1996 | Chateau Montrose | Chateau Montrose

Deep ruby colour. Complex on the nose, with aromas of leather, black fruits, and brown tobacco. Silky and fresh on the palate, with notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, blackberry, and blackcurrant. 1996 is a classic wine, greedy and elegant, complex and open.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Tasted at the vertical in London, I have instead used the tasting note from a bottle opened at the property when I visited just a couple of weeks later. The 1996 Montrose is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot picked between 23 September and 6 October. It was served alongside the 1986 Montrose, however, this is a far better wine and reconfirms Robert Parker's remarks at his own vertical at the property in 2014. For me, it is that loamy character that defines the nose—freshly tilled, damp soil that tinctures the black fruit —that takes you straight to this particular château. This is classic through and through and very well defined. The palate is wonderful with very fine delineation, pitch-perfect acidity, touches of graphite infusing the red and black fruit that dovetails into a very pretty, floral finish. This is clearly one of the great wines of the 1996 vintage and I would be stocking up as much as I could, because it will give 30-40 years of pleasure. Tasted July 2016.

• James Suckling: A classic St.-Estèphe with all the exotic character you expect from this appellation, along with a harmony, finesse and subtlety not seen in many '96s. Absolutely wonderful aromas of blackberries, anise seed, minerals and spices. Full-bodied, with layers of well-integrated, polished tannins and an intense spicy, fruity aftertaste. One of the best of the modern-day wines from Montrose.

Producer Information

Château Montrose is a well-regarded and critically much-lauded wine estate based in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Bordeaux's northern Médoc region. The estate was ranked as a second growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, and is regarded as one of the very best properties at that level. The epitome of the Saint-Estèphe appellation, Montrose's top wine is known for its structure (even austerity) in youth, but beguiling many as it ages. The grand vin, composed largely of Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot, is typically deeply colored, powerful and firm when young, but has superb aging potential. The second wine is La Dame de Montrose; the third is Saint-Estèphe de Château Montrose. The 95-hectare (235-acre) vineyard exists, unusually for modern Bordeaux, as one single entity. It is sited on an exposed site of deep, coarse gravels with sand and a little clay, overlooking the Gironde. The immediate proximity of the water has a moderating effect on both frost and summer heat, and the pebbles in the soil retain daytime warmth into the evening, aiding ripening. The château is situated around three kilometers (1.8 miles) northeast of Château Cos d'Estournel (another so-called "super-second" – i.e. a highly regarded second growth estate) on the border with the Pauillac appellation.

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