The 2017 La Dame de Montrose, the second wine of Château Montrose, is a refined blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep red in color, it shows expressive aromas of cherries, plums, cassis, cedar, violets, and subtle spice. The palate is medium to full-bodied with polished, silky tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long, mineral-tinged finish. Elegant yet structured, it is approachable young but will evolve beautifully through 2036.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 94
Published: Dec 19, 2019

Very pure and attractive red cherries, plums and wild herbs on the nose here. Impressive polish and poise on the palate. The cabernet fits really beautifully into the merlot, delivering cassis, ripe red plums and spiced mulberries. A blend of 49% merlot, 43% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. Second wine of Château Montrose. Drink or hold. Better after 2022.

Decanter | D 93
Published: Apr 9, 2018
Drink: 2024-2038

A good year for Dame de Montrose, showing extremely well balanced plum and damson fruits, and a lovely texture. There was no frost here, as you would expect from a vineyard so close to the Garonne river. Harvest took place between 12-29 September. 4% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend given here. The cellar is now equipped with over 90 small-sized vats, and this is matured in 30% new oak. 40% of production.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 13.00%
Body: Full
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 43% Cabernet Sauvignon 49% Merlot 4% Petit Verdot

The Wine Advocate | RP 92
Published: Mar 16, 2020
Drink: 2020-2035

The 2017 La Dame de Montrose is a blend of 49% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, aged in 30% new and 70% one-year old barrels for 12 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with warm red currants, black cherries and black raspberry scents, followed by earthy/underbrush notions plus hints of violets, dark chocolate and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied and firm, with loads of mouth-coating juicy fruit, it has a velvety texture and long, mineral-laced finish. It should be approachable pretty much from the get-go, although don't let its precociousness make you underestimate its aging potential. Nicely done!

Jancis Robinson | JR 16
Published: Sep 16, 2021
Drink: 2026-2036

Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Slightly dusty, savoury aromas – dried leaves and cedar. Spicy. Muscular, high tannin and high acidity give a strict, rigid mouthfeel. There is good, vibrant red fruit underneath with a hint of blackcurrant. The spice is subtle, integrated into the wine. It might just be too much structure to handle the fruit.

Chateau-montrose.com

A constant quest for quality for both Chateau Montrose and La Dame de Montrose combined with increasingly precise crop selection now allows us to produce a third wine every year: Le Saint-Estephe de Montrose. Produced on the remarkable terroir of Chateau Montrose and vinified by the property's winemakers, it is a classic blend of two great Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Main characteristics of the vintage 2017

The year started with a mild and dry winter, marked by 2 weeks of cold at the end of January. The temperatures remained mild in the spring, allowing uniform bud burst as from 29 March. An early vintage seemed likely, but the growth cycle slowed down at the end of April under the influence of cooler temperatures. The Gironde estuary then played its essential role of thermal regulator during the 3 consecutive days of frost, which spared our vineyard.

The summer-like conditions in May and June favoured uniform flowering. (Full flowering on 29 May).

The vine calmly continued its development, without any particular pressure from disease, an undeniable advantage in the management of our 45 hectares under organic viticulture.

The rainy spell at the end of June led to the start of veraison on 21 July. After a dry and temperate summer, the September rains accelerated the ripening process. Full ripeness of the 4 grape varieties was therefore achieved in a very short time.

Harvest took place under ideal conditions. The team of around a hundred pickers worked within the plots, in a very smoothly run operation.

This precision work was reflected in the cellar, recently equipped with more than 90 small-capacity vats. Extraction was gentle and maceration slightly shorter than last year.

For our blends, we have a rich aromatic palette of 82 batches of classic free-run wines, fully expressing their terroir, along with 9 batches of press wine giving us the possibility to adjust the tannic density of our wines with extreme precision.

The climate of 2017 was particularly favourable for our Cabernet Sauvignons. This year they make up 76% of the Grand Vin blend, giving this vintage a very classic profile.

Period of harvest
From September 12th to September 29th

Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon : 43%
Merlot : 49 %
Cabernet Franc : 4%
Petit Verdot : 4%

Tasting notes
The colour is on a deep red.
The nose, very expressive, is slightly woody, dominated by black fruits aromas (blueberry, blackberry and black cherry). It also reveals subtle notes of cedar and tobacco leaves.
Tension and length in mouth are combined with a good balance. Tannins are precise and silky. The aromas purity brings finesse and elegance.

A wine whose personality should assert itself in the coming years.