2024 Montrose

(St-Estèphe; 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; a final yield of 38 hl/ha with no problems of slow or uneven floraison up here in the north of the Médoc – a little loss on the Merlot due to mildew; around 15% vin de presse; IPT 77; organic certification will come this year; a colossal amount of work with up to 200 people working in the vineyards at many periods during the season; 24 treatments against mildew, a record here; sorting was less important here because of the work already performed in the vineyard; 90 different lots vinified separately because of the reasonably good yields; tasted at the property with Vincent Decup). Sourced exclusively from Terrace 4, the first part of the property to be planted well before the classification. Tasted just after Terrace III, it is difficult to imagine that this could be better. It is. Even more intense in its florality. Again, wisteria and now with a little iris too. Many wines of the vintage have a bulby character to their florality. Not here. This is all about the petals. It’s very delicate. There’s a hint of violet too but it doesn’t overpower the more subtle floral notes that feel very natural and that take the limelight. Graphite and deep dark berry fruits on the palate – black berries, brambles and mulberries. A little red cherry. The fruit profile is rather more familiar than for the Terrace III wine. There’s more gravitas, depth and profundity too. The wine also seems to gather more towards the bottom of the mouth and has more amplitude in its depth. It’s a little more serious but never austere. I love the contrast. The left-bank wine of the vintage.

The 2024 Château Montrose is on another level and clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, it's aging in 60% new barrels. Gorgeous notes of cassis, violets, graphite, and smoky tobacco all emerge from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it has remarkable purity, fine yet building tannins, and a great finish. Coming in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.5, this estate continues to deliver First Growth quality year after year.

Deep garnet-purple colored. Prances out with energetic notes of black raspberries, black currant jelly, and kirsch, leading to hints of wet slate, mossy tree bark, dried mint, and forest floor, with a touch of rose oil. The light to medium-bodied palate is like a tightly coiled string, revealing great tension and firm, fine-grained tannins to support, finishing very long and minerally. Nicely done!