Chateau Montrose 2019

The first tastings suggest a vintage very close to the 2016 with a beautiful structure of ripe, precise, concentrated tannins placing it among the great vintages of Montrose.

Blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

Wine Spectator: 96
Lush and lovely, showing a mix of creamed loganberry, plum, boysenberry and mulberry flavors that borders on exotic, but everything stays harnessed by sleek floral and iron notes through the finish. This has ample structure for balance that's well-embedded in the fruit, making this seemingly approachable now but there's absolutely no rush. A beauty. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023.

Wine Spectator: 96

Lush and lovely, showing a mix of creamed loganberry, plum, boysenberry and mulberry flavors that borders on exotic, but everything stays harnessed by sleek floral and iron notes through the finish. This has ample structure for balance that's well-embedded in the fruit, making this seemingly approachable now but there's absolutely no rush. A beauty. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023.

Wine Advocate: 97
The 2019 Montrose has turned out very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with a dramatic, perfumed bouquet of wild berries and cassis mingled with notions of lilac, violets, pencil shavings and warm spices, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Full-bodied, layered and seamless, it's deep and multidimensional, with lively acids, beautifully refined tannins and a long, resonant finish. Checking in at 14.4% alcohol (rather higher than, for example, the brilliant 2009's 13.7% or the 2016's 13.3%), this is an undeniably powerful, ripe Montrose, but for now everything appears to be kept in check. Best After 2029.

Wine Advocate: 97

The 2019 Montrose has turned out very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with a dramatic, perfumed bouquet of wild berries and cassis mingled with notions of lilac, violets, pencil shavings and warm spices, framed by nicely integrated new oak. Full-bodied, layered and seamless, it's deep and multidimensional, with lively acids, beautifully refined tannins and a long, resonant finish. Checking in at 14.4% alcohol (rather higher than, for example, the brilliant 2009's 13.7% or the 2016's 13.3%), this is an undeniably powerful, ripe Montrose, but for now everything appears to be kept in check. Best After 2029.

Decanter: 98
Oh this is good, it steals up on you with real depth of flavour, stately and concentrated in a way that reminds me of a 1996 or a 2016. Extremely measured, very clear that this is going to age effortlessly, it is extremely discreet and yet packed with persistent flavours. A masterclass in the flavours and aromatics that you expect in a great Médoc wine - slate, crushed stones, savoury blackcurrant, liquorice, hints of smoke and cold ash. After five minutes in the glass the sweeter berry fruit comes out, and the whole thing is sappy and mouthwatering, and makes you smile.

Decanter: 98

Oh this is good, it steals up on you with real depth of flavour, stately and concentrated in a way that reminds me of a 1996 or a 2016. Extremely measured, very clear that this is going to age effortlessly, it is extremely discreet and yet packed with persistent flavours. A masterclass in the flavours and aromatics that you expect in a great Médoc wine - slate, crushed stones, savoury blackcurrant, liquorice, hints of smoke and cold ash. After five minutes in the glass the sweeter berry fruit comes out, and the whole thing is sappy and mouthwatering, and makes you smile.

Vinous: 98
The 2019 Montrose has a razor-sharp bouquet, a melange of red and black fruit, touches of pencil box and cedar. Understated at first, it unfurls temptingly with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, fine acidity, blood orange infusing the black fruit with pencil lead towards the finish that fans out with style. There is a sense of grandeur to this wine that is compelling. Montrose? Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Vinous: 98

The 2019 Montrose has a razor-sharp bouquet, a melange of red and black fruit, touches of pencil box and cedar. Understated at first, it unfurls temptingly with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, fine acidity, blood orange infusing the black fruit with pencil lead towards the finish that fans out with style. There is a sense of grandeur to this wine that is compelling. Montrose? Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

James Suckling: 97
Blueberries, cracked white and black pepper with dried flowers. Some crushed stone and slate, too. Full-bodied with tannins that grow on the palate and continue on. It’s polished and very fine with lovely length. Best from 2027.

Jeb Dunnuck: 97
The flagship 2019 Château Montrose is also brilliant, although it's not going to match the all-time greats from this estate. Gorgeous cassis, graphite, damp earth, cedar pencil, and tobacco are just some of the nuances here, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, graceful, layered mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It doesn't have the overall density or mid-palate of the 2018 or 2016, but it’s flawlessly balanced and just incredibly impressive. Showing more and more tannins with time in the glass, it will need a decade of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. Best After 2032.

Jeb Dunnuck: 97

The flagship 2019 Château Montrose is also brilliant, although it's not going to match the all-time greats from this estate. Gorgeous cassis, graphite, damp earth, cedar pencil, and tobacco are just some of the nuances here, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, graceful, layered mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It doesn't have the overall density or mid-palate of the 2018 or 2016, but it’s flawlessly balanced and just incredibly impressive. Showing more and more tannins with time in the glass, it will need a decade of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. Best After 2032.