2005 Montrose

My score on the 2005 Château Montrose seems to increase every time I taste it, and this was the finest showing yet. Still youthfully ruby/plum-hued, it has a gorgeously layered nose of darker currants, flowers, new saddle leather, and graphite that's to die for. This carries to a full-bodied Montrose with a dense, concentrated mid-palate, incredibly fine, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. This spicy, complex, nuanced, as well as utterly classic Montrose has another 50-75 years of overall longevity. Count yourself lucky if you have these in the cellar! Drink 2025-2100.

This was the last vintage for the Charmolue family - Jean-Bernard Delmas oversaw the elevage of this wine. Deep garnet in color with a touch of brick at the rim, the 2005 Montrose is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. After a little shaking, the nose erupts with a fantastic perfume of blackcurrant pastilles, kirsch, raisin cake, and forest floor, leading to hints of aniseed, cracked black pepper, and unsmoked cigars. The medium-bodied palate has a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing very long and minerally.

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.