2009 Château Montrose

Description

100    Lisa Perrotti-Brown for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Hallelujah what a glorious nose! The deep garnet colored 2009 Montrose features beautiful Black Forest cake, licorice, crème de cassis and warm blueberries scents with hints of charcoal, truffles, tapenade and menthol plus a waft of star anise. The palate is full-bodied, rich, super concentrated and yet superbly harmonious with a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.” (3/2019)

98    Jane Anson for Decanter
“The 2009 Montrose shows elegant, rich, well-placed fruit, full of generosity. It’s silky and velvety in texture, with good freshness despite the exoticism of the fruit structure, with black pepper and garrigue edging. The tannins are still pretty biting and the acidity is higher than many in 2009. Settling in for the long haul, this is without doubt a Montrose that has form and future.” (2/2019)

98+    Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2009 Montrose has a taut, brilliantly defined bouquet with intense black fruit laced with crushed stone, forest floor, crushed rose petals and a touch of slate. Magnificent. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, good depth and grip, plenty of graphite locked in here with a bravura finish that indicates that this Saint-Estèphe is in for the long-haul. It may well deserve a higher score as it evolves in bottle. Everything you wish for in a Montrose.” (3/2019)

98    James Suckling
“For the very ripe vintage this has a herbal and wet earth nose that’s very cool. Then on the palate there’s a ton of ripe cassis, polished fine tannins and a tremendous freshness powering the very long dry finish. One of the stars of the vintage that’s just beginning to enter its best form. This is normally a perfect wine but perhaps not a perfect bottle? Drink or hold.” (3/2019)

97    James Molesworth for Wine Spectator
“A bit of a brute, with a very chewy bittersweet ganache, tobacco and roasted fig core splayed open right now by a dagger of roasted apple wood, allspice and cedar. Long and dense through the finish, with a strong singed iron edge. The stuffing is certainly there, but this will take a while to come together as it’s running unbridled right now. Proves you can still get classic old-school Bordeaux. Best from 2020 through 2040.” (3/2012)

96    Roger Voss for Wine Enthusiast – CELLAR SELECTION
“Enormous tannins, dominant black fruit and a solid, dense structure. The wine, packed with dark fruits, dry tannins, very firm in character. With its huge tannins as well as fruit, this is a wine that really needs many years of aging.” *Cellar Selection* (4/2012)