Montrose 2015

Tasted blind. Extremely deep crimson. Rich and introvert. Smooth as a baby’s bottom. What has happened to the tannins?! Very differently treated than in the other 2015 St-Estèphes. Polished but full of substance. I think there is tannin there but it has been polished out of the picture. You could almost drink this liquorice-flavoured wine now.Drink 2023-2043

Another wine I was able to taste on multiple occasions, the 2015 Montrose is a certainly the wine of Saint-Estèphe in 2015. Notes of cassis, damp earth, violets, and graphite/lead pencil notes all flow to a beautifully pure, elegant and multi-dimensional 2015 that has fine, polished tannin, perfect balance, and a great finish. The 2015 is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, all of which was brought up in 65% new oak. This isn’t a blockbuster yet is pure class all the way. It will be better in 4-5 years and keep for 2-3 decades. 2022 - 2052

Concentration richness the nose has a powerful mix of black fruits the palate a brooding depth. The tannins are fine and not that obvious but support. The fruit at the back is ripe a rich mix of black fruits yet there is balance with freshness on the finish.

Well, well, well. How good is this? St. Estèphe was supposed to be the least favoured commune in the Médoc in 2015, but this is a brilliant wine that’s up there with the best releases of the vintage. Perfumed, dense and super concentrated, with compact tannins, notes of cassis, blueberry and liquorice and very fine tannins. Drink: 2025-40

Powerful and yet restrained, this is a tangy, firm, taut Montrose with very clean, focussed fruit and a direction which is unquestionable. The oak is stunning and refreshing and while it is nearly all new oak, the fruit sings and the attack and balance are stunning. The precision and weightlessness are thrilling and you sense that the tannins are built to last 50 years – this is stunning sleight of hand. Hervé Berland (CEO) explained that by shortening the cuvaison and being desperately careful with extraction he was able to make a much more precise wine. Careful addition of press wine, of optimum quality, allowed them to build and intense but not heavy wine. This continued tinkering and fine-tuning as well as a gradual cutting back on Merlot has allowed Montrose to soar. This is an epic wine.

The deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Montrose opens with broody black fruits, menthol and anise notes with a core of cassis, blueberries and mulberries plus a touch of cedar chest. The medium-bodied mouth is firm and chewy with a good core of muscular fruit and a long, earthy finish. 2022 - 2042

The 2015 Montrose was bottled in July 2017, a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. I remember that Herve Berland felt that I was rather mean to the 2015 after the splendid 2014. Certainly I find that élevage has meliorated this Montrose and lent the aromatics a little more complexity and cohesion compared to its showing in barrel. There is still plenty of blackberry and cassis fruit, also a subtle floral component that becomes more conspicuous with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, smooth and almost silky in texture with a fine bead of acidity. This is certainly one of the more elegant and graceful Montrose in recent years with a lovely saline, marine-influenced finish. I maintain that it will be surpassed by the 2014 and nascent 2016, but it remains a delicious Montrose whose fineness of tannins should render it more approachable than other recent vintages. Anticipated maturity: 2021 - 2045.

The 2015 Montrose is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc that was picked between 15 September and 8 October, the fruit sorted three times using three sorting tables, then an optical sorting machine and finally by hand. Matured in 65% new oak, it possesses some of the best aromatics you will find in the appéllation - billowing blackberry, cassis and boysenberry scents all beautifully defined and seamlessly integrated with the new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, commendable depth and a vibrant bead of acidity that lends this Montrose tension from start to finish. The class comes through strongly in this wine, perhaps the best Saint Estèphe this year. Give this a decade in bottle, more if you can, since Montrose tends to repay cellaring. Drink 2025-2060

Glowing crimson. Smells very Cabernet/cassis. Lovely classy nose with real vigour and perfect balance. So alluring you could almost drink it tonight, although there is a massive tannin level underneath the well-judged fruit. Great stuff.Drink 2024-2048

Very dark and very dramatic. Even a hint of overripeness on the nose. A little stodgy. Could do with a little more lift. A little dry at present. Clearly fashioned for the very long term. Kerpow! Very much in the style of the old Montroses in terms of sheer concentration. Drink 2027-2042