2020 Montrose
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Tasting notes
71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Blackish purple. Complex floral nose. Freshness on palate entry and much fleeter of foot than most 2020s with the tannins kept in the background. A very serious wine with real refreshment and not over-extracted. You could almost drink it now, which is a real surprise!
Critic scores
Average Score
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jane Anson, Decanter
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Deepest crimson. Pure, fragrant, dark and elegant. A touch floral and subtle in its intensity. Elegantly textured with super-fine tannins. Really refined, long. Pure. Bone dry and elegant. (JH)
The 2020 Montrose has a gorgeous bouquet with black cherries, raspberry coulis , crushed stone and floral scents. It's quite decadent yet nicely controlled. The palate is very structured with layers of blackberry and bilberry fruit and a touch of white pepper, building toward a spicy and very persistent, almost burly finish. This will need serious cellaring. Outstanding. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Surpassing the 2019 and rivaling the 2016 as this estate's finest vintage of the last few decades, the 2020 Montrose is a monument in the making. Wafting from the glass with aromas of violets, dark berries, licorice, loamy soil, black truffle and subtle spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, elegantly muscular profile, terrific purity and energy, beautifully powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. It checks in at 13.7% alcohol, the same as the superb 2009, but it is even deeper, more vibrant and more complex than the 2009.
About the producer
Ch. Montrose is one of two Second Growths from Saint-Estèphe and one of the most consistent producers in Bordeaux. The wines from this property are both elegant and powerful, and some of the Médoc's most age-worthy .