CHÂTEAU MONTROSE

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.
Montrose was one of the terroirs favored by the 2024 vintage, experiencing comparatively good weather at flowering and at least a moderate hydric constraint at veraison. Viticulture was adapted to conditions, with deleafing a month earlier than usual, retention of cover crops for as long as possible and hedging canopies higher to boost ripening. Two green harvests, one on July 20 and another at the end of veraison, brought more homogenous maturity. Harvest took place between 23 September and 7 October. Rating: 93-95 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2025)

This shows finesse and elegance as well as plenty of subtle red currant and blackcurrant character. Medium-bodied with refinement and length. Tender, vivid and pure. Extremely well done in a difficult year. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2025)

80 Cabernet Sauvignon, 17 Merlot, 3 Cabernet Franc: 38 hl/ha: Harvest took place between 23 September and 7 October: 13% press wine

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. 19.5+/20 QP Rating: 19.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2025)