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Montrose 1989

St Estephe, Second Growth

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Tasting Notes

For many years I have vehemently argued that the 1989 Montrose is a benchmark wine for the estate. Having tasted it several times over the last couple of months, I have never found a single occasion to alter that view. Tasted at the vertical in London, it continues to shine, having never lost any of its luster in recent years. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that was picked from 11 to 28 September. Lucid in color, the aromatics do not hold back with vibrant blackberry, blueberry and black truffle, hints of sous-bois, all with sensational precision that few can match in this vintage (indeed, its precision lends it a veneer of modernity since "precision" is now more commonplace across Bordeaux). The palate is brilliantly balanced with filigree tannin. There is wonderful backbone here, extremely fresh and tensile, crystalline even with an exceptional detail, mineral-rich finish that lingers in the mouth. Difficult to fault, this might well be the greatest 1989 Montrose that I have tasted, and certainly wishing to take nothing away from the 1990 Montrose that I tasted alongside, the 1989 is now the one I would pick. Is this the greatest Saint Estèphe of the 1980s? I would put it within the top five Bordeaux of the 1980s. Could this be inching its way to perfection??? Tasted June 2016.

Score: 100

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2016-2060 31 March 2017

Intense aromas of crushed blackberry and mineral turn to dried flowers and dried fruits, staying fresh on the nose. Full-bodied, offering big, round tannins and loads of ripe, seductive fruit. This is decadent and wild, turning nutty and fruity. A beautiful bottle. This is very close in quality to the legendary 1990. - '89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Drink now. 22,000 cases made.

Score: 96

James Suckling, Wine Spectator 01 January 2010

Very similar hot, dry vintage conditions resulted in a much more classically styled wine with purer, more obvious fruit. Extremely polished and seductive and possibly the finest expression of modern Montrose for current drinking. Classic, mineral-endowed undertow.

Score: 19

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 1998-2015 07 November 2005

An outstanding Montrose, the 1989 is one of the vintage's stars. It possesses an opaque dark ruby/purple color, a sweet nose of minerals, black fruits, cedar, and wood, dense, medium to full-bodied, highly extracted flavors, low acidity, and moderate tannin in the long finish. While it appears to be closing down far more quickly than the legendary 1990, it has layers of sweet fruit as well as an elevated level of glycerin. Give it 5-7 years of cellaring, and drink it over the subsequent 2-3 decades. Last tasted 3/97

Score: 96

Robert Parker, 'Bordeaux' 3rd Ed. Maturity: 2002-2032 01 January 1998

The 1989 is an outstanding Montrose. When tasted on its own, it usually scores in the 92-95 point range, but when tasted next to the prodigious 1990, it comes across as another outstanding wine lost in the shadow of its younger sibling. It possesses an opaque dark ruby/purple color, a sweet nose of minerals, black fruits, cedar, and wood, dense, medium to full-bodied, highly extracted flavors, low acidity, and moderate tannin in the long finish. It appears to be closing down far more quickly than the 1990. Give it 5-7 years of cellaring, and drink it over the subsequent 2-3 decades.

Score: 94

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2002-2027 01 February 1997