2023 Montrose St Estephe En Primeur
En Primeur product: order now for arrival mid 2026. Montrose benefits from a unique terroir that is also the origin story of the estate. After an early 19th Century sale of Calon Segur, this stretch of frost-resistant vineyards on a gravel hillock near the Gironde Estuary were retained by the owners and renamed Montrose. Now famed for the richness and intensity of its wines, Montrose has become as pre-eminently collectible as it is compelling to drink. Stocks are tiny! Unlike other retailers (who charge a second payment on arrival), our En Primeur prices are the total and final landed cost, including GST. With the changing economic situation and foreign exchange risk, we do this to ensure you have complete certainty over what you will pay.
Grape
75% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 4% cabernet franc
Its Origins
"Château Montrose is one of the leading wine properties of St.Estéphe, and produces some of the longest-lived wines in the Médoc. Montrose had been owned by Jean-Louis Charmolue from 1962 until 2006, when it was sold to Martin and Olivier Bouygues, owner of the eponymously named construction firm Bouygues, is located in the east of the appellation, just north of the hamlet of Marbuzet, on a gravel knoll only 800 metres from the Gironde estuary. The proximity of the estuary ensures a microclimate that protects against frost, and the vines, which lie on deep clay-gravel soils, benefit from a south-easterly aspect. Montrose's wine is typically a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and is matured in oak barriques (30% new) for 18 months. Montrose wines are traditionally deeply coloured, austere and powerful when young, yet possess superb ageing potential, and when mature are quintessential St.Estèphe clarets. Montrose is classified as a 2ème Cru Classé." BBR
What The Critics Say
99-100/100 James Suckling
"Wow. This is the essence of Montrose, with blackberry, blackcurrant, crushed stone and earth. I have not tasted a Montrose like this in 42 years of my career. It has a much more vertical nature to it, with layered tannins that go very deep and long, The muscular structure and intensity is something else. This is a new era for Montrose. It is now made from only 45 hectares of vineyards right in front of the chateau, instead of about 60 before. 75% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 4% cabernet franc. The 2023 is magnificent in every way. Once again Montrose is contender for wine of the vintage."
97-99/100 The wine Independent, Lisa Perrotti-Brown
"The 2023 Montrose is another brilliant wine from an estate that's now routinely among Bordeaux's very best, year in, year out. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Montrose gallops out of the glass with intense scents of crushed blackcurrants, fresh blackberries, and raspberries along with nuances of licorice, crushed rocks, and mossy tree bark plus a hint of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate has impressive tension and tight-knit black and red berry flavors intertwined with mineral accents, framed by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and sparkly. The first wine accounted for only 35% of the estate's production this year. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, with pH 3.70. It will be worth a special effort to seek out."
96-99/100 Thomas Parker MW
Once again Montrose is contender for wine of the vintage. Driven on the nose, there is a focused intensity of blackcurrant fruit, graphite and seductive pink peppercorn and wood spice. Cedary and multidimensional on the palate, this manages to straddle Saint Estephe typicity with power and finesse. Velveteen but mouthcoating tannins are in high definition, persistent and perfectly extracted. The fruit matches the significant structure to make this muscular but not overweight. Always layered by savoury undertones of woody herbs, graphite, pencil shavings and flint, this is a marvellous thoroughbred of a wine. A pinpoint, long finish that is unerring and focused rounds out a magnificent wine. First growth in all but name."
| Variety | Cabernet Merlot Blend |
|---|---|
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Alcohol | 13.50% |
| Maturity | 2030 - 2063 |
This Wine Goes Well With
Taste
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