Ch. Montrose
Grand Cru Classe
Saint Estephe
2005

The producer

Montrose is one of the two 2^nd Growth chateau in Saint-Estephe (the other is Cos d’Estournel). Long considered one of the best estates in Saint-Estephe, located in the eastern end of the commune directly north of the Marbuzet village, and with beautifully ventilated vineyards only 800m from the Gironde River. Construction company Bouygues acquired the estate in 2006 and have invested significantly in the vineyards – defining microclimates and suitability for grape varieties, and in building new cellars.

68 hectares of vineyards with south-east aspect and deep gravel and clay soils are planted with two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, a little less than one third Merlot, and the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Montrose is known today for its concentration, flesh and depth with a fine tannic structure that ensures most vintages will age for decades. This same balance and fruit concentration also makes Montrose accessible much earlier than other wines from the area.

The wine

Fruit is sourced from vineyard plots surrounding the main chateau building, some of which were planted in 1932. The blend varies with vintage conditions but usually includes up to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats of varying size, along with malolactic fermentation, and is followed by ageing for around 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels.

Montrose is known for its concentration, flesh and depth with a fine tannic structure that ensures most vintages will age for decades. This same balance and fruit concentration also makes Montrose accessible much earlier than other wines from the area.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.