Château MONTROSE 2022

Description

Antonio Galloni 100 www.vinous.com (Janvier 2025)
The 2022 Montrose is insanely beautiful. That much is obvious. When it might be ready to drink is another question. In recent years, Montrose has acquired notable finesse in its tannins, so that is not an issue. But the 2022 is packed with tremendous density and concentration that will need time to soften. Blackberry, graphite, licorice, lavender and chocolate stain the palate in a stunning, riveting wine of the very highest level. I can only hope to be around when the 2022 starts to drink well! Montrose is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Unforgettable.

Yves Beck 98-100 points www.yvesbeck.wine

66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

Superbe intensité du bouquet, qui offre une magnifique symbiose entre fraîcheur, charme et maturité. Les épices douces, les nuances végétales, l’éclat du fruit, les notes de menthe, la réglisse et une multitude d’autres éléments soulignent la complexité du bouquet, qui est de surcroît d’une grande précision. L’attaque est précise également, pertinente et elle annonce un vin majestueux. Que de densité, de finesse, de profondeur et d’éléments contradictoires côte à côte qui créent une improbable symbiose. Les tannins ont un grain fin, ils sont parfaitement intégrés, ils sont d’une rare puissance et, pourtant, ils sont bien encadrés. La finale se termine sur de la fraîcheur, du fruit tandis que l’austérité, respectivement de beaux amers, étirent sa persistance aromatique.  2029-2059

William Kelley 99-100 points www.erobertparker.com
The 2022 Montrose is such a compelling wine that assigning it a bracketed score seems a mere formality. A brilliant terroir, impeccable viticulture, perfectly timed harvest dates and judicious extraction have aligned to deliver a monument in the making, reminiscent of a far purer, more precise, modern-day version of the 1990 vintage at this address. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, violets, iris, pencil lead and cigar wrapper, it’s full-bodied, deep and authoritative, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, elegantly muscular core that’s framed by supple, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, this only confirms Montrose’s status as a de facto first growth and unquestionably one of the contemporary Médoc’s very greatest estates.

Jeb Dunnuck 98-100 points www.jebdunnuck.com
The 2022 Château Montrose is a classic blend of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 60% new oak from a variety of coopers. Another absolutely brilliant wine in the vintage, it offers a saturated purple hue as well as an essence of Montrose-like bouquet of currants, blueberries, damp earth, violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, and powerful, it nevertheless has a riveting sense of purity, precision, and finesse that’s hard to believe. Given its balance and purity of fruit, as well as the quality of the tannins, it’s going to offer incredible pleasure with just 4-6 years of bottle age (a decade would be best) yet be just about immortal if well stored.

Jean-Marc Quarin 99 points www.quarin.com
Couleur noire, aux reflets pourpres. Nez intense, profond, puissant, qui surprend par sa grande finesse à cet âge. Il se présente plus fumé à l’agitation dans le style Pessac. Ultra minutieux en entrée de bouche, ultra fondant au milieu, avec beaucoup de goût, le vin caresse, fond et se développe ascendant. Très longue finale complexe, savoureuse, au grain fin.

Neal Martin 97-99 www.vinous.com
The 2022 Montrose was picked 2 to 22 September comprising all four grape varieties and all the Cabernet Franc, with 13% pressed wine, matured in 60% new oak. There is 14.5% alcohol this year, which is less than 2018. It has an extremely pure nose with black cherries and blueberry. Quite floral in style with hints of blood orange percolating through with time. The palate is very precise with exceptional mineralité and tension. Very focused, superb concentration, with what is becoming Montrose’s trademark sense of symmetry and sustained aftertaste, this could be the finest Saint-Estèphe in 2022.

Georgina Hindle 97 points  www.decanter.com (at Bordeaux, 01 Apr 2022)
A gorgeous richness straight away, you can feel the intensity and concentration but the texture is so sleek, almost silky yet weighty, juicy and intense. Supple but firm with crushed stones, liquorice, tobacco, dark chocolate, plums and blackcurrants. Tannins are firm and at the fore, but cool and crisp with bite and wet stone elements give an instant minerality. The fruit almost takes a back seat, ripe and black in nature, but quieter than the other elements and overall frame. Juicy and succulent, an appealing shot of acidity initially, mouthwatering and vibrant, then the chalky tannins come in and give this a sense of seriousness. This carries the strength of the vintage well, focused and precise with detail and a sense of energy that is so impactful. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Harvest 2-22 September. 58% grand vin – one of the biggest proportions. There was 53% grand vin in 2018. 3.8pH. 80 IPT. A yield of 31hl/ha.