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Chateau Montrose 2024
Standard - 75cl
ETA: +2 years
ETA: +2 years
- Vintage2024
- ColourRed
- ProducerChateau Montrose
- CountryFrance
- RegionBordeaux
- Sub RegionSaint-Estephe
- DesignationAOP
- Bottle SizeStandard - 75cl
- ABV13.5
- LWIN10132962024
Wine Critic Reviews
After a very wet Spring, a very dry Summer, and a wet September, Montrose battled the conditions like every other estate, but they were one of the few organic estates that ended up with surprisingly impressive yields. There was enormous disease pressure here, and they removed leaves in June, a month earlier than usual. Removing leaves during fruit set is uncommon, but improving the atmospheric conditions around the grapes to fight mildew was crucial. The teams left lots of grass in the vineyard rows to improve competition between the vines and the grass. They also preserved the canopy to enhance photosynthesis. The main aim was to produce sugar and anthocyanins. A substantial green harvest ensued to concentrate the power of the vines, removing a lot of grapes on younger vines (halving crops) and around 30% of veraison, to remove all the ‘late grapes’. They also worked especially hard with Merlot, removing the ‘wings’ with a couple of tries. By this stage, they had never done this much work in the vineyards. The final exercise was removing leaves on the west side of the vines on the 20th of August. They usually do this just before harvest. By the end of August, they had pristine, ripe fruit and a decent yield of 38 hl/ha – remarkable for an organic estate. In truth, this was a real Bordelais vintage, with classic rainfall and multiple challenges, but they picked all 78 lots, block by block, with perfectly ripe fruit. In common with the other finest estates, they worked extremely hard on the press wine. The Montrose theme of the 2024 vintage is ‘Embruns Atlantique’, which translates as Atlantic sea spray or wind-blown breaking waves, which have greatly influenced this magnificent wine. Made from Terrace 4 only, or the original plantings at Montrose – its name is derived from its historic position as a hillside covered in pink heather (Mont Rose). The wine itself is super-intense, strict, powerful and staggeringly long. I sensed a wine built for eternal life because of its incredibly dense fruit tones and magnificent tannins. That these monumental traits can be delivered with such freshness and cadence is baffling. I particularly admire the Barolo-like bitterness that teases the taste buds, bringing magical qualities to the finish. This is an insanely delicious and compelling wine, and it completely took my breath away.
- Reviewer Name: Matthew Jukes
Château Montrose (St-Estèphe; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 38 hl/ha; around 15% vin de presse; IPT 77; organic certification will come this year; tasted at the property with Vincent Decup). Sourced exclusively from Terrace 4, the first part of the property to be planted well before the classification. Tasted just after Terrace III, it is difficult to imagine that this could be better. It is. Even more intense in its florality. Again, wisteria and now with a little iris too. Many wines of the vintage have a bulby character to their florality. Not here. This is all about the petals. It’s very delicate. There’s a hint of violet too but it doesn't overpower the more subtle floral notes that feel very natural and that take the limelight. Graphite and deep dark berry fruits on the palate – black berries, brambles and mulberries. A little red cherry. The fruit profile is rather more familiar than for the Terrace III wine. There’s more gravitas, depth and profundity too. The wine also seems to gather more towards the bottom of the mouth and has more amplitude in its depth. It’s a little more serious but never austere. I love the contrast. The left-bank wine of the vintage.
- Reviewer Name: Colin Hay
The 2024 Montrose has a little more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend due to the yields in various parcels. It was picked between September 23 and October 7 and matured in 60% new oak. The well-defined and very able nose demonstrates classicism, fine delineation and a little more florality than the Terrasse III. The palate is medium-bodied with very finely chiselled tannins and a keen line of acidity. This symmetrical Saint-Estèphe is blessed with an elegant, sapid and reassuringly precise finish that the estate seems to have honed in the last few years. It does not have the unbridled ambition of, say, the 2020 Montrose, but it is exceptionally well crafted and will become a fine Saint-Estèphe.
- Drinking Window: 2032 - 2058
- Reviewer Name: Neal Martin
The 2024 Montrose exudes Cabernet Sauvignon character in its aromatic savoriness and tannic structure. In fact, the 2024 has the most Cabernet Sauvignon ever. Tightly wound today, the 2024 impresses with its energy and focus. There's a bit less mid-palate and overall heft than most years, as well as a brighter fruit profile. Floral, spice and mineral overtones lend brightness throughout. The 2024 is a super-classic, nervy Montrose that will need a number of years to be at its most expressive. Aging is projected to be 18 months, with 60% new oak.
- Drinking Window: 2034 - 2064
- Reviewer Name: Antonio Galloni
Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicately smoky and herbaceous undertones of wild black berries, fine cassis, blackberry jam, and nuances of oak, an attractive bouquet. Complex, tight-knit, dark cherries, ripe, first-class tannins, good freshness, a mineral finish, elegant, persistent, with length and potential, a classic aromatic profile.
Beautifully deep colour, this shows chalk, violet flowers, peony, fragrant and enticing floral profile compared to so many in the vintage, this is excellent, cocoa bean, cassis, depth, layers and concentration - one of the wines of the vintage. 15% press wine, a little more than usual. Harvest 23 September to 8 October, Pierre Grafeuille estate director.
- Drinking Window: 2032 - 2050
- Reviewer Name: Jane Anson
A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2024 Montrose is a serious, muscular effort that numbers among the wines of the vintage. Unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, burning embers, cigar wrapper and iris, it's medium to full-bodied, dense and layered, with a lively spine of acidity, rich structuring tannins and a long, penetrating finish. With both the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon recorded at Montrose and a rather low pH of 3.55, it will surely number among the longest lived 2024 Bordeaux.
- Reviewer Name: William Kelley