2015 La Dame de Montrose, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

Description

55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 41% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot.

The nose has a really nice aroma of tobacco combined with floral notes. Darker fruits dominate, with blackberry, cherry, and plum to the fore. The palate is sweet, too, with an energetic lift and a very rewarding length. We really like the wine this year. A cooling, mineral earthiness arrives on the finish, which is welcome and pleasing. Quite sumptuous for a second wine, it is serious this year—a good fruit core, nice and savoury and a joy to taste.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Colour Red

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2015

Maturity Not ready

Grape List Merlot (55%),Cabernet Sauvignon (41%),Petit Verdot (4%)

Body Full Bodied

Producer Château Montrose

Critics reviews

Jancis Robinson MW 16.5/20

Deep crimson. Scented and sleek. Very ripe and flattering. Not at all like the classic Montrose style - presumably deliberately made to be drunk young. Polished and even rather sweet! Not that St-Estèphe ... Drink 2023-2030 jancis_robinson_mw MW - JancisRobinson.com - Apr 2016

Drink 2023 - 2030

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)

Neal Martin MW 88-90/100

The 2015 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot that was picked between 15 September and 8 October. It has a perfumed, floral and pure bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and violets, all with commendable delineation for a deuxième vin. The palate is well balanced with a more sumptuous texture compared to its fellow Saint Estèphes, thanks to that lush Merlot that forms the core of this wine. It has commendable energy and feels approachable, therefore with 3-4 years in bottle, you should have yourself a fine if not exceptional La Dame de Montrose. Neil Martin - Wine Advocate #224 - April 2016

Drink 2023 - 2030

Neal Martin MW, RobertParker.com (Apr 2016)

James Suckling 94-95/100

Polished tannins with lovely integration and finesse. Full body, round texture. Persistent finish. Second wine of Montrose. james_suckling - jamessuckling_com - Apr 2016

Drink 2023 - 2030

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (Apr 2016)

About this wine

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.

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