Château Montrose La Dame de Montrose 2020
Category | Red Wine |
Varietals | |
Brand | Château Montrose |
Origin | France, Bordeaux, Saint-Estèphe |
Château Montrose is perhaps the most venerable estate in Saint-Estèphe and among the most renowned in the entire region of Bordeaux. The château began as an almost forgotten property rediscovered by Etienne Théodore Dumoulin who planted the vineyards in 1815. Only 40 years later, Château Montrose received the ranking of Deuxième Cru, or 2nd Growth, in the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, a remarkably short time to receive such a prestigious honor. The estate has not changed much since then; vineyards are the same now as when he left them to his heirs in 1861.
These vineyards surround the Château in one contiguous, unbroken stretch covering 95 hectares planted on gravel and sand topsoil over a clay subsoil. The vines are planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. All grapes are hand-harvested, hand-sorted, and destemmed before an optical sorting and another hand-sorting. The wine is fermented in one of 70 stainless-steel tanks, spending 25 days in the vat. Château Montrose ages the Grand Vin for 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels, 12 months and 30% new oak for the second label (La Dame de Montrose), and 12 months ini 20% new barrels for the third label (Le Saint-Estèphe de Montrose). The result is one of the greatest wines of Saint-Estèphe and all of Bordeaux.