2005 Montrose

The last year for Montrose under the Charmolüe family, before the Bouygues bought in 2006. Inky plum in colour, moreish from the very first sip. So juicy, such well controlled extraction, balanced but intense and concentrated, with layers of still-vibrant cassis, bilberry, eucalyptus and cocoa bean. You can now clearly see where this is heading, but it will continue to build over the next few years, and then stay on the plateau for decades. Proof that whatever the Bouygues paid for it the following year, they were getting one of the greatest estates in the Médoc. 60% new oak.

Powerful, concentrated, deep, long, intense, youthful, and tannic, there is a strong backbone here that will allow this to age gracefully for 2-3 decades with ease. But it is not ready to go at this point. So, either give it 2 hours of air, or wait 5-10 more years.

The 2005 Montrose continues to show brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of blackcurrant, red fruits, loamy soil, black truffles and cigar ash. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's still brooding and tannic, with lively acids and an imposing chassis of structuring—and artery-cleansing—extract. Still an adolescent, it's one of the last unrepentantly old-school vintages of Montrose, and Médoc purists couldn't own enough. While this remains a very youthful wine, it is now apparent that the 2005 will, at maturity, surpass the 1989 and 1990.