Château Montrose 2019

Château Montrose continues to be a great classic and a Saint-Estèphe of the highest order. Changes at the estate, now in the hands of brothers Martin and Olivier Bouygues, have not only had no effect on the premier-quality line of this prestigious Bordeaux winery but they have also added to its Grand Cru the enhancement of elegance and refinement. Château Montrose is a wine of great majesty, like the palatial winery itself. Its Saint-Estèphe wine profile has lost nothing at all, but Jean-Bernard Delmas, the new technical director, seems to have polished its more austere side, and refined those earthy, dry touches typically encountered in the majority of this denomination's wines. Montrose has retained its personality, that of a serious, austere, robust and powerful wine, its masculine character, but its tannins are sweet and deliciously silky with the passage of time. However, Montrose isn't a wine for immediate consumption, needing about ten years of maturing in bottle at least, but promises a life that's virtually eternal, as it's a Médoc wine boasting greater longevity, almost a century according to the winery's estimate for its best vintages! Made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon (with a percentage slightly above its normal coupage figure of 50%), Merlot (a third) and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, Montrose is a deeply-coloured wine, very rich in aromas of blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants. It offers a wide-ranging palette of floral, incense, liquorice, chocolate and graphite notes, and its flavoursome finish gives long and full enjoyment. A superior class, first-rate wine.