Château Montrose, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, 2012

Viticulture

The harvest began with the Merlots on 24 September. With the grapes maturing unevenly within parcels, each parcel had to be divided up with scrupulous precision at the start of picking. The Cabernet Sauvignons were picked from 13 to 20 October at full maturity and in perfect health despite spells of rain. The grapes were fully ripe and the musts showed great richness, with highly attractive fruit and very intense colour.

Winemaking

The maceration period was exceptionally long – 26 to 28 days – since the very thick skins of the Merlots and Cabernets meant that more time was needed in order to extract the quintessence of the vintage. The result of a great deal of hard work and a certain degree of risk-taking at harvest-time, 2012 ranks among the estate's excellent vintages in recent years.

Oak Ageing

Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dazzling purple. Initially rather closed, the nose opens with airing to reveal elegant fresh fruit, blackcurrant bud and eucalyptus aromas. A fresh, clean attack leads into a full, powerful and silky mid-palate, building to an incredibly long finish on notes of brioche and liquorice. An intense and stylish vintage to come back to in a few years’ time.