Chateau Montrose
Saint-Estèphe
2ème Grand Cru Classé
Etienne Théodore Dumoulin built the château and planted the first vines at Montrose in the early 19th century. After belonging to the Charmolüe family for over a century, the estate was acquired by Martin and Olivier Bouygues in 2006. Château Montrose has a large vineyard in a single block overlooking the Gironde estuary on a siliceous-gravel rise with a clay and marl subsoil. The vines must sink their roots very deep into this soil to find nourishment, which makes for wines of character. Furthermore, the estate has excellent sun exposure.
Until the end of 1990s, the traditional Médoc blend of grape varieties (with only 25% Merlot) generally produced full-bodied, muscular wines with great aging potential. Today, the proportion of Merlot has been increased to 35%. This illustrates the current winemaking team's intention for more velvety tannins and better overall balance.
In the Bottle
One of the northernmost great growths in the Médoc, Montrose often takes advantage of its proximity to the Gironde, as well as its fine terroir, to produce particularly good wines in dry or hot years like 2003, 1990, and 1989.
Montrose was somewhat lacking in concentration for a decade starting in the late 70s. However, there has been considerable progress since then, as evidenced by the vintages mentioned above. The 1996 Montrose is also noteworthy, and will be very long-lived. While the 2000 is unquestionably successful in its appellation, 2002 Montrose is also a beautiful wine, with the added advantage of being relatively affordable.
Other than these outstanding successes, Montrose has also recently produced good wines in more difficult vintages. These are more attractive than wines from similar vintages 10 or 20 years ago, as well as more enjoyable to drink young.
We will be following Château Montrose with interest under the new joint management by Bouygues and Jean-Bernard Delmas, longtime manager of Haut Brion.
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WINE PRODUCED BY THE ESTATE
Montrose, La Dame de Montrose (second wine)
COMPARISON WITH AOC - SAINT-ESTÈPHE
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