Dame de Montrose (2nd wine of Montrose) 2018

St Estephe, Second wine

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Tasting Notes
The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is such a gorgeous wine. Built on a core of Merlot, La Dame is silky, sensual and impossible to resist. Cedar, new leather, spice and tobacco add lift to essential sweet red berry fruit. La Dame is the sort of wine that can pass unobserved in 2018, but that would be a mistake, as it is truly superb. This is at its most elegant. Score: 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023 - 2033 26 August 2021
The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Deep, textured and beautifully perfumed, La Dame has so much to offer. Dark red fruit, wild flowers, cedar, sweet tobacco and anise give La Dame striking aromatic presence to play off its rich, layered fruit. Powerful and very Saint-Estèphe in bearing, La Dame is gorgeous in 2018. I won't be surprised if the 2018 turns out even better than this note suggests. Score: 90 - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2019
Looking first at the second wine of this incredible Saint-Estèphe Château, the 2018 La Dame De Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all brought up in 30% new French oak. Lots of blue fruits, sappy herbs, tobacco, violets, and graphite notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, concentrated, textured mouthfeel, and enough tannins to warrant 3-4 years of bottle. A beautiful second wine with lots of Saint-Estèphe character, it will have 15-20 years of longevity. Score: 92 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2024 - 2044 19 July 2021
Production was down substantially for Château Montrose, who has moved all to organic farming as of 2019. Starting with the second wine of this great estate, the 2018 La Dame De Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit aged 12 months in 30% new French oak. Fabulous notes of black cherries, espresso, graphite, and earth all flow to a richly textured, fleshy yet structured second wine that has ample tannins, beautiful purity, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from short-term cellaring. Score: 92 - 94 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 01 May 2019
The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vivacious notions of redcurrant jelly, mulberries, juicy blackberries and stewed plums, giving way to suggestions of underbrush, wild sage and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with bright, expressive black and red berry layers, supported by plush tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. Score: 92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022 - 2038 15 July 2021
Composed of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, harvested from September 17 to October 5, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 La Dame de Montrose delivers a profound nose of baked plums, blackberry preserves and raisin cake with touches of dark chocolate, licorice, Chinese five spice and sandalwood. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, it fills the palate with ripe, generous fruit, backed by firm, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy. Score: 90 - 92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 23 April 2019
The 2018 La Dame de Montrose has a sweet black cherry and crème de cassis scented bouquet, scents of violet developing in the glass. It is like an exaggerated version of the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with thick tannin. There is real volume and density to this La Dame de Montrose, the Cabernet Sauvignon expressive and imparting a graphite like note, despite being proportionately less than the Merlot in the blend. This is a very well crafted La Dame de Montrose that is going to give 15 to 20 years of drinking pleasure. Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2042 01 November 2019
52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample. Black-cherry colour with black core. Fragrant with violets and cassis. So aromatic. Very fine tannins, many layered, dry but not at all obstreperous. Rich in the darkest of rocky black fruit, really ambitious and successful. Deep, long and remarkably juicy. Almost silky on the finish. (JH) Score: 17 Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2038 23 April 2019
I can see here a comparison with 2009 in terms of generosity and enjoyment. It's a big wine with lots of structure, so during extractions they had to be careful to stay on the cooler side, between 26°C and 28°C, the lowest since 2014. This has traces of heat, although it has clearly been extremely carefully handled and is well balanced. Ripe black fruits, rosemary and black olive notes are countered by tannins that gather at the end of the palate, showing just how much is going on here. Harvested commenced on 17 September and ran into October. 81IPT. 16% press wine. Score: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2024-2036 15 April 2019
Very dense center palate to the La Dame this year with purity of fruit and round, velvety tannins. Juicy, too. Sexy. Reminds me of the 1989 Montrose! Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 11 April 2019

Tasting Notes

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is such a gorgeous wine. Built on a core of Merlot, La Dame is silky, sensual and impossible to resist. Cedar, new leather, spice and tobacco add lift to essential sweet red berry fruit. La Dame is the sort of wine that can pass unobserved in 2018, but that would be a mistake, as it is truly superb. This is at its most elegant.

Score: 92

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023 - 2033 26 August 2021

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Deep, textured and beautifully perfumed, La Dame has so much to offer. Dark red fruit, wild flowers, cedar, sweet tobacco and anise give La Dame striking aromatic presence to play off its rich, layered fruit. Powerful and very Saint-Estèphe in bearing, La Dame is gorgeous in 2018. I won't be surprised if the 2018 turns out even better than this note suggests.

Score: 90 - 92

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2019

Looking first at the second wine of this incredible Saint-Estèphe Château, the 2018 La Dame De Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all brought up in 30% new French oak. Lots of blue fruits, sappy herbs, tobacco, violets, and graphite notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a round, concentrated, textured mouthfeel, and enough tannins to warrant 3-4 years of bottle. A beautiful second wine with lots of Saint-Estèphe character, it will have 15-20 years of longevity.

Score: 92

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2024 - 2044 19 July 2021

Production was down substantially for Château Montrose, who has moved all to organic farming as of 2019. Starting with the second wine of this great estate, the 2018 La Dame De Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit aged 12 months in 30% new French oak. Fabulous notes of black cherries, espresso, graphite, and earth all flow to a richly textured, fleshy yet structured second wine that has ample tannins, beautiful purity, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from short-term cellaring.

Score: 92 - 94

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 01 May 2019

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vivacious notions of redcurrant jelly, mulberries, juicy blackberries and stewed plums, giving way to suggestions of underbrush, wild sage and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with bright, expressive black and red berry layers, supported by plush tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick.

Score: 92

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022 - 2038 15 July 2021

Composed of 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, harvested from September 17 to October 5, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 La Dame de Montrose delivers a profound nose of baked plums, blackberry preserves and raisin cake with touches of dark chocolate, licorice, Chinese five spice and sandalwood. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, it fills the palate with ripe, generous fruit, backed by firm, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and spicy.

Score: 90 - 92

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 23 April 2019

The 2018 La Dame de Montrose has a sweet black cherry and crème de cassis scented bouquet, scents of violet developing in the glass. It is like an exaggerated version of the previous vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with thick tannin. There is real volume and density to this La Dame de Montrose, the Cabernet Sauvignon expressive and imparting a graphite like note, despite being proportionately less than the Merlot in the blend. This is a very well crafted La Dame de Montrose that is going to give 15 to 20 years of drinking pleasure.

Score: 90 - 92

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2042 01 November 2019

52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample. Black-cherry colour with black core. Fragrant with violets and cassis. So aromatic. Very fine tannins, many layered, dry but not at all obstreperous. Rich in the darkest of rocky black fruit, really ambitious and successful. Deep, long and remarkably juicy. Almost silky on the finish. (JH)

Score: 17

Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2038 23 April 2019

I can see here a comparison with 2009 in terms of generosity and enjoyment. It's a big wine with lots of structure, so during extractions they had to be careful to stay on the cooler side, between 26°C and 28°C, the lowest since 2014. This has traces of heat, although it has clearly been extremely carefully handled and is well balanced. Ripe black fruits, rosemary and black olive notes are countered by tannins that gather at the end of the palate, showing just how much is going on here. Harvested commenced on 17 September and ran into October. 81IPT. 16% press wine.

Score: 91

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2024-2036 15 April 2019

Very dense center palate to the La Dame this year with purity of fruit and round, velvety tannins. Juicy, too. Sexy. Reminds me of the 1989 Montrose!

Score: 95 - 96

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 11 April 2019

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