2018 Château Montus Madiran
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Full bottle 1,340 g. Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon planted on red, grey and yellow clays with river stones. Vines around 27 years old. Cold pre-fermentation maceration from 2 to 5 days. Slow fermentation between 22 °C and 26 °C for 8 to 10 days. Long maceration from 30 to 45 days (adapted to the vintage). 24 months in wooden casks (foudre). Bottling after 36 months of ageing and then 2 years in bottle at least before release. pH 3.65. Deep garnet. Inviting dark fragrance of blackberry and blackcurrant, just starting to evolve into tertiary aromas of cedarwood and something that reminds me of cinnamon though it's not that sweet. Powerful tannins surround a deliciously juicy core of fruit. Firm, deep, rounded out by the bottle age. Texture is just starting to become a bit more leathery but this has excellent freshness and a long, gently chewy but not astringent finish. A food wine incarnate. Rich and long, freshened by both the acidity and the tannins. Still has a way to go. Definitely worth cellaring if you have the right conditions. (JH)
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Exhibiting notions of spices, tobacco, blackberries, licorice and herbs, the 2018 Château Montus is medium to full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit framed by fine tannins that gently assert themselves on the finish. More intense and tense than the 2018 Bouscassé, it needs a couple of years in the bottle to chill out, but you can already see the potential. This is a blend of 80% Tannat, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc sourced from vines planted on pebbles and clay soils, matured 36 months in barrels, of which 40% are new.