Château Montrose 2020

Interesting, particularly complex aromatics; starts full-bodied, develops great density and depth thanks to absolutely first-class tannins; also great, fruity length; an excellent wine, among the best wines of the year!

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.

Gorgeously rendered for the vintage, with a well-endowed core of loganberry, mulberry and cassis flavors that roll through and are laced with a cast iron hint, while tobacco, warm stone and black tea accents swirl in the background. The long, authoritative finish steadily melds the fruit with the cast iron edge. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2040.

Scented and perfumed on the nose with a delicate charm. Striking, full, round, juicy and crisp – this has bite and a sense of strictness in the frame that keeps things relatively narrow at this point but comes with excellent definition of elements. Great classicism with lots of freshness. Really very seductive, the black and blue fruit, graphite and a touch of smoke grow and expand with richness and intensity while staying friendly at the same time thanks to the soft sweetness and juicy acidity. I just love the interplay between being serious and generous, structured but racy, intense yet precise. Such purity and focus. Energetic and pent up, this is raring to go to show off its beauty but is just being held back. Effortless, complex and compelling. I loved it a tiny bit less than the 2019 but it’s still one of the best in 2020.

The nose is really fantastic with lead pencil shavings, iron shavings, blackcurrants and lavender. Full- to medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Wonderful persistence and personality. Juicy and savory finish. Always classy and sophisticated at the end. Organically grown grapes. 71% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Best after 2028.

The 2020 Montrose is epic. Dark, rich and brooding, the 2020 possesses remarkable intensity, and yet it is somehow not excessively heavy. Time in the glass brings out the wine's more elegant, sophisticated side. All the elements are so well balanced. Red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, gravel and spice are all accented by veins of intense minerality that lend shape and energy. The 2020 is a modern-day classic for Montrose and one of the great wines of the Left Bank.

This is just about off the charts, and could hit triple digits in a few years if it keeps developing. Inky black in color, the wine explodes aromatically with its blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, and tobacco, and that's before you get to its deeper nuances of Indian spice, chocolate, and cigar box scents. But the real fireworks are when the wine coats your palate with its multiple layers of dark red fruits, blackberries, and cocoa. Even with all of its richness, there is ample lift, making it easy to get lost here with all the depth and concentration. The wine is just about seamless on the palate, lingering, building, and expanding for close to 60 seconds. One of the great vintages of Montrose is the swansong of Herve Berland at the helm of the estate. Drink from 2029-2065.

Dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, delicate brightening at the rim. Ripe black cherries, blackberries, subtle hints of liquorice, fine tobacco nuances. Medium-bodied, red berries, fresh acidity, vivid, demanding tannins, mineral on the finish, delicately leafy, shows good length, still needs some patience.

Inky and intensely dark colour with a purple hue. Lovely purity and intensity, layers of inky dark fruit—crème de cassis, cherry, plum, tobacco, fine oak-derived spiciness. The palate shows a very dense and concentrated structure, rather massive yet superbly balanced with perfect proportions, a vibrant acidity, plentiful and grainy, almost seemingly sweet tannins, savoury and fresh dark berry flavours, complex spiciness and a very long, nuanced aftertaste with great persistence. We’re in the vicinity of perfection.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Concentrated, complex, profound, velvety, dark‑fruited bouquet: black cassis, plums, currants, truffle, black olives, dark chocolate, flint. Powerful, tightly woven, multi‑layered, dark and balanced palate with dense, velvety fruit, plenty of fine tannin, an elegant, muscular structure, varied, intense, dense, dark aromatics, and a very long, powerful, dense finish with plenty of lingering flavours.

(71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Concentrated, complex, profound, velvety, black-fruited bouquet: black cassis, plums, currants, truffle, black olives, dark chocolate, flint. Powerful, tightly knit, multi-layered, dark and balanced palate with dense, velvety fruit, a wealth of fine tannins, an elegant, muscular structure, varied, intense, dense, dark aromatics, and a very long, powerful, dense finish with plenty of lingering flavors. 20/20 2029 - 2060

This is up there with the best wines that I have tasted in the vintage. Beautifully balanced, classically refined but profound, delivering nuanced waves of cassis, blackberry purée, peony, pomegranate, mandarin peel, graphite, smoked sandalwood, incense. There is exceptional softness yet density to the tannins, such a confident structure overall, and the build-up of the tannins across the palate is so slow and careful that it’s only at the end that you realise just how big a vintage it is. Clear ageing potential, easy to love, very easy to recommend. 12% press wine. Vincent Decup, technical director. 40% of production in the 1st wine.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Montrose strides confidently out of the glass with classic scents of cassis, pencil shavings, and plum preserves followed by wafts of violets, tilled soil, and tapenade with a touch of wood smoke. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with loads of black fruit and savory layers and a firm, grainy texture, finishing with epic length and a refreshing lift.

92-93

The château has produced the most aristocratic wine of the appellation, but also the tightest at this stage. With superb precision and impeccable definition, it has not yet released all its potential, but the muscle is there and everything is in place to deliver, within ten years, an exceptional wine.

The bouquet has the elegance of a dancer and the warmth of a mother’s embrace. There is freshness, confidence, and depth in the aromas of damson, cherry pit, bay leaf, and stone. Beauty in a glass. This is not a wine, it’s a statue. Its shape, its message, the gentle caress of marble transports you to the Rodin Museum. This wine is a kiss.

La Dame de Montrose had already hinted at it, and the Grand Vin confirms it. It does not wish to reveal itself at first; it prefers to adjust the stage lighting to appear at its best once the curtain rises. The way it unveils itself with precision, relevance, and serenity is impressive. Before the fruit, it is the graphite nuances that define the bouquet, while the palate showcases its depth and power. The wine shines with consistency, persistence, and vigor. It will go far, very far.

The nose is fruity and offers concentration, richness (in balance), depth, a lovely grain, power (with freshness) and a fine multi-layered character. It reveals notes of black cherry, graphite and, more subtly, fresh/bright small black berries, along with touches of black plum, violet and licorice, as well as fine hints of crushed small red berries, camphor, incense, ripe small blue fruits, a subtle hint of caramelization, saffron, a very discreet hint of Bourbon vanilla pod, and a racy minerality. The palate is mineral, fruity and fresh, offering lovely definition, complexity, beautiful structure, an appealing multi-layered side, freshness, fine indulgence, a certain intensity, and delicate power. On the palate, this wine reveals notes of pulpy/fresh blackcurrant, bright redcurrant and, more lightly, morello cherry, combined with touches of small black fruits, hints of caramelization, and a discreet hint of Bourbon vanilla pod. A subtle chew on the finish/persistence. The tannins are elegant, racy and offer a very fine chew.

Densely woven bouquet of wild cherry, tarragon, rosemary and Sichuan pepper. On the second pass, red cherry and dark minerality. On the straight, tightly focused palate with a silky texture, fine-grained extract and a well-trained body—everything in its right place. In the concentrated finish, this giant catapults forward with an endless aftertaste: small black berries, dark graphite and noble (herbal) bitterness. Tremendous ageing potential! For me, among the best wines of this vintage.

95–97. Barrel Sample. While the wine is firm and with powerful tannins it has delicious fruitiness that is more forward than in many vintages of the wine. The fine black currant flavors are underlined by acidity while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives a fine, firm structure to this very direct wine.