2018 La Dame de Montrose, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

Description

The more northern position and cooler soils benefitted St Estèphe as a whole. At Montrose there is subtlety as well as muscle. Yields are low but this second wine has some plumpness from the good proportion of Merlot, with an honest, pure aroma of dark fruits with some cocoa and hints of warm leather behind. Drink 2025-2035.

Blend: 52% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc

Colour Red

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2018

Maturity Not ready

Grape List Merlot (52%), Cabernet Sauvignon (39%), Petit Verdot (5%), Cabernet Franc (4%)

Body Full Bodied

Producer Château Montrose

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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Saint-Estèphe

Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost of the most important communes of the Médoc, bordering Pauillac on its southernmost border, with only a gully and stream separating it from Ch. Lafite Rothschild. The wines can appear austere in youth, but the best typically display good depth of colour, pronounced acidity and tannins in youth, and are exceptionally long-lived. At their best, they are the equal of almost any Bordeaux.

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