1970 Montrose

Tasted at the Montrose vertical in Stamford, the 1970 Montrose is a wine that I drank regularly back in the 1990s, when it was one of the standouts of the vintage. As noted by more recent notes by myself and Robert Parker, it seems to have dried out in recent years, although there remains some drinking pleasure. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc picked between 23 September and 11 October. Quite deep in color, it has a cedar and leather-scented bouquet and modest amounts of black fruit, higher toned than coeval vintages, probably due to the relatively higher alcohol level. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition, structured and perhaps a little dry and loose-knit towards the finish. It seems to be on a downward curve, though I wager that large format bottles might be holding up well. I would broach regular-sized bottles over the next 5-6 years. Tasted May 2016.

Very beautiful shaded ruby. Muted nose. Quite remarkably little at first. Smells OLD. Lots of acidity is the first impression. Rather dusty fading fruit. Tart though not dead. Rather hard finish. (JR)

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this was considered a brilliant vintage at the time, but looking back, most 1970s are slightly austere with aggressive tannins and, possibly unfairly, have never really reached the potential that was predicted for them. Harvest began on September 23 and continued through October11, under extremely fair and hot weather. The alcohol degree was high for the era – between 12.5% and 13.5%. In the tasting, the 1970 showed abundant cedar wood, very masculine, muscular character, with new saddle leather, tobacco leaf, truffle and slightly austere tannins. It is medium-bodied, shows plenty of amber at the edge and seems close to full maturity even though the tannins are never going to fully resolve themselves – a sign of the older style Bordeaux vintages. Drink over the next 10-15 years. Wine Advocate.August, 2014