2018 Chateau Montrose, 2nd Growth St. Estephe (1 x Magnum)
The 2018 Montrose is dazzling. Whereas so many 2018s are opulent and broad, Montrose is a wine of vertical explosive power. Ripe Cabernet aromatics soar out of the glass, making a strong first impression. Black cherry, leather, licorice, graphite and menthol develop later as the 2018 starts to open in the glass. The energy, vibrancy and drive here are palpable right out of the gate. Montrose is one of real stars of 2018. Don't miss it!
2018 Chateau Montrose, 2nd Growth St. Estephe (1 x Magnum)
The 2018 Montrose is dazzling. Whereas so many 2018s are opulent and broad, Montrose is a wine of vertical explosive power. Ripe Cabernet aromatics soar out of the glass, making a strong first impression. Black cherry, leather, licorice, graphite and menthol develop later as the 2018 starts to open in the glass. The energy, vibrancy and drive here are palpable right out of the gate. Montrose is one of real stars of 2018. Don't miss it!
| Producer | Chateau Montrose |
|---|---|
| Sub-Region | St. Estephe |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Country | France |
| Grape Variety | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Colour | Red |
| ABV | 13.00% |
| Style | Medium-Full , Dry |
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Inside Bordeaux
Silky, young, clear spice notes, more so than in any other vintage in the lineup except for the 2003. Plenty of stuffing through the palate, with blueberry, cassis, hawthorn, tumeric, saffron but also caramel and black chocolate flavours. It’s beautiful, well balanced, with intent and poise, and very clearly a wine that will go the distance. Having said that, it’s the only wine in the lineup when I even think about the alcohol, suggesting there is a trace of heat, and certainly you feel the sunshine of the year in a way that you rarely do in Montrose – this takes it down for me from my initial En Primeur score. Harvest September 17 to October 5.
96 Points / Drinking 2028 - 2060
By Jane Anson / September 2021
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested from September 17 to October 5, the 2018 Montrose has a very deep purple-black color and opens with tantalizing notes of crème de cassis, Black Forest cake, hoisin and mocha with nuances of molten licorice, fertile loam, cast iron pan and incense. Big, rich, full and powerful in the mouth, the voluptuous fruit has a rock-solid backbone of very firm, very ripe tannins to match with tons of freshness and an epically long, exotic spice finish. A magnificent monster of a Montrose!
96-98 Points
By Lisa Perrotti-Brown / April 2019
Vinous
The 2018 Montrose balances finesse and power to a degree I don’t think I have seen in a recent young Montrose. The 2018 has plenty of depth, intensity and thrust – all signatures of Montrose – but it also has a striking sense of elegance. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice meld together in the glass. Although it is naturally very young, the 2018 Montrose appears to have a tremendous future. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, which is to say more Cabernet and less Merlot than is the norm. Readers will have to be patient with the 2018, but it is a stellar wine in the making. Montrose presents an en primeur sample aged 100% in new oak (while the final wine is aging in 60% new barrels) to show a wine that is more ready to taste young.
95-98 Points
By Antonio Galloni / April 2019
Vinous
The 2018 Montrose was picked from 17 September and finished on 5 October, comprising of 61 lots of free-run juice. It has a very refined and composed bouquet with blackberry, blueberry, violet and rose petals, the oak (100% new) seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin that form a symmetrical frame around the pure black, graphite tinged fruit that lend it a Pauillac-like personality. This is a brilliant Montrose that manages to express all the leitmotifs of this St-Estèphe and keeps the excessive tendencies of the growing season in check, thanks to a combination of terroir and skillful winemaking. The alcohol level is 14.7% and we need to see how that plays out, but for now this seems to deliver.
95-97 Points / Drinking 2025 - 2060
By Neal Martin / November 2019
Vinous
The 2018 Montrose delivers on the promise that it showed from barrel. I gave this a three-hour decant before broaching, since Montrose is always backward, albeit far less ferociously than even just a decade ago. It offers copious blackberry and blueberry scents on the nose, plus pressed violets and a light estuarine scent that becomes accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky-smooth texture. Finely chiseled tannins frame multilayered black fruit infused with crushed stone, and it has retained that subtle graphite element that lends it a Pauillac-like personality, though less so than out of barrel. This is a beautifully defined Montrose with entrancing symmetry, and it should drink earlier than other recent vintages thanks to a little more pliancy.
96 Points / Drinking 2025 - 2060
By Neal Martin / March 2021