Montrose, 2001, 75 cl

CHF 140.00 (incl. 8.1% VAT)

Gabriel:

Drinking maturity (2019 - 2040)

Rating 19/20

2 in stock

SKU: 108-F-Montrose, 2001, 75 cl

Description

Gabriel:

Drinking maturity (2019 – 2040)
Valuation 19/20
The best wine in the Médoc! Once we had tasted all the Premiers in the Médoc, I no longer expected any significant vintage surprises and I regarded the trip to the remote Château Montrose as a must. As with many other Grands Crus, the decision was made not to give out any samples and to only allow tastings at the winery itself. But we were amazed twice in a row. The first time was on our approach, when we discovered that a helipad had been set up in the car park of this rather traditional château. The second time was when we were poured this mighty Montrose 2001.
The harvest began on 24 September with the Merlots. Perfect grapes, but around 42 % less than last year. From 1 October, the harvest helpers were sent out after the Petit Verdots and Cabernet Francs. A very special harvest day was 2 October, when the temperature of the grapes brought in was 27 degrees Celsius. On 3 October, it rained almost all day except for an hour in the afternoon. Here, too, a small lot of Cabernet Sauvignon was brought in. The rest of the week was sunny, and on 9 October we finished what was certainly a memorable harvest for Montrose. The yields are lower than ever, at around 32 hectolitres per hectare. For the Grand Vin 2001, 64 % of the harvest was used. The second wine, La Dame de Montrose, corresponds to a selection of 29 % (7 % were declassified as nameless, normal St. Estèphe). While the wineries tend to keep a low profile when it comes to commenting on their own wines, a cellar employee chattered in our ears as we walked through the cellars:

Dégustez bien - c'est mieux que 2000

! So we should be careful when tasting, the Montrose 2001 is better than the previous vintage. He should have been right. And the management also wrote confidently in the vintage report:

Assurément, il fait partie des plus grands vins produit par la propriété

. For me, the Montrose 2001 is one of the very best wines of the vintage from the entire Médoc. And thus by far the cheapest in its qualitatively comparable category! 02: Barrel sample (19/20): 62 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 34 % Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot, 1 % Cabernet Franc, 70 % new barriques. 10 % pressed wine was used for the Grand Vin: Very dark, deep violet-purple colour. Intense bouquet, characterised above all by terroir, black pepper, cassis, cedar, autumn trumpets, truffles and dark woods, lots of tobacco, a certain glimmer of artisanal Bordeaux in it. Fleshy body packed with tannins that support this full-bodied structure, lots of earthy flavour, mixed with a powerful, almost gripping Cabernet expression, cigars on the finish, very long lasting. Among the best Bordeaux, this is a classic wine that is certainly one of the most interesting values in the Grand Cru field. If you want to put a 2001 Bordeaux aside for your own child, this is a very good choice. 03: Tasted again at Montrose shortly after bottling. A real, powerful winner with great harmony in the powerful tannins. There has rarely been so much great Bordeaux for this price (19/20). On Bora Bora in September 2005, the wine was very closed. Powerful nose, earthy, truffles, autumn trumpets, after half an hour Heitz-Marthas spicy notes, eucalyptus, dark chocolate and black olives. On the palate, the wine seems unapproachable, almost hard and grainy in texture. Wait and see! (19/20). 09: Dark garnet, rich in the centre. Sweet bouquet interspersed with summer truffles and prunes, earthy-iron tones and plenty of terroir expression. Rich, powerful palate, astonishingly ripe tannins that are already beginning to show roundness, with a longing astringency in the finish. A Montrose that shows considerably more accessibility than other earlier vintages. Above all, you know in which direction the whole thing is heading: a great classic. (19/20). 11: Dark garnet colour, showing beautiful depth. Earthy bouquet, more terroir, like fruit in the first attack, demi-glace touch. Dense and fleshy on the full-bodied palate, balanced astringency, shows really great, traditionally great Bordeaux. Needs another 5 years. A real recommendation to buy! (19/20). 11: Actually beautifully warm and expansive with an earthy, dry sweetness with lots of tobacco and truffles. On the palate, however, still angular and chewy with a lot of astringency. A classic Montrose that almost needs more time than you are prepared to wait. 12: In the magnum, it was currently at an intermediate high. It easily managed the 19/20. I liked it so much that I had a fifth glass after the fourth. 15: Rich in the centre, slightly brightening at the edge. Peppery nose, still showing certain traces of berries, cedar touch and Dominican cigars, currently only half open. On the palate with a firm bite, good meaty flavours and demanding muscles. Not unapproachable, but also far from mature. Another 10 years or so will have to pass before it really earns the grade it has been awarded. (19/20). 15: In the magnum, it was surprisingly complex and relatively accessible. (19/20). 16: Magnum. Rich garnet colour, still showing few signs of maturity. The nose is still quite reductive and clearly shows mineral notes, turpentine and tar. It develops very slowly with air, the fruit is reminiscent of very ripe plums, but with little sweetness, liquorice, bakelite. After 10 minutes; currants and tar nuances again, perhaps there is also a nuance of summer truffles in the background. Massive palate, still almost compressed, shows flesh on the tongue and the tannins still require further bottle ageing. It is so fleshy that you feel you have to chew it rather than swallow it. The wine is still at least a decade away from being ready to savour. There are several recommendations for consumption. 1. wait a long time. 2. then decant for a very long time. 3. eat something massive with it. But the potential is huge. P.S. When decanting, it smelled like little, but still like walnut wood. (19/20). 16: Magnum. Medium-dark wine red, purple in the centre, ruby rim on the outside. Absolutely brilliant bouquet, immediately appealing, without any other terroir complications and already very communicative. The palate is dense, the tannins are surprisingly fine and homogeneous, the body is pleasantly full-bodied and this inspiring Montrose already radiates great harmony. Now at the beginning of its first, long maturity. A serious recommendation to buy!

AvV:

Restrained nose, needs some time, dark fruit, spices, smoke, liquorice. Dense, taut, straightforward on the palate, crisp fruit, fine-grained, still prominent tannins, the acidity is harmonious, the balance is right, crisp, racy and with very good length on the finish, this is a clear "insider tip" in an underrated year. There is more to come.

 

Additional information

Weight 1.3 kg