Château Montrose - Saint-Estephe 2018 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Vinous

95-97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 Montrose was picked from 17 September and finished on 5 October, comprising of 61 lots of free-run juice. It has a very refined and composed bouquet with blackberry, blueberry, violet and rose petals, the oak (100% new) seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin that form a symmetrical frame around the pure black, graphite tinged fruit that lend it a Pauillac-like personality. This is a brilliant Montrose that manages to express all the leitmotifs of this St-Estèphe and keeps the excessive tendencies of the growing season in check, thanks to a combination of terroir and skillful winemaking. The alcohol level is 14.7% and we need to see how that plays out, but for now this seems to deliver.

WeinWisser

19,5 / 20

the5/7/2019

Vinous

95-98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/1/2019

The 2018 Montrose balances finesse and power to a degree I don't think I have seen in a recent young Montrose. The 2018 has plenty of depth, intensity and thrust - all signatures of Montrose - but it also has a striking sense of elegance. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice meld together in the glass. Although it is naturally very young, the 2018 Montrose appears to have a tremendous future. The blend is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, which is to say more Cabernet and less Merlot than is the norm. Readers will have to be patient with the 2018, but it is a stellar wine in the making. Montrose presents an en primeur sample aged 100% in new oak (while the final wine is aging in 60% new barrels) to show a wine that is more ready to taste young.

Jeb DUNNUCK

97-99 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/1/2019

The top wine of the estate as well as one of the wines of the vintage, the 2018 Château Montrose is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new French oak. Crème de cassis, smoky oak, graphite, and violet notes all emerge from this magical Montrose that has thrilling purity, building, layered tannins, integrated acidity, and a blockbuster finish. Deep, concentrated, and built for the long-haul, yet with the sexiness of the vintage, it’s in the same league as the 2016 and will be drinkable in just 4-5 years and keep for 40+.

Vinifera

98-100 /

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

Notes de fruits mûrs, de prune. Bouche à l'attaque tendre, très fruits rouges. Trame un peu floue à l'évolution. Il finit sur un tanin en peu compact à ce stade mais offre un très joli potentiel.

My Bettane + Desseauve

97 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/24/2019

Grand vin complet, puissance aromatique rare aussi rapidement sur ce terroir, magnifique texture, grande longueur, grande personnalité, rentrera dans l’histoire.

La Revue du Vin de France

18,5-19,5 / 20

the4/24/2019

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

When you taste a barrel sample and the first thought that comes to mind is 'I want this in my cellar' you know you're tasting a rock star! The color of a pitch black night, this beauty is completely opaque. The wine is powerful, concentrated and palate staining. The fruits vary from black to dark red. The tannins are incredibly soft and sweet plus there is a polish that feels fantastic in your mouth. As the wine coats your palate, teeth and gums, you experience a beautiful purity of fruit, intensity and volume with lift and a finish that crosses the 60 second mark. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to 15 years or if you're have patience 20. It is hard to fathom that Montrose has been able to put together an unequaled run of vintages at this high-level of quality. A vertical of 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 is going to be fascinating to experience. The wine was made from blending 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, reaching 14.8% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. The Grand Vin was made from 52% of the harvest, which took place September 17 to October 5. The yields were quite low here due to issues with mildew, so the estate only realized 26 hectoliters per hectare.

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested from September 17 to October 5, the 2018 Montrose has a very deep purple-black color and opens with tantalizing notes of crème de cassis, Black Forest cake, hoisin and mocha with nuances of molten licorice, fertile loam, cast iron pan and incense. Big, rich, full and powerful in the mouth, the voluptuous fruit has a rock-solid backbone of very firm, very ripe tannins to match with tons of freshness and an epically long, exotic spice finish. A magnificent monster of a Montrose!

Wine Enthusiast

96-98 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2019

This superb wine offers intense, spicy tannins and rich black fruits that yield an impressive, ageworthy bottling. Its black plum flavor and juicy acidity are enhanced by the firm tannins, with a touch of nutmeg on the finish.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

This is a big and muscular wine with great structure and depth of fruit. Blackberry and blueberry character. Hints of fresh leaves. Cool earth. Incredible depth, yet so polished. Concentrated.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

98 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Yvesbeck.wine

98-100 / 100

byYves Beckthe4/1/2019

72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Pourpre violacé. Bouquet élégant, complexe, puissant. Notes épicées et fruitées. D’entrée, le bouquet annone que Montrose 2018 est grand. C’est une évidence, et c’est ce qui est fascinant dans ce contexte. Il y a de la minéralité (avec du graphite), des notes de mûres, de réglisse et de la fraîcheur. La mise en bouche est friande, suave, compacte, précise. Elle sait parfaitement cumuler l’ampleur, la finesse et la touche suave. Finalement, les tannins assurent brillamment les arrières. Ils sont puissants, suaves également et en accord avec la race de la structure. Un vin qui entrera dans le panthéon des grands Montrose. 2025-2053

Decanter.com

97 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/1/2019

This is wonderfully rich, with the precision of 2016 but the seductive quality of 2009. It feels architectural in the way that truly great vintages do in the Médoc, and it seems to have consumed its alcohol rather effortlessly. There's plenty of liquorice and exuberant but well buttoned-down brushed damson and cassis pit notes that maintain the signature of Montrose. You can see the concentration in the legs and in the depth of the colour. 20% press wine was added, which is typical here, but the vintage yielded an extremely low 25hl/ha, due partly to drought, partly to mildew and partly to coulure - with drought accounting for most of that/ The Cabernets were affected more than the Merlots because of the later harvesting (which ran from 17 September to 5 October), which meant careful sorting was essential. A good 3.7pH has definitely helped it maintain its balance and sense of minerality, but for me the 2016 remains the one to beat. 2% Petit Verdot makes up the blend. Phenolic count of 81IPT.
Drinking Window 2028 - 2042