Appellations

Montrose 2022

St Estephe, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes

From barrel, I wrote that 2022 Montrose was so compelling that assigning it a bracketed score seemed a mere formality, and so it has proven. Unwinding in the glass with a deep and brooding bouquet of cassis, wild blueberries, violets, pencil shavings and burning embers, it's full-bodied, deep and dense, somehow marrying all the tannic authority that has long been such a signature of Montrose with a suavity and purity that represents the quintessence of contemporary Bordeaux. The broad, palate-staining finish lasts for more than a minute. This is a profound young wine that readers aren't going to want to miss.

Score: 100 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2032-2065 Date: 06 March 2025

The 2022 Montrose is such a compelling wine that assigning it a bracketed score seems a mere formality. A brilliant terroir, impeccable viticulture, perfectly timed harvest dates and judicious extraction have aligned to deliver a monument in the making, reminiscent of a far purer, more precise, modern-day version of the 1990 vintage at this address. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, violets, iris, pencil lead and cigar wrapper, it's full-bodied, deep and authoritative, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, elegantly muscular core that's framed by supple, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this only confirms Montrose's status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemporary Médoc's very greatest estates.

Score: 99 - 100 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 28 April 2023

There may have been concessions to the vintage with La Dame de Montrose, but there is no compromise here, and no signs of over-maturity in the character of the fruit. Inky, rich, confidently powerful structure coupled with softness to the tannins, dark peppercorn, iodine, espresso, graphite and wet stones, muscular but luscious. Hervé Berland's last vintage, with Pierre Graffeuille arriving to take over as estate director, technical director Vincent Decup. 40% 1st wine. A single point upscore from En Primeur.

Score: 98 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2030-2048 Date: 06 March 2025

The 2022 Montrose has an outstanding bouquet that blossoms in the glass. Enticing scents of blackberry, bilberry and a touch of cassis open, while violet and iris flower notes emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins. The 2022 retains the structure of a typical Montrose, but those tannins are so finely chiseled that it renders this wine far more approachable compared to those I was tasting just a decade earlier. There is a patina of menthol toward the finish, a consequence of that year's warmth, yet it remains a seamless Saint-Estèphe that will doubtlessly age with immense grace. Fabulous.

Score: 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028-2060 Date: 12 February 2025

The 2022 Montrose is insanely beautiful. That much is obvious. When it might be ready to drink is another question. In recent years, Montrose has acquired notable finesse in its tannins, so that is not an issue. But the 2022 is packed with tremendous density and concentration that will need time to soften. Blackberry, graphite, licorice, lavender and chocolate stain the palate in a stunning, riveting wine of the very highest level. I can only hope to be around when the 2022 starts to drink well! Montrose is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Unforgettable.

Score: 100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2032-2062 Date: 28 January 2025

The 2022 Château Montrose is a classic blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new oak from a variety of coopers. Another absolutely brilliant wine in the vintage, it offers a saturated purple hue as well as an essence of Montrose-like bouquet of currants, blueberries, damp earth, violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and powerful, it nevertheless has a riveting sense of purity, precision, and finesse that's hard to believe. Given its balance and purity of fruit, as well as the quality of the tannins, it's going to offer incredible pleasure with just 4-6 years of bottle age (a decade would be best) yet be just about immortal if well stored.

Score: 98 - 100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 05 October 2023

A very powerful and structured Montrose with steely tannins that run the length of the wine. It's compacted and muscular with an extremely long finish. Graphite and spices in the aftertaste. This should be terrific after the elevage. From organically grown grapes. 66% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 8% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.

Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 04 April 2023