The result of rigorous selection at each stage of production, in both the vineyard and the winery, this great, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon wine is typical of the Saint-Estphe appellation. Structured and tannic but with all the elegance and refinement of a Grand Cru Class, with time it develops a delicate and complex bouquet.

Surpassing the 2019 and rivaling the 2016 as this estate’s finest vintage of the last few decades, the 2020 Montrose is a monument in the making. Wafting from the glass with aromas of violets, dark berries, licorice, loamy soil, black truffle and subtle spices, it’s full-bodied, deep and layered, with a seamless, elegantly muscular profile, terrific purity and energy, beautifully powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish. It checks in at 13.7% alcohol, the same as the superb 2009, but it is even deeper, more vibrant and more complex than the 2009. This will be worth a special effort to seek out and only confirms Montrose’s status as one of the contemporary Mdoc’s leading estates and a de facto first growth. Best after 2030.

100 PointsWine Advocate