La Dame de Montrose 2016

Château Montrose is a force to be reckoned with.  Nicknamed the "Latour of St-Estéphe," these wines are hyper-masculine dynamos with extraordinary concentration.  These wines don’t ask for time in the cellar -- they demand it.  For those who wish to experience the viticultural prowess of Château Montrose but are not willing to wait, La Dame de Montrose is the perfect choice.  This more accessible second wine has the same power as its counterpart but can be enjoyed in its youth.

This esteemed Second Growth was known as a hunting area before it was acquired by the legendary Alexandre Segur in the 18th Century.  Alexandre had a lot of experience in the wine trade.  He was the proud owner of Château Lafite, Château Mouton, and Château Latour.  Château Montrose was part of a much larger property that Alexandre Segur had acquired called Château Calon Segur. He gave the property to his son who sold it to Etienne Durmoulin.

Eventually, Etienne Durmoulin created Château Montrose because the terroir was different from the surrounding area. Château Montrose received its namesake because of the pink heather that grew on the surrounding hillside.  When it bloomed, the hill burst into various shades of shocking pink.  The French word for “pink” is rose, and thus the estate earned its name, “Mont Rose,” – or the pink mountain.   The estate was classified as a Second Growth in 1855 and acquired by the Charmolue family.  Louis Charmolue was born at the esteemed St-Emilion producer, Château Figeac. Château Montrose stayed in possession of the Charmolue family for three generations.  La Dame de Montrose was created in 1983 as an homage to Yvonne Charmolüe, who ran Château Montrose by herself from 1944 to 1960. In the 21st Century, Château Montrose was acquired by the Bouygues family after Thomas Bouygues tasted the exalted vintage of 1989 Château Montrose.  It was his dream to purchase the property, and in 2006 the dream came true.  The Bouygues family hired a viticultural dream team that included Jean Bernard Delmas, the previous executive director from Château Haut-Brion and Herve Berland of Château Mouton Rothschild as gerant or manager. 

Château Montrose primarily uses geothermal energy to run its operations, with additional solar and wind energy as well.  The estate also uses a hail canon that sends out ultrasonic waves to protect the vineyard from damage caused by hailstorms that plague Bordeaux.  The team at Château Montrose has also set the goal to be 100% organically farmed by 2025 -- an impressive feat for this 95-hectare vineyard.   The porous soil contains 60% of Cabernet Sauvignon plantings, 32% Merlot plantings, 6% Cabernet Franc plantings and 2% Petit Verdot plantings.  Le Dame de Montrose is made with the same rigorous approach as the grand vin from grapes grown in the same vineyard.  Merlot is the dominant varietal in this wine, making it more accessible than the grand vin.  There is a distinctively supple, red fruit quality – making it the perfect introduction to one of the most impressive properties in Saint-Estèphe. 

"The 2016 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 11% Petit Verdot. It is often a difficult Deuxième Vin to taste en primeur, and it often meliorates considerably during its élevage. Here, the aromatics took some time to coalesce in the glass: blackberry, graphite and a noticeable oyster shell aroma. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth, grainy in texture with very fine balance towards the finish where the quality of the vintage showed through. Doubtless those aromatics will improve and gain harmony by the time it is in bottle, and indeed, when I returned for a second visit I discerned a little more finesse and prettiness on the finish. This is a delightful La Dame. Tasted twice." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, Ratings: 90-92, Drink: 2021-2035

''The 2016 Dame de Montrose is also gorgeous, and the second wines of Bordeaux continue to gain in quality. A blend of 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged in 30% new oak, this beauty has impressive amounts of creme de cassis, graphite, violets, and damp earth that give way to a medium to full-bodied, layered, pure, and seamless beauty that has real class. It’s well worth seeking out and will hopefully help you to keep your hands off the grand vin for at least a few years.'' Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2016: Firing On All Cylinders (2/28/2019) Ratings: 93 Drink: 2019-2039

''The finest vintage of Montrose's second wine in this vertical was the 2016 La Dame de Montrose, a medium to full-bodied, deep and layered wine that's velvety and pure, with a beautifully balanced profile and an inviting bouquet of dark berries, licorice, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and violets. Given the longevity that other top vintages have demonstrated, there's no rush to start pulling corks.'' William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (12/21/2023) Ratings: 92 Drink: 2026-2046