Château Montrose - Saint-Estèphe 2017 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Le Point

18 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Nez discret, s’ouvre à l’air, fruits noirs, burlat, sureau, dense, droit, tendu, élégant, énergie, très précis, bien en place, sérieux, touché velouté, déjà délicieux.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-95 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/12/2018

The Grand Vin 2017 Château Montrose is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It has a sensational Cabernet Sauvignon profile and offers abundant blue fruits, sweet black cherries, leafy herbs, and liquid violet-like aromas and flavors. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated Saint-Estèphe that has remarkable purity, a rock solid mid-palate, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It certainly shows the cooler, pure side to the vintage, yet has plenty of textural richness and depth. It should be drinkable with just short-term cellaring and age beautifully. 93-95+

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe5/31/2018

76% Cabernet Sauvig­non, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Granat mit violettem Rand. Was für ein kiinigliches Bouquet mit Witdkir-schen, parfümiertem Pfeifentabak und Veil-chen. lm zweiten Ansatz rote Johannisbee-ren, schwarze Oliven und Wacholder. Am kraftigen, facettenreichen Gaumen mit ei-nem straffen Muskelpaket und viel Power ausgestattet, lm langanhaltenden Finale ein Feuerwerk von frischem Schattenmorellen-saft und dunkler Mineralik, endet mit stüt-zender tiefgründiger Adstringenz. Ein klassi-scher Montrose, der an 1996 erinnert - mit gewaltigem Lagerpotenzial! Es gab hier ganz klar Vorteile für den Cabernet Sauvignon, da-her weit über 70% im Grand Vin. Wie im letz-ten Jahr, der beste Wein aus St.-Estèphe. Siehe hierzu auch das spannende EXKLUSIV-Interview von Hervé Berland mit Chefredak-teur Giuseppe Lauria auf den Seiten 4 und 5 über den Jahrgang, Sinn und Unsinn von Pri-meurpreisen und warum man auf Montrose
noch sehr hungrig ist.         19/20 2030 - 2060

Vinifera

96 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Superbe volume en bouche pour ce Montrose magistral qui s’impose par sa finesse, sa juste définition du terroir et sa profondeur sapide. On a un grain de tanins remarquable qui constitue une assise parfaitement ajustée à partir de laquelle le vin prend forme et finit frais et étincelant, salin.

Vinous

92-95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Montrose is wonderfully polished and nuanced. Silky tannins and mid-weight structure confer finesse to a Montrose that possesses superb harmony from start to finish. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. In 2017, the Grand Vin (35% of the production) is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Because of the late season rains, Montrose has more Cabernet Sauvignon than is typically the case. The winemaking team opted for a large number of smaller-lot vinifications (82 instead of 50-ish, to be exact), in order to optimize picks according to ripeness. Although alcohol alone can never tell the whole story of a wine, at 13.5% alcohol, Montrose has a very attractive freshness to it. The Grand Vin represents about 37% of the chateau's production. The 2017 is all class.

The Wine Cellar Insider

97-99 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Montrose, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.

Vinous

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Montrose represents 37% of the total production this year and it was cropped at around 45hl/ha. It has a little more volume and intensity compared to the Cos d’Estournel that was tasted immediately prior to my visit. Blackberry, raspberry, cedar and pressed flowers bloom in the glass, though there is a noticeable change with aeration after 20 minutes – hints of juniper and bay leaf, rendering a more nuanced and complex array of aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin and it feels a little chalky in the mouth, yet also tensile and certainly extremely focused. There is already a palpable sense of energy in situ, well structured and vivid, though not as complex or as nuanced as the 2016 Montrose on the finish since the growing season forbade that. I appreciate the pastille-like purity on the aftertaste and the potent tang of cracked black pepper and graphite that hang around for 45 seconds after the wine has departed. It is a fine, very classic Montrose and I suspect more approachable than those of yesteryear. Tasted twice at the château.

Wine Advocate

96-99 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

The 2017 Montrose is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-black in color, the nose is a little closed at first, but with coaxing, it opens to reveal remarkable earth and exotic spice notes of crushed rocks, black truffles, star anise, cassia and fenugreek over a core of crème de cassis, blackberry preserves, violets and blueberry pie with touches of cigar box, charcuterie and black soil. Medium-bodied with a rock-solid frame and an exquisitely ripe, very fine-grained texture, it has wonderful freshness with electric energy and a very long, minerally finish. Possessing great poise and intensity, this is one of the greatest Montrose's I have tasted!

Decanter.com

96 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, die Lese war am 23. September bis 14. Oktober : Sehr dunkles Purpur mit violettem Rand. Konzentriertes, blaubeeriges Bouquet mit Kokos- und duftigen Veilchenaromen, dahinter Walderdbeeren, dunkle Edelheelzer und Lakritze. Am krâftigen Gaumen strahlt er mit grosser Eleganz, das dunkle Brombeermark sowie der frische Schlehensaft verleihen ihm grosse Prâsenz, Frische und Verve; das sehr lange Finale wird von Wildkirsche, schwarzem Bergpfeffer und Cassis-Pastillen begleitet. Ein sehr praziser und eleganter Montrose - ein perfekter Ausdruck des Jahrgangs ! Die unangefochtene Nr. 1 im Médoc und für mich der Wein des Jahrgangs ! WeinWisser 4-5/2017,Seite 8         
20/20 2026- 2060

Jean-Marc QUARIN

17,5 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Wine Enthusiast

94-96 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

This wine is powered by its tannins, creating a concentrated texture, dry at the core and solid. It is a serious, complex wine that is likely to develop slowly. Weighty and dense, it is impressive and intensely rich at the end.

Jamessuckling.com

96-97 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

This is pure and tight with gorgeous cabernet sauvignon character of blackcurrants, blueberries and crushed stones. Full-bodied, yet compacted and polished. It shows a long and beautiful tannin texture at the end. Just rolls off the palate.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/4/2018

This has nice breadth, with cherry and cassis notes moving through atop light tobacco and warm earth flavors. Very bright savory and iron elements add lift and cut through the finish. Tight, but everything is in place.—J.M.