Château MONTROSE
2ème grand cru classé
- 2020
- Saint-estèphe
After 43 vintages, Mr Charmolüe sold the estate to Mr Bouygues in 2006. The change of ownership was accompanied by a spectacular project designed to bring Montrose into the 21st century: use of geothermal energy, installation of photovoltaic panels, recycling of CO2 from alcoholic fermentation...
There has also been a change of style in the wines, with a move towards greater aromatic complexity and textural refinement. Montrose nevertheless remains a wine of great breed, resting on a powerful tannic architecture and reserved for the most patient connoisseurs.
Coup de ♥ from the Guide Hachette 2024 "A great Montrose, without doubt, as is the 2020 du cru. [...] The palate combines power, softness, finesse, freshness and length in perfect harmony. Elegance itself".
The 2020 vintage is rated 98/100 by La Revue du Vin de France "This is the most aristocratic of the appellation, but also the tightest at this stage. With superb precision and impeccable definition, it has not yet released its full potential, but the muscle is there and everything is in place to produce an exceptional wine in ten years' time". (September 2023)
Rated 99/100 by N. Martin (Vinous), and ranked top of all 2020 Bordeaux reds "This wine is much more detailed than the 2019 or 2018. It's a symmetrical Montrose of unerring precision and minerality, whose silky texture conceals the underlying power. This is unequivocally a brilliant wine and a benchmark for recent years." (February 2023)
Also rated 99/100 by A. Galloni (Vinous) "The 2020 is a modern classic for Montrose and one of the great wines of the Left Bank." (February 2023)
- To keep or to drink :
- Wait 10 years and more
- Apogée :
- 2023-2042
From the same producer
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A historic Saint-Estèphe cru (the second oldest vineyard in the appellation), Tronquoy is ideally situated on the famous "Terrace 3", with its deep clay gravel (up to 8 metres). The vineyard's 30 hectares were bought by Messrs Bouygues shortly after Montrose, and are now managed with the same care and determination to embody the Bordeaux revival: modern vat room, conversion to organic viticulture, quest for freshness and brilliance in the wines...
Tronquoy is still too little known, and is currently Saint-Estèphe's nugget in the making, offering wines that are both accessible when young (excellent 2019, rated 93/100 by M. Quarin) and with excellent ageing potential (2012 now at its peak, with a creamy texture that makes it gourmet).Rated 92/100 by N. Martin "The 2019 Tronquoy-Lalande has a concentrated nose with fairly intense black fruits and hints of boysenberry, a little richer than some of its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with a dense, powerful, almost gruff entry, very saline on the palate, but I'm looking for more precision and finesse on the finish. This could well develop over time. Tasted blind at Southwold's annual tasting." (January 2023)
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2016-2026
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A historic Saint-Estèphe cru (the second oldest vineyard in the appellation), Tronquoy-Lalande is ideally situated on the famous "Terrace 3", with its deep clay gravel (up to 8 metres). The vineyard's 30 hectares were bought by Messrs Bouygues shortly after Montrose, and are now managed with the same care and determination to embody the Bordeaux revival: modern vat room, conversion to organic viticulture, quest for freshness and brilliance in the wines...
Tronquoy-Lalande is still too little known, and is currently Saint-Estèphe's nugget in the making, offering wines that are both accessible when young (excellent 2019, rated 93/100 by M. Quarin) and with excellent ageing potential (2012 now at its peak, with a creamy texture that makes it gourmet).Ch. Tronquoy-Lalande is renamed Tronquoy (tout court) as of the 2019 vintage.
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2016-2026
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
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After 43 vintages, Mr Charmolüe sold the estate to Mr Bouygues in 2006. The change of ownership was accompanied by a spectacular project designed to bring Montrose into the 21st century: use of geothermal energy, installation of photovoltaic panels, recycling of CO2 from alcoholic fermentation...
There has also been a change of style in the wines, with a move towards greater aromatic complexity and textural refinement. Montrose nevertheless remains a wine of great breed, resting on a powerful tannic architecture and reserved for the most patient connoisseurs.The 2021 vintage is rated 96/100 by J-M Quarin "Minutious on the palate, very aromatic and complex in the middle, the wine grows on the finish, very fresh, very tasty, more floral than usual and yet deep. Great persistence, with refined tannins and more perfume than usual at this age". (April 2022)
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 5 to 10 years
- Apogée:
- 2023-2042
-
After 43 vintages, Mr Charmolüe sold the estate to Mr Bouygues in 2006. The change of ownership was accompanied by a spectacular project designed to bring Montrose into the 21st century: use of geothermal energy, installation of photovoltaic panels, recycling of CO2 from alcoholic fermentation...
There has also been a change of style in the wines, with a move towards greater aromatic complexity and textural refinement. Montrose nevertheless remains a wine of great breed, resting on a powerful tannic architecture and reserved for the most patient connoisseurs.The 2016 vintage is praised, 20/20 for M. Quarin « vin éblouissant ! Son éclat est inénarrable » and 19,5/20 by la Revue du Vin de France « voici une réussite majeure pour le château... et pour tout Bordeaux ».
More- To keep or to drink:
- Ready to drink
- Apogée:
- 2023-2042
-
After 43 vintages, Mr Charmolüe sold the estate to Mr Bouygues in 2006. The change of ownership was accompanied by a spectacular project designed to bring Montrose into the 21st century: use of geothermal energy, installation of photovoltaic panels, recycling of CO2 from alcoholic fermentation...
There has also been a change of style in the wines, with a move towards greater aromatic complexity and textural refinement. Montrose nevertheless remains a wine of great breed, resting on a powerful tannic architecture and reserved for the most patient connoisseurs.The 2014 vintage is rated 96/100 by N. Martin "The 2014 Montrose has an engaging and complex bouquet of black fruits, pencil box, pressed violets and warm earth, which gains intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, with excellent tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit (in fact, this is one of the most mineral-laden 2014 Left Banks I've tasted), the oak is perfectly integrated and the finish has plenty of panache. A magnificent wine that is just entering its tasting phase." (February 2024)
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2025-2040
- Potential alcohol:
- 13.5%
-
After 43 vintages, Mr Charmolüe sold the estate to Mr Bouygues in 2006. The change of ownership was accompanied by a spectacular project designed to bring Montrose into the 21st century: use of geothermal energy, installation of photovoltaic panels, recycling of CO2 from alcoholic fermentation...
There has also been a change of style in the wines, with a move towards greater aromatic complexity and textural refinement. Montrose nevertheless remains a wine of great breed, resting on a powerful tannic architecture and reserved for the most patient connoisseurs.Rated 97/100 by J-M QUARIN : « Couleur sombre, intense et très légèrement évoluée. Nez remarquable pour sa maturité pleine de fraîcheur. Il sent bon les fruits noirs. Nuances boisées élégantes. A l'aveugle, la bouche rappelle château Latour. Le gras, la puissance, l'enveloppe du corps, associés à beaucoup de fruits, font merveille. Finale très savoureuse, à la fermeté légitime, parce que trop jeune. Nuance calcaire dans la persistance finale. Les gourmands le goûteront sinon attendre deux ou trois ans. » (September 2023)
More- To keep or to drink:
- Wait 1 to 2 years
- Apogée:
- 2025-2045