One of Saint-Estèphe's greatest estates, Château Montrose offers profound aromas of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, graphite, cedar, cigar box, and crushed stone. Powerful yet impeccably balanced, it reveals dense concentration, firm polished tannins, vibrant freshness, and an extraordinarily long finish built for decades of aging.
Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, grilled ribeye, roast lamb, venison, duck confit, truffle potatoes, aged Comté, or braised short ribs.
97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The remarkable 2021 Montrose gets my nomination for the title of "wine of the vintage" in the Médoc. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of cassis and dark berries mingled with subtle hints of mint, orange, pencil shavings and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered and multidimensional core of fruit underpinned by beautifully ripe, refined tannins. Concluding with a long, resonant finish, it entirely transcends the limitations of the year. This young classic, reminiscent of the estate's 1996 but far better, is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
96 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Leather and black-spice aromas are a prelude to the richness and power of this wine. It is concentrated and full of ripe black-plum flavors, and acidity.
95 Points - Decanter
Beautiful perfume on the nose, really fragrant and seductive, deep and heady but beguiling too. You get chunky, chewy fruit here - this is round, plump and filling a consequence of the slightly more Merlot in the blend than usual - opposed to more Cabernet seen elsewhere. It has a luscious appealing fruitiness then the austerity kicks in, with a vein of salinity and minerality, such a linear, quite strict middle where you get severity in the texture giving it some rigidity but you also have such great depth on the mid palate, the layers of fruit and spice that linger giving such a core of flavour. A sense of power, intensity and concentration but also with acidity keeping everything lifted. A stately wine with lots of potential. Pierre Graffeuille replaces Hervé Berland here, having arrived in March and taking over fully in October. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 39% grand vin.
Barrel Sample: 95
95 Points - James Suckling
This shows Montrose personality with blackberries, blackcurrants and graphite, along with some spices and cedar. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a juicy finish. Refined and balanced. Drink or hold.
94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The Grand Vin 2021 Château Montrose checks in as 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot, raised mostly in new oak. It's an absolute classic expression of this terrior, offering pure cassis and assorted darker currant fruits that give way to more damp earth, violet, and leafy tobacco nuances. With medium-bodied richness, perfect integration of its acidity, tannins, and oak, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this still showing beautifully at age 30. It's a remarkable wine in this challenging vintage.
92 Points - Wine Spectator
Sleek, with sufficient fruit to accommodate the tangy acidity of the vintage, this allows black cherry, damson plum and violet notes to stretch out nicely, with a late echo of singed alder. Poised and nicely done for the vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2037.
