2021 Chateau Montrose 0,375 l - halbe Flasche - Grand Cru Classe - St. Estephe AC

Decanter.com – 95 pts – GH: *Beautiful perfume on the nose, really fragrant and seductive, deep and heady but beguiling too. You get chunky, chewy fruit here - this is round, plump and filling a consequence of the slightly more Merlot in the blend than usual - opposed to more Cabernet seen elsewhere. It has a luscious appealing fruitiness then the austerity kicks in, with a vein of salinity and minerality, such a linear, quite strict middle where you get severity in the texture giving it some rigidity but you also have such great depth on the mid palate, the layers of fruit and spice that linger giving such a core of flavour. A sense of power, intensity and concentration but also with acidity keeping everything lifted. A stately wine with lots of potential. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland here, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 39% grand vin.* - 04/2022

Falstaff Magazin – 94 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Ein Hauch von Cassis, frische Kirschen, dezenter Brombeertouch, zarte Kräuterwürze. Saftig, reife rote Kirschen, elegant und frisch, gut eingebundene Tannine, mineralisch, gut anhaftend, gute Länge, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial.* - 05/2022

The Wine Advocate – (94-96) pts – WK: *A brilliant achievement, the 2021 Montrose is reminiscent of a purer, more precise, modern-day version of the estate's 1996. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants, pencil shavings, sweet loamy soil, black truffle and nicely integrated new oak, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with terrific depth at the core, lively acids and a seamless, harmonious profile. Exhibiting beautifully refined tannins and an impressive sense of completeness, it's a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot—standing out as one of the few top wines of the vintage that actually includes more Merlot and less Cabernet than in recent years.* - 04/2022

Vinum Magazin – 18,5/20 pts: *Superbe, komplexe Aromatik; unerhört kompakter, stilvoller Montrose, Tannin grosser Frische, endet herrlich lang, gehört zu den schönsten, weil stilvollsten Montrose der letzten Jahre.*

WeinWisser – 19+/20pts – GL, TW: *62 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 31 % Merlot, 6 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Petit Verdot, 13 Vol.-%, 39 % Grand Vin, 30 hl/ha. Ein unglaublich komplexes Bouquet, sehr subtil, Wildkirsche, Lakritze und rotes Johannisbeergelee. Im zweiten Ansatz getrockneter Thymian, Graphit und Fliedernoten. Am dynamischen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, salzigem Extrakt, stützender Rasse, engmaschig reifem Tanningerüst und perfekt geformtem Körper. Besticht mit grandioser Präzision und beeindruckendem Tiefgang. Im gebündelten, langanhaltenden Finale ein Feuerwerk mit edler Cassiswürze, tiefschürfender dunkler Mineralik und erhabener Adstringenz. «A great terroir vintage» und ganz klar der beste Wein aus St. Estèphe.* – 04/2022

James Suckling – (95-96) pts: *A very classy and refined Montrose with excellent length and a compact, medium-bodied palate, showing fine, silky tannins and a fresh, bright finish. Lots of currant, blackberry and tar at the end, as well as some graphite. 62% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.* - 05/2022

Vinous.com – (94-96) pts – AG: *The 2021 is a fine choice for Montrose fans who want to drink the Grand Vin without waiting for decades. I imagine the slightly high amount of Merlot also helps in giving the Grand Vin a measure of suppleness that is rarely found in Montrose. Gentle extractions bring out gorgeous purity in the fruit. Scorched earth, licorice, rose petal and blood orange develop in the glass, followed by a kick of Montrose structure on the finish. The 2021 is not an especially typical Montrose, but it is an undeniably attractive wine. The 13.1% alcohol has not been seen here in years.* - 04/2022

Vinous.com – (93-95) pts – NM: *The 2021 Montrose is very clean and precise on the nose. You could almost describe it has clinical, crushed stone infusing the black fruit and briar. It is not as intense as the previous two vintages, which is to be expected, though the Cabernet Sauvignon is expressive. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and fine acidity; a Montrose that is very tensile and focused. Moderate grip and volume, this is a more slimline version of recent vintages, a reflection of the growing season. Maybe it just misses the bravura finish that one has almost come to expect from this estate, yet it has the potential to become an aristocratic, classic Montrose.* - 04/2022

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (94-96) pts – JL: *Deep in color, especially for the vintage, you find tobacco leaf, black cherry, pencil shavings, cedar, spice, and dark fruits appearing in the perfume with no effort at all. There is a richness in the palate. The fruit is ripe, fresh, vibrant, and chewy, with lift and energy in the mouth that carries through to the finish. As all fans of Montrose know, the wine more often than not requires decades of age before it is ready to taste, but 2021 is a different beast, allowing you to enjoy it with just a few years before it begins to be fun to taste. The wine was made by blending 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.1% ABV, 3.7. Yields were 38 hectoliters per hectare, with 40% of the harvest going into the Grand Vin.* - 05/2022