CHATEAU MONTROSE 2eme Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Estephe 1989 Bottle

Description

The 1989 Château Montrose is a legendary wine that has received exceptional acclaim from critics, including 99 points from James Suckling, who praised its full-bodied, soft, and silky character, featuring intense aromas of iron, dried fruits, and hints of nuts and wet earth. The palate is rich with ripe tannins, showcasing spicy and currant fruit flavours, culminating in a superb finish. Vinous awarded it 98 points, noting its captivating bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, and black truffle, alongside a silky-smooth texture and balanced palate. The Wine Advocate rated it 97 points, describing rich aromas of cassis and dark berries, with a broad and enveloping palate framed by sweet, powdery tannins. This wine exemplifies the excellence of Montrose, promising immense pleasure for years to come.

*****

Château Montrose is one of the leading wine properties of St.Estéphe, and produces some of the longest-lived wines in the Médoc. Montrose had been owned by Jean-Louis Charmolue from 1962 until 2006, when it was sold to Martin and Olivier Bouygues, owner of the eponymously named construction firm Bouygues, is located in the east of the appellation, just north of the hamlet of Marbuzet, on a gravel knoll only 800 metres from the Gironde estuary. The proximity of the estuary ensures a microclimate that protects against frost, and the vines, which lie on deep clay-gravel soils, benefit from a south-easterly aspect.

Montrose's wine is typically a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and is matured in oak barriques (30% new) for 18 months.

Montrose wines are traditionally deeply coloured, austere and powerful when young, yet possess superb ageing potential, and when mature are quintessential St.Estèphe clarets.

JAMES SUCKLING 99 points
This was yet another wine I drunk with wine collector friends in Bangkok – the city is truly buzzing when it comes to wine and when you know where to look! On the nose, there were intense aromas of iron, pot iron and dried fruits, as well as hints of nuts and wet earth. On the palate, it showed a gorgeous texture of ripe tannins and lots of spicy and currant fruit character. A full-bodied, very soft and silky Bordeaux with lots of flavors and a superb finish. Just right now – indeed it seems to be getting younger with age, not older! Decant an hour before. I think it's better than the legendary 1990. It's certainly cleaner and more consistent quality.

VINOUS 98 points
The 1989 Montrose is a magnificent wine and this represents one of the best bottles I have encountered – one that was purchased on release and not moved from Berry Brothers’ cellar since. I have encountered perfect bottles of the 1989, and this flirts with that magic figure. It is blessed with a captivating bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, sous-bois and black truffle, the veins of blue fruit just toned down a little compared to previous bottles. The palate is supremely well balanced with those filigreed tannins that in some ways are atypical of Montrose. It delivers silky-smooth texture and an intense finish that glides across the senses. I cannot give a perfect score on this occasion, but without question, this is one of the great Montrose releases. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. - Neal Martin

THE WINE ADVOCATE 97 points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Drink Date: 2009 - 2035
The 1989 Montrose can be a magical wine, even if huge variation between bottles makes it something of a minefield for anyone with an aversion to the animal aromatic signatures of Brettanomyces yeasts. This particular example was one of the best I have had (and as one of the best Bordeaux from my birth year, it is a wine I have drunk several dozen times), offering up rich aromas of cassis, dark berries, black truffle, pencil lead, espresso toast and rich soil tones, followed by a full-bodied, ample and layered palate that's broad, sensual and enveloping, framed by sweet, powdery tannins. In fact, my handwritten notes include the words, "best bottle ever!"