Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe 2015

Producer Tasting Notes

Deep in colour, the expressive and elegant nose reveals notes of white flowers. On aeration, more complex aromas of ripe black fruit emerge, smoky and toasty. The attack is clean and elegant on the palate, true velvet supported by silky tannins. Very good balance in a very fine and defined wine. The very long finish reveals notes of oak and liquorice.

Vineyard Notes

Blessed with undisputed natural assets combined with advantages nurtured over the centuries, Château Montrose has one of the region’s most privileged winegrowing terroirs. The 95-hectare (234-acres) vineyard surrounds the château, the winery and the outbuildings in a single continuous sweep, an exceptional and historically very rare feature. As well as making the vineyard easier to work, this unity means that it can be treated as a single entity, providing ideal conditions for efficient organisation and for monitoring the condition of each parcel. The Montrose terroir corresponds to what geologists call “elite cores”. Over millions of years, a complex process of geological layering resulted in the creation of outcrops, ideal for making fine wines and ensuring natural drainage towards the estuary. The soil on these terraces consists of gravel mixed with sand on the surface over a clay-rich subsoil in which natural reserves form at depth, providing the vines with the water they need.

Winemaking

In the cellar, the reception line allowed for precision work: 3 sorting tables for bunches preceded double sorting of the berries, optical then by hand. The vinification, respectful of the identity of our terroir, was tailor-made in tanks of sizes adapted to each of the 55 batches that make up our blending palette. To these were added 7 batches resulting from the precision work carried out at the press. At the time of blending, the richness of the batches allowed us to be extremely precise in the selection for the grand vin, the most drastic in 15 years. The first tastings put this vintage among the great years of Château Montrose.

Ageing

Matured for 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels.