Montrose 2014

One of the wines of the vintage in 2014, fascinating to check in on it now, and to compare it to the universally-lauded (but more expensive) 2016. This is confident, creamy, cassis and bilberry dark fruits, swirled through with liqourice, mint, black chocolate, espresso, slate. Extremely well handled, this walks the line, perfectly balanced, with St Estèphe character but Montrose breeding and depth. Hard to imagine finding a better 2014 today, and although this will clearly deepen and improve over the next decade, you can approach today with a good carafe. Harvest September 22 to October 16. Hervé Berland director.

Very muted nose. Seems rich and heavy but not that expressive aromatically. Big and bold and ambitious with a good balance between fruit and tannins. Acid reasonably well in check. And very definitely St-Estèphe. Pretty brutal - without the charm and glamour of Cos - but probably very true to the archetype. Good tannin management but nothing at all confected or too modern. Inky finish.Drink 2024-2040

I loved the 2014 Montrose and it has an incredible purity and elegance that sets it apart from its peers. A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it offers a deeper, richer profile with gorgeous cassis and currant fruits intermixed with licorice, chocolate, graphite and beautiful minerality. A spitting image of class on the palate, with fine tannin, integrated acidity, and medium to full-bodied richness, this terrific 2014 is up with the crème de la crème of the Médoc and keep for two to three decades. 2020 - 2050

This is seriously built, with an admirable core of red and black currant paste and bitter plum fruit inlaid with notes of tobacco, bay and smoldering charcoal. The finish is ramrod straight thanks to an iron girder supporting everything with ease. A tremendous effort for the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2035.

Floral rose and raspberry scents on the nose. Supple and agile, this is bright and tangy, with the focus on the acidity and the purity and precision of the fruit which is crystalline and takes the lead. Tannins are barely there but you still feel as if there is structure on show, so it's not light but not weighty. Streamlined but with energy that pushes the flavours from start to finish. It's a very pretty, graceful wine and you can't fault the delicate, refined presentation where they really haven't gone too far in any one way. Stylish and so easy to enjoy with herbal and salty markers on the finish. Firm and focussed but extremely charming nonetheless. (Drink between 2024-2042)

The 2014 Montrose has a bouquet that exudes class and sophistication: pure and mineral-driven black fruit, cedar and pencil lead, hints of blueberry developing with aeration although it never impedes upon the sense of terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with graphite-tinged black fruit, filigree tannin, a sweet core of blackberry and boysenberry fruit with a satin-like texture towards the finish. There is obviously some high quality oak used here, but it is simpatico with the fruit. For Montrose, you might argue that this is more modern in style and yet it is undeniably crafted with real panache to create a modern classic. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drink 2022 - 2055.

Tasted at the château, the 2014 Montrose builds on the promise it showed in barrel with gorgeous blackberry, raspberry, cedar and orange sorbet scents that are extremely pure and refined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very precise acidity and layers of crisp black fruit laced with vanilla from the new oak at the moment. That will be subsumed in time. What you have here is a very precise, multi-layered, almost sensual Montrose that is going to delight many for years to come. This is highly recommended—one of the finest Left Bank wines this vintage. Tasted September 2016. Drink date 2024 - 2050

The Château Montrose 2014 is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that represents 47% of the total production. It was picked from mid-September via five or six tries through the vineyard. The aromatics represent a clear step in quality from the second wine, attired with far more precision and focus, much more purity with scents of blackberry, boysenberry and blue fruit, now with touches of violet and vanilla. It is beautifully defined and actually, at least at this juncture, closely aligned with Cos d’Estournel 2014. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin that underpin layers of pure mineral-rich black fruit. There is an enthralling sense of energy and precision here and it fans out remarkably on the finish. Dare I say, this is one grand vin that comes perilously close to matching the heights of the 2009 and 2010. This is a brilliant Montrose, one of the best you will find on the Left Bank this vintage. Tasted on five separate occasions, twice at the château. Drink 2020-2045.

This is a fabulous young red with blackberries, currants and wet earth. Full body, firm tannins. Very long finish. It really takes off.

This was winemaker Vincent Decup's first vintage. "Veraison was very late - not until the end of August for the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Petit Verdot," he commented. "This led to a late vintage with a nice Indian summer for the northern side of the Medoc. St Estephe was maybe the appellation of the vintage! It was a bit rainy for the Merlot, but the late-harvested Cabernet Sauvignons were great. We finished harvesting on 16 October to get the phenolic maturity for the Cabernet Sauvignon." Deep garnet in color, the 2014 Montrose is composed of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Notes of blackcurrant cordial, baked plums, and boysenberry preserves jump from the glass, giving way to wafts of candied violets, chocolate box, and unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate is quite classic, laden with muscular, earth-laced black fruits and delivering a firm backbone of grainy tannins with just enough freshness, finishing long and savory. This should be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage, with another 30 years+ to go. 2023-2045

The 2014 Montrose is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it offers up flamboyant notes of Morello cherries, blackberry preserves, and fruitcake with hints of blackcurrant cordial, Chinese five spice, dried roses, and dusty soil. Medium-bodied, the palate has delicately layered fruit with firm, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.

Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Red) Floral rose and raspberry scents on the nose. Supple and agile, this is bright and tangy, with the focus on the acidity and the purity and precision of the fruit which is crystalline and takes the lead. Tannins are barely there but you still feel as if there is structure on show, so it's not light but not weighty. Streamlined but with energy that pushes the flavours from start to finish. It's a very pretty, graceful wine and you can't fault the delicate, refined presentation where they really haven't gone too far in any one way. Stylish and so easy to enjoy with herbal and salty markers on the finish. Firm and focussed but extremely charming nonetheless. (Drink between 2024-2042)