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Château Saint-Estèphe

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‘The class comes through strongly in this wine, perhaps the best Saint Estèphe this year’
Neal Martin


Mighty Montrose has announced its release. This is a duo to be respected and indulged in. The Dame de Montrose still offers much pleasure, with hints of the Grand Vin, at a fraction of the cost. Reports from our team who tasted the Grand Vin in Bordeaux were that they loved it. Having tasted it three times they confirmed it was their favourite St-Éstephe. Given the wines stature it is well priced to sit alongside the two Pichons and is half the price of Palmer. We think this offers good value for those seeking great Claret and an archetypal St-Éstephe.

Once part of the Calon Segur estate Montrose’s terroir is superb – it has been compared to that of the famous ‘enclos’ of Léoville-Las-Cases and Latour – its close proximity of the estuary and gravel soils lending a distinctive character. In 2006 the property was purchased by Martin and Olivier Bouyges. The hiring of Jean-Bernard Delmas (previous director at Haut Brion) as well as Herve Berland who spent just under thirty years as managing director at Mouton-Rothschild! The Bouyges brothers clear aspiration is to challenge the First Growths for quality and they wasted no time in investing heavily in the already strongly performing house to ensure they have all the tools at their disposal to do so. Today the wines are full of brooding, heady power. These are wines that are long-lived and rewarding for those with patience. The 2015 has elements of grace in its aromatics that provide a pleasing juxtaposition to its core of dark, vigorous fruit. 

2015 Château Montrose, 2ème Cru St Estèphe
£1,140 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£570 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
£1,150 Per 6 Magnums En Primeur
£578 Per 3 Magnums En Primeur

Montrose

It possesses some of the best aromatics you will find in the appéllation - billowing blackberry, cassis and boysenberry scents all beautifully defined and seamlessly integrated with the new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, commendable depth and a vibrant bead of acidity that lends this Montrose tension from start to finish. The class comes through strongly in this wine, perhaps the best Saint Estèphe this year. Give this a decade in bottle, more if you can, since Montrose tends to repay cellaring.
Drink 2025 – 2060
93-95/100, Neal Martin

The 2015 Montrose is silky, super-finessed and nuanced, all qualities that are unusual for a wine that is usually much more of a powerhouse. Black cherry, smoke, leather, graphite, crème de cassis and licorice notes open up in the glass, yet the wine comes across as raw and not fully formed. The 2015 appeared to put on a bit of weight over the two weeks I followed it, but I don't see the depth, structure and personality of the very best versions.
90-93/100, Antonio Galloni

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2015 La Dame de Montrose, St Estèphe
£293.40 Per 12 Bottles En Primeur
£146.70 Per 6 Bottles En Primeur
£300 Per 6 Magnums En Primeur
£153 Per 3 Magnums En Primeur

La Dame

It has a perfumed, floral and pure bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and violets, all with commendable delineation for a deuxième vin. The palate is well balanced with a more sumptuous texture compared to its fellow Saint Estèphes, thanks to that lush Merlot that forms the core of this wine. It has commendable energy and feels approachable, therefore with 3-4 years in bottle, you should have yourself a fine if not exceptional La Dame de Montrose.
Drink 2019 – 2032
88-90/100, Neal Martin

The 2015 La Dame de Montrose is a very pretty second wine. Dark, radiant and open-knit, yet with plenty of nuance, the 2015 offers lovely precision and silkiness throughout. The wine's mid-weight structure suggests it will drink well relatively early. Raspberry jam, white pepper and mineral notes add the closing shades of complexity. The 2015 is an attractive Saint-Estèphe, although it lacks the depth and overall follow through of the very best versions, but it makes up for that with its finesse.
89-91/100, Antonio Galloni

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