2012 Château Montrose, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

Ch. Montrose is at the leading edge of low-impact winemaking in Bordeaux. For more than 15 years, the property has been improving biodiversity and vineyard health energy use – plus, all the CO2 from fermentation is captured and turned into bicarbonate of soda. “Ch. Montrose is in the middle of nature,” says spokesperson Lorraine Watrin. “Our vision here is to reveal the beautiful riches of the terroir.”

In 2010, Ch. Montrose purchased 22ha of prime land from their neighbours, Ch. Phélan-Ségur. The vineyard borders Montrose on its western side and is planted with 2/3 Merlot and 1/3 Cabernet Sauvignon. According to who you speak with, this may be Phélan’s best parcel, and the Merlot is especially prized. This has given the Montrose team a short-term puzzle, resulting in a higher-than-usual proportion of Merlot in the blend for the Grand Vin. This will be adjusted over the coming years as the existing Montrose Merlot on excellent Cabernet land near the river has been replanted for the latter. Still, there is an embarrassment of fine Merlot on the estate. Not that this is a problem: in 2012, Merlot excelled. 

This dense and spicy wine contains 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. The very low-yielding Cabernet is fully ripe and gives an earnest backbone to some high-quality Merlot. This is not a traditional Montrose but undoubtedly a beguiling one.

Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Director, Berry Bros. & Rudd