic panels.

Montrose 2022 was unanimously one of the highest scoring wines of the vintage, with all critics united in admiration for an exceptional offering.

Montrose’s close proximity to the river (right) has been a feather in its cap in warmer years & increased focus on terroirs has led to more opulent wines. I gave Montrose a potentially perfect 98-100 points, admiring its “gorgeous floral notes, blackcurrant leaf, iris & blackberry preserve. Fruit is extraordinary on the palate & there is purity, precision & freshness on a long, exciting finish.”